Cleo Ward

Mrs. Cleo Gaffney Berry Ward

A soft, bright light left our earth on February 13, 2020 when Cleo Ward departed this life. She succumbed to a stroke while undergoing cancer treatment. Both these conditions, together, were too much, even for her valiant heart.

She was born January 19, 1945 to Sara Ford Berry at Emory Hospital in Atlanta, while her father, Ralph Marion Berry was away working on the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, TN.

Cleo was truly beautiful, full of grace, and as gentle and compassionate a soul as ever trod the earth.



A serious Methodist who dearly loved her church, she was the ideal Christian; never judgmental and always helping others, especially those less fortunate than she. During her working career, as she walked the streets of downtown Atlanta (where many refused to go), she befriended many homeless people, bringing them food, warm socks, or things to read, as they needed, and was on a first name basis with many.



She also was a fabric artist of the first order, designing and creating quilts that won prizes (often first) in competitions local, regional, and national. When she was not in her quilt studio, she would be found in her garden, making the earth around her more beautiful using her sense of form and color. It always seemed that beauty followed in her train, wherever she went.



She leaves behind to grieve, her heartbroken husband Richard, her son and daughter-in-law Derek and Gina Ward and three grandchildren Ally, Trudy and Calvin Ward; her son R. Curtis Hulbert and granddaughter Bella, in Colorado , and granddaughter Elizabeth Farrow, and three great-grandchildren. There are also two stepsons, David and Jason Ward in Nebraska.



Her brother Ralph M. Berry, Jr. and wife Ruth Fleming, and her true sister Edie Berry, of Atlanta and Decatur, Illinois, respectively were indispensable caregivers during her final illness, giving much needed and selfless support during that trying and terrible time. Neither can we thank the members of her “stitching” community and her Colbert United Methodist Church friends for all their love and support.



A memorial service for Cleo will be held at the Colbert United Methodist Church at 3 o’clock in the afternoon on Sunday, February 23, 2020. 

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Cleo’s name to Colbert UMC, or to the Lyndon House Art Foundation.



Berry Funeral Home & Crematory of Elberton is assisting the family of Mrs. Cleo Gaffney Berry Ward.