On Saturday, August 15, 2026, Reverend Dawn Marie Berry passed away and moved on to her heavenly home, while being surrounded by her loving family.

Dawn Marie Berry was born November 26, 1946, to Gladys Doris Elizabeth Stacey (Erickson) and Donald B Stacey in Longview, Washington. She came home to her parent’s house at 1140 8th Avenue in Longview and lived there until she married the love of her life Ronald Lee Berry on October 24, 1964. She had an older brother named Larnell Hagness, an older sister named Sandra and a younger sister named Janet.

She attended Broadway Elementary and Mark Morris High School. Dawn spoke of all the times walking to school with her sisters and her best friend Shirly Rush (Little). She enjoyed very much growing up with Shirley and talked about racing the boy’s home from school, playing in the snow and giggling until they peed their pants!

Dawn spoke of how much fun it was to live in town and be close to everything. They walked everywhere. Her grandpa and grandma Livingston lived behind them in the alley, and her Grandma Katie Erickson was just a few blocks away. She enjoyed going across her street and visiting her cousin Lorrale. She babysat for everyone, including her mom Glady’s best friend Deloris and her six boys! She also took care of her mother, as she was not well for many years. Her and her two sisters slept in the same bed until Sandra moved out after getting married. They received their first toilet in this house…and Dawn loved to wash her hair in the toilet but soon went back to the Claw tub!

At Mark Morris High School, Dawn kept very active, where she loved to sing and was well known for her beautiful voice. Many people still remember her for this and mentioned it to her at her 60th Class Reunion in September of 2025. She was also a cheerleader and a class officer. She competed in a number of singing competitions, such as the Saturdays at the Columbia Theater and won too many to count! Her sister Janet also competed. She was in the Drum and Bugle club too with Janet. She was also a volunteer at the hospital in her spare time. She was honored to be nominated as a Junior Prom Princess where she was voted as “Queen” along with the “Prime Minister” Scott Smith. The Prom theme was “Alice in Wonderland”. Last September she was honored to speak to her 60th Class Reunion and again she took the opportunity to share about Jesus and how to get saved and then to pray over the class.

Fate happened at this dance, as Dawn Marie didn’t have a date, so her good friend Marcia Gauthier set her up with her cousin, Ron Berry to be her date. Ron and Dawn dated and became engaged as he proposed to her on the top of “Castle Rock”. They were married with Toby Holborn as their best man and Corrine Amundsen (Johnson) as the maid of honor. They were married for 59 years.

They made their first home as in an apartment above Ron’s aunt Hannah and uncle Floyd Horner’s garage. In 1965 they moved to an apartment complex in Castle Rock, where they lived next door to Ron’s sister Patsy and Toby. They then moved to a little rental off the dike in Castle Rock, and this is where they brought their first son Ronald Lee Berry Jr. home. Dawn often talked about pushing Ronnie in a stroller and walking over the bridge to go visit her mother and father-in-law on Conger Road where Ron was always at working on cars with his dad in his garage.

In 1966, Katrina Corrine Berry (Harris) was born, 17 months after her older brother. Dawn and Ron had moved a block away from her parents on 8th Avenue in Longview into a little white house. She enjoyed being this close to her parents, where she could walk with Ronnie and Katrina down to visit her parents.

By 1968, Ron and Dawn had found a beautiful home, with a garage on Lindsey Drive next door to the golf course. Ron had remodeled the garage to build an apartment upstairs so his sister Lili could live with them. Ronnie and Katrina were too inquisitive and kept wanting to play on the golf course, so they built a fence. Dawn tells of the story before the people even got in their cars to leave, Ronnie was pulling Katrina up and over that fence to play! Lili enjoyed helping take care of the kids. In January 29, 1969, Robin Elizabeth Berry (Donovan) was born. They had a beautiful yard and a swing set for the kids, Dawn talked about it being the nicest place she had ever lived.

Dawn and Ron always wanted to have a mini farm, since Ron had grown up on farms. They found a piece of property at 1192 PH 10 in Castle Rock in 1970, and Ron began building a three-bedroom house and barn for his family. They had everything they dreamed of, a cow, chickens, and huge garden that Dawn could can vegetables from. Donald Bee Berry was born on November 16, 1971 and came home to this house. Four kids under Kindergarten age! Ronnie and Katrina started school at this house.

They wanted more land, so they sold this house, and ended up living in a rental house in downtown Castle Rock by the elementary school while Ronnie, Katrina and Robin attended school. Then they moved to a rental house on Studebaker Place, while building a new house on 1232 South Silver Lake Road in Castle Rock. Over Christmas Break in 1976, Dawn and Ron moved their family to their new house, while in studs, because they had run out of money to build. The kids all transferred to Toutle Lake School District. Ron was 4th grade, Katrina was 3rd grade, Robin was 1st grade and Donnie was 4 years old. As money allowed, they worked room by room to finish the house until it was completed.

Three years later, they decided to build again. This time it was on the back of his property, which was 1234 South Silver Lake Road, where they had a lovely view of Mt. St. Helens out their dinning room sliding door. This is where they lived together for 46 years. They again had a gorgeous garden, a little farm and they prided themselves on having their own milk, meat, chickens, eggs, and fruits and vegetables enough to supply anyone who wanted in their family.

All of this describes the life of Dawn Marie, but deeper than that Dawn was a Woman of faith. Her faith began at an early age. In 1952 she was converted at Trinity Lutheran Church in Longview. She was saved at 6 years old in 1952 with her Grandma Katie Erickson. Her Dad dropped her and her sisters off at church every Sunday. Dawn grew up singing in the choir for many years. Her love for reading through the bible in a year started here with a contest they had! For you who know her she actually has read through the bible every single year for over 45 years! That is devotion.

In 1964, Dawn and Ron joined American Baptist Church. Right away they could see Dawn’s love for our Saviour and asked her to teach 1st Grade Sunday School. Soon Ron and Dawn were asked to co-teach Adult Sunday School Classes and a Boy’s Brigade for teenage boys.

By 1971, they had joined the Castle Rock Christian Church, since they moved to Castle Rock with their family. They were members for 11 years volunteering in the choir, children’s choir, Vacation Bible School, she taught 7th Grade Sunday School and then many years of Adult Women’s Bible Study. This became her passion for teaching women.

Dawn Marie was baptized in the Holy Spirit while holding in-home Adult Bible Studies in 1982. Their Bible Studies had started on Tuesday evenings with 6 friends and it grew to 25-30 with Advanced Bible Study Group. They also began having Praise meetings on Saturday evenings with an average of 40 people each night. They were attending the Castle Rock Nazarene Church.

In 1983 Pastor Don and Bonnie MacDonald asked Ron and Dawn to be guest speakers at their church at Longview Foursquare Church for an evening service. They both began taking the Rhema Correspondence Courses from Kenneth Hagin Ministries. A District Representative of the Foursquare denomination from Vancouver approached Ron about starting a church in Castle Rock with Dawn. It was their heart’s desire was to serve the Lord as a full-time pastor of a Foursquare Church. At 36 years old Dawn’s desire was awarded with the Foursquare Gospel Church issued a District Ministerial License.

They started the Castle Rock Foursquare Church in 1983 meeting at Castle Rock Women’s Club to host their church services. Dawn Marie and Ron had been hosting many bible studies and family groups before they started their church. Within a few years, they had an opportunity to take over a building in Kelso and became Kelso Foursquare Church in 1989 at 248 Cowlitz Street West in Kelso, and became Kelso Foursquare Church.

Soon the opportunity became available to take over the Longview Foursquare Church building in 1991, which then they became the Longview Foursquare Church. They continued their ministry for as pastors for 28 ½ years. Dawn Marie started recording television shows on KLTV called “Dawn’s Day”. Their goal as ministers was to meet people wherever they were at, God loved them and so did they. Dawn Marie continued recording TV shows on KLTV for 12 years. During this time, she won an award for “10 years on the air”, and a second award for being the Most Watched Show on KLTV. Countless people’s lives were changed by their faith-based teaching ministry!

Dawn received their Certificate of Merit from Rhema Correspondence Bible School in 1986, Certificate of Progress from Rhema Correspondence Bible School in 1988, and she graduated from Rhema Correspondence Bible School in January 1990. She went on to receive his International Church of the Foursquare Gospel “License to Preach” in 1992. In 1998 Dawn was awarded with her Internation Church of the Foursquare Gospel Ordained Ministers Credentials in Los Angels, California. Both Dawn Marie and Ron were recognized by The Foursquare Church for his “Distinguished and Faithful Service as a Minister” in 2012. In 2017, Ron and Dawn Marie were both honored with The Foursquare Church “Worthy of Honor 25 Year of Faithful Service” Award.

Dawn and Ron were all about their family; they had a huge family of over 50 people in his genealogy. They had four kids, many grandkids and even more great grandchildren. Dawn was loved by everyone who met her. Everyone wanted her to be their “mom” and she graciously accepted this role. She was the kindest, most accepting, and loving person to meet you where you were at. She was genuine and had a heart of gold. She was a teacher, a friend, a pastor, mom, wife, daughter, sister, cousin, aunt and Grandma Dawn to us all. Her love for the Lord was apparent in everything she did from writing Christian music, to Reading through the Bible in a year, to encourages everyone to get saved, to teaching his word in bible studies or for years on KLTV and on their Youtube Channel. She exemplified the love of Christ in everything she did and everything she was.

She loved her family, cooking for them, canning, sewing and spending time with them. She was known for her cinnamon rolls and her pies! She had many grandchildren and then great grandchildren who loved to spend time at her house. She loved to watch all of them in whatever sports, dance, fairs, or school functions they all participated in.

She moved to Kelso to live with her daughter Robin and her husband Robert for the last year of her life. They took excellent care of her. She spent many weekends with her son Don and Carly on Silver Lake Wardon Island and with her daughter Katrina and Anthony who live on the Cowlitz River for the last couple of years since Ron passed away in October of 2023. We all enjoyed spending so much time with her, and in turn, her spending time with all of our families and her grandchildren and great grandchildren making lasting memories.

Her last days were spent with her family close by her side. She spoke only twice in those days, talking with her two grand-daughters and daughters where her oldest granddaughter Amanda told her: Grandma Dawn you are our angel, and she spoke and said “I am an Angel”, yes we cried; and then a few days later we were all around and we said we loved her and she said “I love you!” We feel these are the most fitting things she could have said to us. Grandma Dawn “Our Angel”.

Dawn Marie leaves behind her son Ronald Berry Jr. (Marley) of Lenore, Idaho; her daughter Katrina Corrine (Anthony) Harris of Castle Rock, Washington; her daughter Robin Elizabeth (Robert) Donovan of Kelso, and her son Donald Bee Berry (Carly) of Silver Lake, Washington. She had 20 grandchildren, and 14 great grandchildren. She also leaves behind her sister Janet Page (Newman Lake, WA).

Proceeding her in death are her husband, Ronald Lee Berry (59 years married), her parents Gladys and Donald B Stacey, and her brother Larnell Hagnes, her sister Sandra Mayfield and brother-in-law Dave Mayfield.

There will be a private graveside service for immediate family only.

On Saturday, August 22 at 1:00 p.m. there will be a Celebration of Life at Castle Rock Christian Church located at 542 Huntington Avenue South, Washington. There will be light dessert social to follow.

In lieu of sending flowers or money, Reverend Dawn Marie Berry’s only wish is for each and everyone to share God’s word about becoming saved.

Romans 10: 9-10 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. “