Flora Mabel Berryann

Flora Mabel Berryann of Wake Forest, NC died Thursday, September 7, 2017 at the age of 92.  To the end, Flora was bright and alert and was known to be quick with a smile.  She was born on Christmas Day, 1924 to Eva Mae (Cole) Davis and George Charles Davis, Sr. in Mountainville, NY. As a middle child of a large family of 11 children, Flora began developing mothering skills even as a teenager.  She loved helping her mother take care of her younger siblings.  She attended school in Wallkill, NY, leaving school just before graduating to help support the family as the US, and many family members joined World War II.  During the war, she walked to work at a dress factory in Walden, NY four miles each way.  On January 2, 1944 she married Kenneth William Berryann Sr. (also known as Bill) at the Wallkill Reformed Church and they shared 57 happy years together until his death in June 2001.
Flora was active and proud of her support of her husband’s career, which was often in public service.  She supported his work as Chief of Fire Police, Town Constable and they were founding members of the local Ambulance Corps and Little League Baseball in Wallkill.  When they purchased the local hardware store, Flora provided the accounting for Chase Hardware for many years.  "Bill and Flo” enjoyed travel and family camping adventures.  A skilled fisherman, Flora would often land the biggest fish on any fishing trip.  After retirement, they settled and made many friends in Lehigh Acres, Florida.  After Bill’s death, Flora moved to Raleigh, North Carolina where her 3 sons were living and she became a founding member of Cornerstone Community Church there.  In 2008 she moved to Wake Forest where she enjoyed attending exercise classes at “Curves” well into her early 90s.
 Of the many things that Flora was, more than anything else she was a loving and nurturing mother.  Flora possessed superior mothering instincts and her household was always full of children.  In addition to assisting in raising many of her siblings, she raised her own 5 children and she was, and is, thought of as a second Mother to many others who were friends of her children, cousins, daughters in-law, sons in-law, and grandchildren.  She leaves behind sons Kenneth William Berryann, Jr. and his wife Karen (Hieber) of Wake Forest, NC; Thomas Wilson Berryann and his wife Donna (Knapp) of Louisburg, NC; Donald Jay Berryann and his wife Carla (Baumgart) of Raleigh,  NC; daughter Terri Mae Walker of Raleigh, NC; and son in-law John Faux of Henderson, NC.  Flora will be reunited in Heaven with her husband and her daughter Marilyn Faux, who passed away in January 2017.  Flora is also survived by 12 Grandchildren, 20 Great Grandchildren and 5 Great Great Grandchildren.  Her one surviving sibling, Ernest Donald Davis, Sr. lives in Kingston, NY.  For each child, grandchild, great and great great grandchild, Flora hand made Christmas ornaments every year of their lives, a labor of love which began earlier each calendar year as her family grew.  
A memorial service honoring Flora’s life will be held on September 23, 2017 at 1:00 PM at Bright Funeral Home in downtown Wake Forest, NC.
 Those wishing to make a memorial contribution may want to consider a donation to the Wallkill Volunteer Ambulance Corps in lieu of flowers.  Should you decide on this option, you can donate online through Charity Navigator at https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.profile&ein=146039298. After choosing “Donate to this Charity”, you have the option to “Donate in Memory of a Loved One” and fill in "Bill and Flo Berryann and their descendants”.  If you optionally enter the email “fmberryann@nc.rr.com” at the bottom, you will be identified as a donor but not the amount given.
A service of Bright Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 405 S. Main St., Wake Forest. (919) 556-5811

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