PEABODY — Former state Sen. Frederick Berry (D-Peabody) has died at 68 after a brief illness, according to his family.
“With great sadness, the family…shares the news of his passing,” the Berry family wrote on Facebook. “Fred died peacefully on Tuesday morning after a brief illness. The family appreciates all the support and well wishes they have received during this difficult time and asks for privacy as they make final arrangements to celebrate Fred’s life.”
Berry, who launched his political career in 1979 on the Peabody City Council, represented the Second Essex district from 1983 and served for a decade as Majority Leader until he retired in 2012.
“Fred was a great guy, a wonderful person, who treated everyone fairly and has a remarkable story rising to Majority Leader in the senate where he was very influential,” said state Rep. Thomas Walsh (D-Peabody). “I got to know him in 1982 when he was running for senate and I was graduating from college. I volunteered on his campaign.”
Walsh described him as a progressive Democrat who championed legislation to assist children and the disabled, and saved the Logan Express in Peabody from closing.
“He was a leader on the largest stage in Massachusetts,” he said. “But he also paid attention to local issues.”
Mayor Edward Bettencourt Jr. said he was Berry’s friend for many years.
“Fred was a close friend and a political mentor to me,” he said. “I’ve always been very close with him. He will be missed.”
Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said he met Berry during the City Council race in the 1970s.
“Fred Berry was one of a kind,” Blodgett said in a statement. “He never let his disability define him. He was a champion for the disenfranchised, a dedicated and humble public servant, and one of the funniest guys I’ve ever known.”
Berry’s council service and ascension to power on Beacon Hill were testaments, said those who knew him, to his desire to helping people.
“He was concerned about people and peoples’ problems,” said former Lynn Mayor Thomas P. Costin Jr. “He was one individual who never had too little time to talk to someone. He was a true public servant, a very special person.”
Berry earned a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and a master’s in education from Antioch College in 1974.
