Everett “Frank” Berry

Gold River, Calif.

Everett Franklin (Frank) Berry of Gold River, California, passed away peacefully on July 1, 2023, at the age of 88. Frank was born August 15th, 1934, in Cando, North Dakota to parents Sydna and Wilbur Berry.

After his parents separated, Frank spent his early childhood moving back and forth between Cando, Chicago, and Grand Forks, North Dakota. Sports shaped his life and were a lifeline for him. One of his fondest memories was of his childhood playground in Chicago. He would spend countless hours there playing on every organized team, or by himself, until the floodlights turned off at 9:30 p.m. and then he would sprint the four blocks back to his home. During this period, Frank won a silver medal after finishing second place in the broad jump for the entire city of Chicago.

He eventually settled in Grand Forks, attending Central High School, where he excelled as one of the finest athletes in the state, playing football, basketball, and track. The bonds he made with his teammates remained strong his entire life. Frank also had a well-earned reputation as the class clown. He loved to laugh, and his antics kept his classmates in stitches.

After high school he was offered an athletic scholarship to attend Minot State Teachers College (now Minot State University). The 1956 yearbook said this about Frank: “…one of the finest track and field men to ever participate in the sport in the school’s history. …in four years, Frank grabbed more track medals than any other trackster that ever competed for the school. He will long be remembered as one of the greatest middle-distance runners in North Dakota Intercollegiate Conference annals and a fine sprinter and broad jumper. Frank also anchored four outstanding mile relay teams and is almost solely responsible for track being one of the major sports that Minot enters in conference competition.” Frank earned four letters each in football, track and field. He was inducted into the Minot State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982.

He is also listed on the permanent team roster at the College Football Hall of Fame for his pivotal role on Minot’s All-Conference football team. As if that wasn’t enough, Frank also served as a class officer, a member of fraternity Mu Sigma Tau, and was well known on campus for his comedy routines which he performed at various college events.

Upon graduation from college, he married college sweetheart, Claudette Lewis, and soon after served two years in the US Army in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where he served as company clerk while playing basketball for the Ft. Leonard Wood team.

Following his service, he attended the University of North Dakota to pursue a master’s degree, and then took a job as a teacher and multi-sport coach in Drayton, ND. During his brief time there, his teams won four consecutive state championships in baseball, a conference championship in football, and a third-in-the-state ranking in basketball. Frank always said that his teams in Drayton were the finest students and athletes he ever coached.

Eventually, Frank, Claudette and their two daughters, Kendall and Kelly, settled in Fair Oaks, California, where Frank was a beloved teacher and coach at Bella Vista High School for 30 years. At Bella Vista, Frank perfected his role as class clown, though this time as a teacher. Hundreds, if not thousands, of students remember fondly his classroom antics, while he always maintained order in his classroom and the respect of his students.

During this time, he and Claudette divorced, and he married Margot Rolla Lee, and gained a young stepson, Michael Lee. Michael also grew up to become a much beloved teacher and coach for Bella Vista High School.

Frank was a great storyteller. He also had a love of music, especially big bands and crooners like Frank Sinatra and Vic Damone. He could happily listen to his music for hours at a time.

But his greatest joy was in his relationships. He took great pleasure in his children and grandchildren, as well as his dear friends, many of whom he had known for more than 75 years, and others through his long career at Bella Vista High School. Every summer, for most of his life, Frank made the drive back to North Dakota to visit his dear extended family and old friends.

Frank will be remembered for the way he made people feel. He loved people and he was polite and kind to everyone. People close to him (and there were many) knew that he loved them. He made them feel special and they WERE special to him. They loved him in return. He will be deeply missed.

Frank is preceded in death by his parents and sister, Elaine Burgum Stern; his nephew, K.C. Burgum; and his grand-nephew, Cote Fugere. He is survived by his daughters, Kendall Berry Morlan and Kelly Berry, and stepson, Michael Lee; his son-in-law Michael Morlan; his six grandchildren: Dakota and Cooper Morlan, and Dalton, Jayden, Carson and Chase Lee; his cousin, Harold King; his nieces, Barbara Burgum Lee (husband David) and Susan Burgum Fugere (husband Terry), as well as his many grand- and great-nieces and nephews; and beloved family members Debbie Burgum and Whitney Lee.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, August 5th at 10:30 a.m. at the Lake Natoma Inn, 702 Gold Lake Drive, in Folsom, California. Please RSVP by July 24th to kendallm@aol.com, if planning to attend. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made in memory of Frank to the Special Olympics or the YMCA of Superior California.

Published by The Minot Daily News, July 22, 2023.