Peter Berry: Valuable lessons for many

Cape Town, W. Cape, SA - I’m so sorry to read about Peter’s passing. I knew that he was not well from our last conversation in September and was so hoping that I would be able to see him as soon as he was up for a visit. The photo attached was taken of us in 2017 when we met for lunch and as always we had such a wonderful time. 

 

Peter made such a huge impact on me and my colleagues and he helped us to set Ackermans on a path of tremendous footwear successes. Through Peter’s knowledge, we were able to show respect to our cash strapped consumer by giving them the best possible quality footwear that their money could buy. Peter set the bar high for our suppliers and he showed them how to improve the quality of their footwear, which no doubt changed the way they made shoes forever. Valuable lessons never to be forgotten by us all. 

 

Peter was always patient and kind, his faith in God was evident in everything that he did. I also had the honour of meeting his darling wife Margaret, whom he sadly lost and mourned bravely. Father Berry was what I called him, because he was a steadfast believer, but mostly because he was not only a dear colleague and mentor, but an incredible friend and father figure to me. I am selfishly so sad that we’ll never get to chat or have lunch anymore, but I know that Father Berry is where he belongs now, in heaven. Rest in peace dearest Father Berry, you are missed.