Eve Lear Berry died Sunday evening at Martha's Vineyard Hospital after a long battle with heart disease.

Her daughter, Anna M. Berry Alley, R.N. was with her. She also had had a week of visits with friends, her daughter Nina Berry from East Greenwich, R.I., her son Donald Berry and his wife Christina Thomas from New York city, her granddaughter Nicole Alley and husband Arsen Harbardzumian of Taunton, her grandson Sam Alley and her son in law, John Alley.

She also was able to speak with her son Curtis Berry in Oklahoma City, Okla.

The wonderful nurses and staff at the hospital, Hospice staff, her very caring and astute physician, Ellen McMahon, along with other hospital physicians and Dr. Tim Guiney, who has helped guide her care for many years during very serious illnesses, all worked together to help with this final hospitalization and ease her departure. Mrs. Berry was born on July 27, 1921 near Hull, England, to Valentine and Mabel Lear. She was evacuated with her mother and sisters to Inkpen, Berkshire during World War II where she met Master Sgt. Norman C. Berry at a dance at Greenham Lodge.

After the war, she accepted his proposal of marriage and moved to Oklahoma City, Okla., in 1946 where they were married. Their marriage lasted 45 years until Mr. Berry passed away in 1991. They had four children, two girls and two boys. Mrs. Berry worked at Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City, Okla., for 15 years, retiring in 1975. She was then involved with many church and educational projects and wrote award-winning poetry and fiction. She made friends easily and kept up with all of them. She moved to Havenside in Vineyard Haven in 1999 and found another great group of friends to share her interest in gardening, swimming, writing, Scrabble, cards and mahjong.

Mrs. Berry was a lifelong member of the Episcopal Church and a member of St. John's Episcopal Church and St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral in Oklahoma City and Grace Episcopal Church in Vineyard Haven. She attended services until she was physically unable.

She was a member of the Oklahoma Writer's Guild. Many of her poems were published. She was a breast cancer survivor for more than 20 years. She was also an active member of the Red Cross both in Oklahoma and Massachusetts, and she volunteered at her church and at the Thrift Shop for Martha's Vineyard Community Services.

Survivors include her 91-year-old sister, Nina Lear of Newbury, England; her daughter Anna M. Berry Alley and her husband John S. Alley of West Tisbury; her daughter Nina C. Berry and her husband Dieter Pohl of East Greenwich, R.I.; her son Norman Curtis Berry Jr. and his wife Jeri Johnson Berry of Oklahoma City, Okla.; her son Donald J. Berry and his wife, Christina Thomas of New York city; her grandchildren, Norman C. Berry III, Nicole Berry Alley, Wendy Anderson Berry, John Samuel  Alley Jr. and Nicholas Berry Pohl; three great-grandchildren; and an extended family in the United States and the United Kingdom.

She was a brave lady who faced the unknown with great fortitude, finding happiness in a country and culture far different than her own. She taught her children to be independent and never to quit. Her strength of will was with her to the very end. She will be forever in the hearts of her family.

The following poem won a first prize in the Oklahoma Writer's Guild competition in 1996.

Canadian Mountains Ecstasy

Lift my spirit
High mountains
To roll in your virgin snow
Tread your mighty glaciers
Roam your alpine meadows
Bright vision of flowers
Breathe in your magic air
Become light enough
To soar with your eagle
See with his eyes
Rest on his wings
Descend with him
At sunset
And in my bed
With joyful exultation
Savor your wondrous gift
Print it forever
On my heart

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 23, 2007 at 11 a.m. at Grace Episcopal Church, Vineyard Haven.

In lieu of flowers, please send a donation in her memory to the Havenside Endowment Fund to maintain, improve and increase affordable elder housing. The address is Havenside Corporation, P.O. Box 1418 Vineyard Haven, Ma. 02568.