Thomas Berryman Jr.
Thomas James Berryman Jr. (Tommy) passed away on February 2, 2025 in Palo Alto, California at the age of 79, after complications from prostate cancer and Parkinson’s Disease led to a brief stay in the Hospice Unit of the VA Hospital. Tommy was born in Concord, New Hampshire, to Rose McAteer Berryman, and Thomas Berryman, Sr., but moved with his family to Southern California when he was ten, living in the San Fernando Valley, Santa Barbara and Carpinteria areas over the years. He never forgot his early life in Concord and was thrilled to go back to the East Coast to celebrate his 50th Birthday.
Tommy is survived by his daughter, Ann Berryman of Santa Barbara, CA, son Thomas “Shawn” James Berryman III of Santa Maria, CA, sister Roberta Lehtinen (George) of Carpinteria, CA, brother Dan Berryman (Charlotte) of Prescott, AZ, sister Peggy Rancatore (Tom), of Los Altos, CA, and numerous nephews, nieces and cousins.
He entered into the United States Army upon graduation from high school and was stationed at Fort Bliss. After his enlistment was completed, he returned to the Santa Barbara area where he married and raised his family. He was an assembly worker with several companies which took him to Santa Monica for a number of years, but he eventually returned to the Santa Barbara area.
He would be the first to tell you that he had a wonderful life and his greatest joy was being a father to Ann and Shawn. As a Christian, prayer was an important part of his life–a source of comfort during difficult times and a way to express gratitude for the many good times. He felt he was blessed to grow up in a loving family and he enjoyed the simple things in life: playing high school football, seeing the famous locations and people in the Hollywood area, and collecting baseball cards. Being an avid fan of the Yankees, Dodgers, Giants, and Red Sox, it meant the world to him not only to have seen games in person in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and a few Spring Training games in Phoenix, but to have travelled with his sister Roberta to see games at Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park. Also being a Boston Celtics fan, he was excited to tour Boston Gardens shortly before it was demolished.
Tommy was open, outgoing, cheerful, and had a lively sense of humor, making some special, lifelong friends wherever he lived. He had a wide variety of interests and loved talking with folks about them. Tommy amazed people with his encyclopedic knowledge of baseball statistics, players, and background stories, and details about movies, TV shows, actors, U.S. history and notables from many walks of life.
He is deeply missed but he will be with us always in our hearts. There will be a celebration of life held for Tommy when he is laid to rest near his parents in the Carpinteria Cemetery.
Memorial donations to the Parkinson Association of Santa Barbara can be made at https://www.mypasb.org/home.
