Berkley Wayne Kerr, 76, passed away Friday, Feb. 13, 2015, at Freeman Hospital in Joplin, Mo. Berkley was born Aug. 16, 1938 in Boone County, Mo., the son of Elvin and Elizabeth (Forbis) Tennyson. His parents later divorced, and when Berkley was 14 he was adopted by his stepfather, Johnny Kerr.
He graduated from Coffeyville High School and then attended his freshman year at Kansas State University. Berkley struggled to come up with his tuition and actually slept in his car to save money. He ended up giving up on that dream, due to finances.
In 1957 he married Patricia Gambill, and to that union came three children, Deborah, Diane, and Berkley II. They later divorced.
On March 23, 1966, he married Margaret Carder, and to that union were born two children, Bret and Becky.
Berkley and Margaret lived in Iola when they married, and the family moved numerous times. He worked at various jobs from the State Highway Department, to construction, and in his later years he and Margaret moved to Wyandotte, Okla., where he raised show dogs until his retirement.
Berkley was an avid hunter and fisherman and provided many meals for his family with his hunting and fishing skills. He was elected as a member of the school board while living in Silver Lake and he and his wife Margaret were foster parents for children who needed homes.
He is survived by his children, Deborah Kaufman and husband Greg, Humboldt, Diane Spear and husband Dick, LaHarpe, Berkley Kerr II and wife Pam, Iola, and Bret Kerr and wife Brenda, Rogers, Minn.; grandchildren, Cisha Wallace, Humboldt, Vanessa Eichorst and husband Randall, Junction City, Ashley St. Clair and husband Aaron, Olathe, Dalton Kerr, Iola, and Breanna, Braxton and Bryant Kerr, all of Minnesota; and great-grandsons, Peyton Wallace, Drake Guillory, Skylar Eichorst and Trevor St. Clair.
Berkley was preceded in death by his parents; wife Margaret, daughter Becky and sister Gail Riley.
Funeral services were Tuesday at Countryside Funeral Home-Johnson Chapel, Chanute. Burial will be at a later date in Silver Lake.
Berkley Kerr
