Edward Karl Berry

Edward Karl Berry

Marion

Edward Karl Berry, 3346 Platinum Way, Marion, Iowa, (previously Houston, Texas) passed away at the age of 66, on Dec. 11, 2022, after a year-long battle with cancer.

Edward is survived by his older brother, Richard (Kathy) Berry of Marion, Iowa; nephews, Brian (Jodi) Anderson of Indianola, Iowa, Brent (Christine) Anderson of Dallas, Texas, and Jason (Kelsey) Berry of Chicago, Ill.; two great-nieces and a great-nephew; as well as several aunts and cousins living in Sao Palo, Brazil.

Edward was preceded in death by his father, Louis K. Berry; and his mother, Zahat Rose Berry.

The son of immigrant parents, Edward was born on Dec. 23, 1955, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His father ran a corner grocery store across the street from Mercy Medical Center and his mother worked at Collins Radio Company for 34 years.

From an early age, Edward was fascinated with weather atmospheric conditions. After graduating with a B.A. from Iowa State University and a Masters from the University of Oklahoma, Ed spent more than 20 years forecasting weather for the National Weather Service. His expertise ranged from local convective storms to global weather patterns following his passion “to deliver impactful data and predictions utilizing innovative strategies and technology applications to support environmental research and forecasts.”

While stationed at National Weather Service headquarters in Washington, D.C., Ed became an early advocate for an “ensemble” approach using weather and climate prediction models. The approach is in standard usage today. Ed authored extensive daily writeups of global weather patterns that attracted the attention of both researchers and long-range weather forecasters.

Ed retired from the National Weather Service in 2009 and was hired by Bank of America to make long range temperature forecasts for natural gas futures. He also provided daily 2–3 week forecasts for two additional companies. These forecasts proved to be skillful and continually beat the forecasts of global weather models. Ed’s ability to process complicated information and extract a forecast influenced an entire generation of meteorologists. This influence included inspiring many to broaden their diagnostic toolboxes and embrace the complexity of nature rather than over simplify it.

Ed published numerous papers that illustrated the importance of sea surface temperatures and tropical convection in driving global and regional weather and climate changes. Through his research, he helped develop a “global synoptic dynamical model” that could be used for long-range forecasting. His passion for weather and climate research continued to his death when he was collaborating on yet another paper for a scientific journal.

Ed was every bit as kind of a man as he was a genius in meteorology. His dedication to his family and his chosen field were unmatched. He will be sorely missed.

A Celebration of Life is planned for 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 23, at St. Matthew Catholic Church, 2310 First Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

Online condolences are welcome at www.cedarmemorial.com under obituaries.