Donnie Berry: A pioneer in more ways than one

It is a fitting crown, and Donnie Elizabeth Berry wears it proudly.

It is a fitting crown, and Donnie Elizabeth Berry wears it proudly.

“I believe in giving without the thought of receiving something back,” said Berry, whom the Auburn Rotary Club chose as Pioneer Queen on June 30, her 80th birthday.

“I believe in smiling when you get up in the morning,” she said. Berry will be a part of the honored royalty celebrating the Auburn Good Ol’ Days festival in downtown Auburn next weekend. “You don’t know if someone had a bad day, but if you smile, it might make them feel better.”

The strong-willed, self-made Auburn woman is a pioneer in many ways, having overcame racial and gender barriers to build a successful career, support a family and later, contribute to many causes in the community she loves.

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Berry brings out the best in others, a natural gift she inherited from her gracious grandmother, Lennie, while growing up in her native Louisiana.

“At 85, she still tended to her garden,” Berry recalled. “If there ever was an angel on Earth, she was it. She always believed in helping a friend. She lived to be 101.”

Berry’s family moved from Shreveport, La., to Seattle in 1946, so she could study medicine at the University of Washington. She wanted to become a doctor, but at that time women were not accepted into the field.

“And I refused to become a librarian,” she said.

Berry eventually flourished as an accountant for 25 years, beginning at the South King County Equal Opportunity Bureau, where Donald Rumsfeld appointed her to balance the books.

Berry also worked as a manager in retail and as an accountant for ABC Records & Tape in downtown Seattle. She was with a parent company tied to the launching of the Head Start program.

Berry also worked for the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency for 23 years before reluctantly retiring at age 73.

Berry has been an active volunteer in the Auburn community for 40 years. She works at the Auburn Valley YMCA, Auburn Rotary, Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society, teaches safe driving to seniors and regularly visits inmates as part of a prison ministry.

“You don’t go there to push religion but to let them know that we have the same problems outside as they do inside,” Berry said. “We are there to help them with those problems.”

A mother of five children from two marriages, Berry has three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. One of Barry’s three sons, Carl, was a Vietnam War veteran who passed away in 1988. Another son, Mark, is a movie and television actor.

She was disciplined but fair with her children – strict, with a gentle touch.

“My kids called me ‘Sarge,’“ Berry said.

A Rotarian since 1994, Berry was named president of the South Seattle Rotary Club, the first African-American woman to hold the position with the district organization.

An active golfer until she surrendered regular play because of her knees, Berry stays involved in water aerobics at the Y and with other programs at the Auburn Senior Activity Center.

Today, Berry continues to work for others, including children. She remains active in her church, St. Matthew Episcopal.

“I still keep busy,” she said, “and I keep busy helping others.”

As for being chosen to wear the tiara as Pioneer Queen, it was a humbling moment for Berry.

“I was shocked,” she said. “They brought in a cake to celebrate my birthday … and then I realized it.”

It was another crowning moment for a true pioneer in her day.

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Festival at a glance

• What: Auburn Good Ol’ Days

• When: Aug. 13-15.

• Where: Downtown, in and around Main and Division streets.

• Featuring: A parade (Saturday), street dance, entertainment stages, food booths, crafts, antique airplane fly-in, antique car shows, antique train displays and more. 5K fun run, walk, stroll (Friday). Good Ol’ Show & Shine Classic Car Show (’79 & older, on Sunday.)

• Schedule, information: www.auburngoodoldays.com.