William Tennyson Berry

Graveside Services for William (Bill) Tennyson Berry (Kiowa/Apache) of Lawton, OK will be held at 10:00 A.M. Friday, January 27th, 2023 at the Fort Cobb, OK Cemetery. Bill passed away on Monday, January 23, 2023 at Integris Baptist Hospital in Oklahoma City at the age of 70. Bill was born in Pawnee, OK to Philemon Berry and Leona Hovakah Wolf on December 31st, 1952 and comes from the Red Tipi Clan of the Kiowa Tribe and was a member of the Apache First Baptist Church.He graduated from Fort Cobb High School in Fort Cobb, OK, where he was named All-State baseball pitcher in 1971. He attended Cameron University on a baseball scholarship where he played four years of college baseball and graduated with his Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education and became a certified high school teacher. During his collegiate baseball career, he was a starting pitcher, while also playing first base and made All-Conference three times both as a pitcher and hitter (1971-1973). After graduation, he played three years of semi-professional baseball with the Lawton Pepsis. While at Cameron, he married his high school sweetheart, Donna Sanbranno and from this union had three children, Tennyson, Amanda, and Kelly, all of Lawton. He began his teaching and coaching career of 38 years at Lookeba Sickles coaching baseball and basketball. While coaching high school baseball for a majority of his career, he focused on coaching high school fastpitch for the remainder. He coached eighteen seasons as a high school softball coach in Oklahoma and coached twenty all-state selections. He compiled over 400 wins and reached the state softball tournament eight times, with numerous regional and district championships. He was an Assistant Coach with the ASA 18U Gold Tulsa Eagles for seven years, where they reached the National Tournament five times placing ninth out of sixty-four teams in 2003. During his time with the Tulsa Eagles, he was the pitching and hitting coach, while also overseeing the recruitment of players. Coach Berry assisted with sending 25 players to NCAA Division I, II, and III programs, 12 to NAIA schools, and several others to various community and junior colleges on softball scholarships. He was an invited clinician for the University of Oklahoma, Baylor University, and the University of Louisiana Monroe softball camps.Coach Berry was named the Oklahoma High School Coaches Association American Legion Baseball Coach of the Year in 1980; Oklahoma High School Softball Coaches Association 5A-6A All-State Fast Pitch Coach of the Year in 2000; Oklahoma High School Softball Coaches Association 5A-6A All-State Fast Pitch West Coach in 2000; the Oklahoma High School Coaches Association Assistant All-State West 5A-6A Baseball Coach 2003; the Oklahoma High School Coaches Association All-State West Slow-Pitch Coach of the Year in 2012; and the Arizona Diamondbacks National Native American Softball Coach of the Year in 2014. In June of 2016, Coach Berry was inducted into the Oklahoma High School Fast Pitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He was also named the Oklahoma Native American All State Fast Pitch Games West Coach in June 2017 and 2018. In 2020, he was selected to be the head coach of a Team USA Select All-Star High School Girl's Fast Pitch team for a tournament in Spain but was cut short due to COVID-19. As a player, Coach Berry played twenty-eight years of professional men's fast pitch. He was named the National Indian Athletic Association (NIAA) National Fast Pitch Tournament Most Valuable Player in 1978 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in 1979 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and in 1980 in Norman, Oklahoma. He was named the ASA National Fast Pitch Tournament Most Valuable Player in 1979 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and International Softball Congress (ISC) World Tournament Most Valuable Player in Sioux City, Iowa in 1983. Coach Berry is a two-time participant in the International Softball Congress (ISC) World Tournament, Sioux City, Iowa in 1983 and Prince Edward Island, Canada in 1994 the latter with the North Americans Men's Major Fast Pitch Team, whom he played with for twelve years across the Midwest, South, and Canada. Having a desire to coach girls fast-pitch at the collegiate level, he went back to school to complete a master's degree. He graduated with his Masters of Education degree with an emphasis in Sports Administration from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma in May 2016. Fulfilling his dream of coaching in college, Bill served for one season as the Assistant Softball Coach at Oklahoma Panhandle State University in 2018 in Goodwell, Oklahoma. He oversaw pitching and outfielders while being therecruiting coordinator and assisting with fundraisers. After his one season at Panhandle State, he was hired as the head softball coach at Bacone College in 2019 until his retirement in 2020. In 2019, he was selected by AARP Oklahoma Indian Elders Honors in recognition of his inspirational and powerful differences he made to his community and Indian Country. In his later years, he enjoyed watching OU Football, Dallas Cowboys, Judge Judy and became a fan of Kansas State University. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Donna, their two sons, Tennyson & Kelly, and one daughter, Amanda, then one remaining sibling, Phillip and spouse Aleta, four nephews, Phil Warrior, Timmy Berry, Jeremy Tahhahwah and Brandon Isom (with his wife Brandi and children Oakley and Hailey), Sister-in-Law Lou Ann Lucero, one niece, April Berry, and many aunts, uncles, and other family members.Bill is preceded in death by his parents and two sisters: Cindy Berry Klinekole and Anna Mamie Berry. Visitation will be Wednesday 1:00-8:00, Thursday, 9:00-8:00 and Friday, 8:00-9:30. Arrangements are under the direction of Fort Cobb Funeral Home.

William Tennyson Berry

December 31, 1952 - January 23, 2023

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