Alonzo Franklin Berry

Alonzo Franklin Berry, Jr., 82, of Rockville, Maryland, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on July 14, 2026, following a courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

Born on June 29, 1944, in Nashville, TN, Franklin was the only child of Alonzo Franklin Berry and Ruby (Gum) Berry. He was raised in Bowling Green, KY, and attended University of Miami for his undergraduate studies. He returned to the Bluegrass State to attain his law degree from University of Kentucky, followed by an LLM in tax law from the University of Miami. The first time that Franklin traveled abroad was to Vietnam, where he served as a U.S. Army attorney during the Vietnan War.

Franklin focused his professional life on the practice of law. He founded the Berry Law Firm where he had a fruitful career assisting many families with estate planning and other complicated tax matters. Franklin was elected to be a Fellow of the American College of Trusts and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel (ACTC). He was named a Kentucky Super Lawyer in Estate Planning from 2007, the first year of the honor’s inception, and every year after until his retirement. Franklin was joined in his practice by Stephanie McGehee-Shacklette, now of McGehee & Gerughty.

Franklin was a savvy real estate investor too. Over multiple decades, he purchased and sold various commercial and residential properties in Kentucky. He correctly believed in the potential – and invested heavily in the growth – of the Commonwealth.

Beyond his professional life, Franklin was known for his dry wit, unwavering honesty, and lifelong support for Christian service. He was deeply committed to leadership in multiple local service and religious organizations, including as a Teaching Elder at The Presbyterian Church in Bowling Green and as a former President of the AM Rotary Club of Bowling Green. Franklin also earned rave reviews for his extra-strong mint juleps on Derby Day.

Franklin was a devoted husband to (and precedes in death) Mary Ann (Kessler) Berry for over 50 years. They have a daughter, Jennie (Berry) Chandra, who followed in her father’s footsteps and became an attorney. Franklin’s greatest joy, however, was being a grandparent to Maya (age 18) and Nathan (age 15). After his retirement, Franklin and Mary Ann relocated from Kentucky to be closer to Jennie, her husband Ravi, and their children, first in Oregon and later in the Washington, DC area.

A ceremony and burial will be held on Saturday, July 18 at 2:00 PM at Crescent Hill Cemetery in Scottsville, KY. This will be followed by a celebration of Franklin’s life in Maryland later in July.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any donations be made in Franklin’s memory to the Berry Public Service Fellowship Fund at the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law. This fund was created in honor of Franklin and Mary Ann’s shared commitments to investing in Kentucky students and advancing public service.