Richard Kennel Berky

Richard "Dick" Kennel Berky died peacefully at the age of 99 at the Western Home Communities in Cedar Falls, Iowa, surrounded by 3 of his adult granddaughters, Kayla, Brandy and Stephanie. He was born October 13, 1924 in Bluffton, Allen County, Ohio to Olga Kennel Berky and Professor Herbert Weller (HW) Berky.  Dick was their third child and only son. Dick was predeceased by his parents, and his three sisters: Eleanor (Berky) Lehman, Margaret (Berky) Houshower, and Esther (Berky) Reed.

Dick attended public school in Ohio for grades 1-12 and learned from his father how to play tennis, a skill which he polished and taught to his children with varying degrees of success. He was drafted into the army during WWII, and posted to the European theatre, fighting in the battle of the Bulge. Following military service, he completed an undergraduate degree in chemistry at Bluffton College (now Bluffton University), where he met his wife, Agnes Louise Suter of Pandora, Ohio. After graduation and marriage in 1948, Dick and Agnes moved to Freeman, South Dakota where he taught both math and chemistry at a Mennonite junior college and at a local high school. The couple's first daughter, Ellen was born in South Dakota. After moving to Lansing, Michigan, Dick earned his master's degree in mathematics while simultaneously studying mechanical engineering and receiving a professional engineering degree, all from Michigan State. His second daughter, Lynette, was born during the time in Michigan. Dick launched his career as an agricultural design engineer in 1952 at New Holland in eastern Pennsylvania. A third daughter, Leslie, was born in Lancaster County. Dick took a new job with J.I. Case, first in Anniston, Alabama, but transferring quickly to Burlington, Iowa and then to Fort Wayne, Indiana with the same company. Here his fourth and final daughter, Karen, was born.

The family moved to Cedar Falls, Iowa in 1958, for new employment at John Deere Tractor Works. He and his wife Agnes purchased their first home on Tremont Street. In 1964, Dick and Agnes adopted a 4-month-old son, Garth David, to the delight of his new parents and especially, to all his older sisters! After many years at John Deere, Dick decided to join a small, local firm, Doerfer Engineering. His consulting job included multiple trips to South Korea. During his time in Iowa, Dick took his family hiking and canoeing and even built a camping vehicle, which he christened a "Scamper". He took the family on adventures to the rivers of Iowa, the Great Lakes, to the Badlands and mountains of Colorado, even going as far as the upper Peninsula of Michigan and into Canada. In 1965, Dick and Agnes realized their dream of country living and moved out to an acreage with an old farmhouse and barns west of Cedar Falls. Here Dick was able to enjoy his role as gentleman farmer with crops, gardens and livestock as well as many house repairs! In the early 1970s, Dick accepted a position with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), so he, Agnes, Garth, Leslie and Karen moved to Vienna, Austria. Another contract with UNIDO soon followed with a station in Jakarta, Indonesia, accompanied by Agnes, Garth and Karen. His final international job was with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Alexandria, Egypt, this time with only his wife Agnes. Dick continued engineering consulting work well into his 70's, always enjoying an engineering challenge, even as he puttered and invented into his retirement.

Richard lived a long, well-travelled and adventurous life, always designing, always looking for ways to help his fellow man, especially those in rural, emerging countries. He was a loving father and husband and a devout Christian who will be remembered for his kindness and willingness to help others, especially anyone in need.

Dick is survived by his spouse of over 75 years, Agnes (Suter) Berky, of Cedar Falls, his daughters Ellen Berky of San Antonio, Texas; Lynette Voelker (Lyle) of Waterloo, Iowa; Leslie Ashcraft (Gary) of Tijeras, New Mexico; Karen Berky (Tim) of Bend, Oregon, son Garth Berky (Sharon) of Cedar Falls, Iowa and brother-in-law Richard Suter (Nancy) of St Charles, Missouri. Dick had 9 grandchildren:  Ellen's son Christian Fernandez; Leslie's sons Berky and Brian Ashcraft; Karen's daughter Foley Galvin and son Conor Galvin; and Garth's children, daughters Kayla Berky, Brandy Berky, Stephanie Berky Markey and son, Dakota Berky. Dick and Agnes have seven great-grandchildren, with the birth of two more only months away.

The family is thankful to Dick's caregivers during hospice, especially those that read and sang to him and to the many others for their attentive care and professional dedication. Dick's ashes will be interred and/or scattered at a future date. To all who remember Dick fondly, you may make a gift in honor of his life's work to the Mennonite Central Committee or Habitat for Humanity or Western Home Communities.