Oklee – Iona Jeanette Berry passed away peacefully on March 28, 2021 at the Sanford Medical Center in Bemidji at the age of 94.
Iona was born on November 28, 1926 on the family farm in Gully, Minnesota and was the 5th of 6 children. She grew up in Gully and graduated from Fosston High School. After graduation, Iona went to work at the bank in Oklee where she met and married her husband, Jerome Berry. They moved to Minneapolis where Iona worked at the gas company as a bookkeeper, but returned to Oklee to run the Berry Cafe. Iona was approached by Oklee Superintendent Carl Quist and asked to be the school secretary. She accepted and served as the school secretary and bookkeeper until her retirement in 1990. Iona loved her job and loved watching every student in Oklee grow up. She was frequently invited to class reunions over the years by students who remembered her fondly from their school days.
After her retirement from Oklee Public Schools and the death of her beloved husband, Jerry, in 1990, Iona threw herself into life as an active senior. She was an avid traveler – visiting Europe (including Norway of course!) multiple times, plus Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska, South Carolina, and Florida. She was a skilled card player and was always up for a hand of whist or bridge with family and friends. She took great pride in her yard and spent many happy hours gardening and mowing. She delighted in spending time with her family – traveling often to see her daughter and granddaughters in California and Virginia and visiting Nevada for a bit of fun with her sister and nieces. Closer to home, she enjoyed visiting relatives in the Gully and Bemidji areas. She was a devoted mother, and spoke daily with son, Donald and daughter, Suellen.
Iona was a dedicated member or the Oklee community since her arrival in the 1950s. In her retirement she volunteered for a variety of area groups including the Oklee Senior Site and St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. She wrote a column for the Oklee Herald for over a decade – updating the community on senior news and always including a good Ole and Lena joke. She even served as Oklee’s mayor for a few years in the 1990s.
Iona was recognized for her community spirit – twice awarded the Red Lake County Senior Citizen of the Year Award.
She is survived by her two children, Suellen Spong (Scott) of Paso Robles, California and Don Berry of Oklee; as well as her granddaughters, Angie (Mike), Marisa (Metodi), and Ariel; and great-granddaughters, Molly and Madeline. She is also survived by her sister and brother-in-law, Dolly and Will Robbins; plus many loving nieces and nephews across Minnesota and beyond.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Jerome Berry; her parents, Henry and Esther Bergh; siblings, Russell Bergh, Grace Brekke, Hazel Lee, and Sanford Bergh; nieces, Cheryl Plante and Sandra Anderson; and nephews, Richard Melby, LeRoy Lee, D.D. Lee and Wayne Brekke.
Iona will be deeply missed by her family and friends – a beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, and friend who lit up the lives of all who knew her.
Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 15, 2021 at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Oklee, with Father Adam Hamness presiding.
Interment will follow at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Cemetery in Oklee.
Visitation will be held one hour prior to the funeral at the church.
Condolences in memory of Iona may be sent to Johnson Funeral Service, 420 LaBree Ave N, Thief River Falls, MN, 56701.
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