Alonzo Franklin Berry

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

Born on June 29, 1944, 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 attained a JD from the University of Kentucky and an LLM in tax law from the University of Miami.

Franklin focused his professional life on the practice of law. His early career included serving as an attorney for the U.S. Army in Vietnam, at the Internal Revenue Service in DC, and in a Florida law firm. Days Inn, one of his firm’s clients, hired Franklin to be the company’s General Counsel. Needing to help oversee family lands, Franklin returned to Kentucky and served as General Counsel for Western Kentucky University.

Franklin went on to found Berry Law Firm in Bowling Green, where he sagely advised many families on 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 the award’s inception until his retirement. Franklin was joined in his thriving 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. Franklin 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 an Elder at The Presbyterian Church in Bowling Green and as a former President of the AM Rotary Club of Bowling Green.

Franklin was a devoted husband to Mary Ann (Kessler) Berry for more than 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 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 memorial ceremony will be held on Saturday, July 18, at 2:00 PM at The Presbyterian Church in Bowling Green. 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. The link below will assist in finding the donation site.

https://give.uky.edu/campaigns/47166/donations/new?designation_id=1215533910&amt=75.00

T.W. Crow & Son Funeral Home is honored to be entrusted with all arrangements.