Larry Berry

Sep 14, 1940 -

Jun 12, 2020

Larry passed away, at age 79, on June 12, 2020, with his wife of 51 years beside him. A business trip around July 4, 1974, first brought Larry to Alaska. He went fishing and caught a big king salmon; the rest is history. He returned with his wife Helga in February 1975, and lived in Anchorage until his death. Larry was born and raised in Huntington, W.Va. He received an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Marshall University and his legal degree from West Virginia University. Upon graduation he was employed by the U.S. Army of Corps of Engineers, in Huntington, W.Va., primarily involved in the administration of government contracts and land acquisitions. In September 1966, he was called to active duty. His first assignment was in Korea, where he prosecuted and defended cases involving murder, rape, larceny and other offenses. In 1968, he was reassigned to the Staff Judge Advocate HQ, USCOMZEUR in Worms, Germany, where he met his wife Helga on the day of his arrival. He served exclusively as prosecutor of general courts martial cases throughout Germany and England. He was subsequently assigned as Chief, Criminal Law Section, HQ, USTASCOMEUR located in Munich, Germany. In this capacity he provided criminal law advice to 32 special court-martial commanders. He completed his tour in Europe as the Military Judge for nine USTASCOMEUR jurisdictions in Germany and Italy. He left this position as a Major in the Army. After a transfer to Washington, D.C., Larry served as trial attorney at the Office of the Chief Trial Attorney, Department of the Army. In that capacity he tried complex government contract disputes before the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals. He also oversaw procurement under the SAFEGUARD program, the anti-ballistic missile defense system which was subsequently curtailed as a result of the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) with the Soviet Union. While in Washington, Larry also earned his LL.M degree at The George Washington University in January 1973. In February 1975, he achieved his goal of moving to Alaska and accepted a position with the United States Attorney. In this position he represented the United States in all phases of civil and criminal litigation before the United States District Court. The following year he accepted a position in private practice with the Anchorage office of Robertson, Monagle, Eastaugh & Bradley. In his 32 years with the firm, Larry tried many civil cases in federal and state courts throughout Alaska. He specialized in aviation law, representing a number of air carriers and aircraft manufacturers. He also served multiple terms as managing partner or managing director of his law firm. On a personal note, Larry was respected by his law partners, staff, clients and friends. Larry is best described in a few words: dedicated, honest, committed, hard-working, successful, polite, likeable, witty, reliable, ethical, dignified - and he had a contagious laugh. Larry loved flying his Cessna 170B on bluebird days and playing golf in off times. Rainy days he spent in his woodshop turning beautiful objects on several of his lathes. Earlier he also built model airplanes that he said were tougher to fly than his own plane. He also enjoyed fly tying, fly fishing and bear viewing. Larry is survived by his wife Helga, friends and distant relatives. Our gratitude goes to Alzheimer's Resource of Alaska, HomeInstead and Baxter Senior Living for their outstanding guidance to lead us to the end of Larry's life. What you have deep in your heart cannot be lost through death.

Joh. Wolfgang v. Goethe.