Former Wayland football coach, AD Lyle Berry dies

Longtime Wayland High School football and basketball coach and athletic director Lyle Berry died of cancer Thursday, Aug. 5.

Berry came to Wayland in the fall of 1965 and coached varsity football for four seasons and basketball before taking over as athletic director in 1969 and steered the school into the O-K Conference, of which it remains a member today.

He turned in 28 years of coaching football, six years at Wayland, two years at Farwell, three years for Tawas Area and 17 years at Wyoming Godwin Heights. His record was 105 wins, 97 losses and he was inducted into the Michigan Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame,

Berry coached for four years at Grand Rapids junior College. He also was varsity baseball coach at Godwin, finishing as state runner-up once in 1975, along with serving many decades as a track and cross country official. When not coaching, he began officiating high school and college basketball games, and later officiated track and cross country meets. He was a past president of West Michigan Officials Association and the Association of Track Officials of Michigan.

He spent a full 60 years working as an official and loved every minute of it. The MHSAA honored his work by awarding him with the Vern Norris Award. Fishing was another of Lyle’s passions.

He was a licensed charter boat captain and spent many years chartering on Lake Michigan. Meeting new friends, plus catching fish, made this an enjoyable venture.

“I greatly appreciated his mentoring and friendship,” said former Pine Street Elementary Principal and retired Wyoming Lee Superintendent Dave Britten. “He will be missed.”

He was a graduate of Grand Rapids Junior College and held degrees from Central Michigan University.

He was born Oct. 7, 1935, to Lyle J. and Margaret (Chipman) Berry. Lyle was preceded in death by his parents; sisters: Betty Wilcox and Linda Pearson; brothers: Edward, Donald, Randall, Carl, and Jerry Berry; sisters-in-law: Laura and Lorraine Berry; brothers-in-law: Orville Wilcox, Tom Pearson, and Al Westervelt; step-fathers: Steve Hespel and Lewis Adams; two nieces and three nephews.

Lyle graduated from Grand RapidsCentral High School in 1954 after lettering in multiple sports. He attended Grand Rapids Junior College and played football and baseball. After spending two years working and joining the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, he entered Central Michigan University where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education.

While at CMU, he played varsity baseball and met Vonna Westervelt, whom he married in May 1959. His coaching and teaching career took him to Tawas Area, Farwell Area, Wayland Union, and Wyoming Godwin Heights high schools, plus GRCC.

Lyle is survived by Vonna, his wife of 62 years; his sons: Lyle ‘Skip’ (Toni), Mark, and Bryan Berry; grandchildren: Derek (Brittany), Colleen, and Chandler Berry; great-grandchildren: Myla and Jackson; brother: Harold (Sally) Berry; sister: Nancy Williams; sisters-in-law: Judy Berry and Cappy Westervelt; brothers-in-law: Ron (Kathy) Westervelt and Lee (Ann) Westervelt; and many nieces and nephews.

A private service will be held, and there are plans for a memorial gathering to celebrate Lyle’s life with location, date, and time to be posted at a later date.