Henry Warren Berry

(Henry) Warren Berry, 99, a 65-year resident of Tappan passed away on April 28, 2026 surrounded by his beloved family. He was two weeks short of his 100th birthday. Warren was born on May 12, 1926 and raised in Brooklyn, New York. At age 18 he enlisted in the Army Air Forces where he served in Europe during WWII as a nose gunner on a B-24 aircraft. During one mission his plane was shot down over Yugoslavia, and he and the other crew members bailed out. When his parachute didn’t open, he used a pocket knife to rip it open and he landed safely. He and the crew members were captured by General Tito’s men and were then turned over to the Allies. After the war, he used the GI Bill to go to college at NYU and then attained a law degree from Brooklyn Law School. He was an attorney with the United States Department of Labor for over 30 years. One Sunday in 1949 while walking home from church, Warren noticed a young woman playing handball in a park. He thought she was someone he would like to meet, so the next Sunday he wore sneakers to church and brought a handball with him hoping she would be in the park again. She was, they played handball, and that’s how he met his beloved wife, Lillian. They were together for 68 years until she passed away in 2017. Even though it wasn’t common for girls or women to participate in sports back then he encouraged Lillian to take tennis, golf and skiing lessons with him. He also made sure his daughters were exposed to a variety of sports even though there weren’t a lot of opportunities for girls to participate in team sports when they were young. In 1961, Warren and his family moved from Brooklyn to Tappan. He quickly became engrained in the community and was one of the founders of the (now defunct) Tappan Civic Association and served as its president for several years. He was also heavily involved with the library board. He was a member of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart parish since moving to Tappan. Warren was a very compassionate person, and in remembering him many people have also mentioned what a great role model he was to them. Warren loved traveling the world with his family and continued his global travels into his late nineties. For the last thirty years, he spent three months every year in Hawaii, where he enjoyed snorkeling, walking, sitting on the beach and taking long drives admiring the amazing scenery. In addition to his wife Lillian (Berntsen), Warren was predeceased by his parents Harry and Sadie (Willis) Berry, his brother James Berry and his sister Eileen Robinson. He is survived by his cherished daughters, Karen Berry of Honolulu, HI and Janice Berry of Rocky Hill, CT. He is also survived by his sisters-in-law Ruth Paganello, Eleanor Tollevsen and Cathy Berntsen, along with numerous nieces and nephews, grand nieces and nephews and great grand nieces and nephews, as well as all his wonderful neighbors. Visitation will be Saturday May 9 at the Moritz Funeral Home in Tappan from 9:00-11:30. A Funeral Mass will follow at 11:45 at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church, 120 Kings Highway, Tappan with interment following at Rockland Cemetery in Sparkill. Family, friends and neighbors are welcome to stop by for lunch at Warren’s house starting about 1:30 pm.

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Henry Warren Berry

May 12, 1926 - April 28, 2026