Marengo fire captain dies after cancer fight
Remembered as a selfless public servant and a friend to all, Steve Berry dedicated his life to helping others.
A Marengo fire captain and a retired Elgin fire lieutenant, Berry spent his career protecting and serving the community. But even when he wasn't working, his time was spent lending a hand to family, friends and those in need, recalls his son, Brian Berry, a Carpentersville fire lieutenant.
Steve Berry, a Huntley resident, lost his battle with bile duct cancer early Tuesday after being diagnosed last year. He was 63.
“Any time he had left on this Earth he would've spent serving others,” said Brian Berry, who calls his dad his best friend. “He could do it all. He was funny, he was generous, he was super talented. But most of all, he was kind and loving.”
Steve Berry touched the lives of countless individuals and families throughout the community and beyond — a point that was made evident when more than 500 people rallied to support him during a “Berry Strong” fundraiser last September, said Craig Pleva, an Elgin lieutenant and Marengo battalion chief.
Now, since word of his passing, the Berry family has received an outpouring of condolences and memories from loved ones, colleagues, community members and old friends.
“Every ounce of support and love people gave him was never taken for granted. It helped him fight,” Brian Berry said. “He fought endlessly and bravely, and he never had an ounce of quit in him.”
For Pleva, a longtime friend and co-worker, Steve Berry will be remembered as a man of great faith who always made known the three most important aspects of his life: God, his family and the fire service.
“He cared about people. He cared about making a difference,” Pleva said. “As a person, as a mentor and as a role model, you would never meet a finer person than Steve Berry.”
A visitation will be held 3 to 9 p.m. Monday at Harvest Bible Church, 1000 N. Randall Road, Elgin, with a fire department walk-through at 6:30 p.m.
Funeral services will begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the church, followed by an interment at Lakewood Memorial Park, 30W730 Route 20, Elgin. The funeral procession will pass Elgin Fire Station Five at 804 Villa St.