Obituary for Kevin Berry
Kevin Berry, “Boo” as those dear to him knew him by, passed away on October 26 th , 2022 with his family
right beside him. Kevin had ALS for almost ten years and defied the odds every day so that he could be
with his wife, Vicki, and daughter, Haylee, who took care of him and were guided by his courage,
strength, faith, and positivity that he carried with him even on the hardest days. Kevin courageously
stared this illness in the face each and every day and never let it dim his smile and bright personality. We
are so proud of him. He was an inspiration to all of those who supported him. Kevin was finally able to
find peace, joining his father, James Berry, “Big Jim”, who we know helped him get there. Kevin touched
every soul that he encountered and his lifelong wish was to help others, which he accomplished in his
profession as a fireman in Montclair. One of Kevin’s proudest moments was being able to help at ground
zero, a day he always carried with him. Kevin retired from the Montclair Fire Department as a Battalion
chief in 2013. Despite his retirement, his job helping others would continue, but his main focus became
spending time with his wife and daughter. Any time he was not with his two girls he was at the golf
course, playing hockey, making more friends, or watching football – Go Patriots!
Kevin’s light, laughter, and truly special spirit will always be with those he knew and loved – there will
never be anyone like him again but he will always be in our hearts. He made the world a much better
place than it was before he got here and it’s up to us to maintain that in his honor and continue to help
those around us in any and every way that we can. He would want all of those who knew him to spend
their lives having as much fun as possible – that was what life was all about for him. #Holla
Kevin is survived by his wife, Vicki, his only daughter, Haylee, his mother Sandra, his sisters Robynne
Kruse and Elizabeth Toscano, his brother Andrew, and his nieces and nephews Scott, Patricia, Rylee, and
Gianna. Kevin is also survived by his brothers on the fire department.
Visiting hours to honor Kevin are on Sunday October 30 th from 1 – 5 pm at Caggiano Memorial 62 Grove
St. Montclair, NJ and the funeral service is on Monday October 31 st at 11 am at The Presbyterian Church
of Upper Montclair.
The family requests, that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to support ALS research at Columbia
University Irving Medical Center and as a special thank you to Dr. Matthew Harms and his team who
truly helped Kevin on his ALS journey. Please use the following link:
https://medicine.givenow.columbia.edu/?alloc=07234#
For those interested in making a donation by check, please make payable to The Trustees of Columbia
University and indicate ALS Research/IMO Kevin Berry and mail to:
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Office of Development
Attn: Matt Reals
516 West 168 th Street, 3 rd Floor
New York, NY 10032
right beside him. Kevin had ALS for almost ten years and defied the odds every day so that he could be
with his wife, Vicki, and daughter, Haylee, who took care of him and were guided by his courage,
strength, faith, and positivity that he carried with him even on the hardest days. Kevin courageously
stared this illness in the face each and every day and never let it dim his smile and bright personality. We
are so proud of him. He was an inspiration to all of those who supported him. Kevin was finally able to
find peace, joining his father, James Berry, “Big Jim”, who we know helped him get there. Kevin touched
every soul that he encountered and his lifelong wish was to help others, which he accomplished in his
profession as a fireman in Montclair. One of Kevin’s proudest moments was being able to help at ground
zero, a day he always carried with him. Kevin retired from the Montclair Fire Department as a Battalion
chief in 2013. Despite his retirement, his job helping others would continue, but his main focus became
spending time with his wife and daughter. Any time he was not with his two girls he was at the golf
course, playing hockey, making more friends, or watching football – Go Patriots!
Kevin’s light, laughter, and truly special spirit will always be with those he knew and loved – there will
never be anyone like him again but he will always be in our hearts. He made the world a much better
place than it was before he got here and it’s up to us to maintain that in his honor and continue to help
those around us in any and every way that we can. He would want all of those who knew him to spend
their lives having as much fun as possible – that was what life was all about for him. #Holla
Kevin is survived by his wife, Vicki, his only daughter, Haylee, his mother Sandra, his sisters Robynne
Kruse and Elizabeth Toscano, his brother Andrew, and his nieces and nephews Scott, Patricia, Rylee, and
Gianna. Kevin is also survived by his brothers on the fire department.
Visiting hours to honor Kevin are on Sunday October 30 th from 1 – 5 pm at Caggiano Memorial 62 Grove
St. Montclair, NJ and the funeral service is on Monday October 31 st at 11 am at The Presbyterian Church
of Upper Montclair.
The family requests, that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to support ALS research at Columbia
University Irving Medical Center and as a special thank you to Dr. Matthew Harms and his team who
truly helped Kevin on his ALS journey. Please use the following link:
https://medicine.givenow.columbia.edu/?alloc=07234#
For those interested in making a donation by check, please make payable to The Trustees of Columbia
University and indicate ALS Research/IMO Kevin Berry and mail to:
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Office of Development
Attn: Matt Reals
516 West 168 th Street, 3 rd Floor
New York, NY 10032