Sergeant Wilbur Berry was killed May 19, 2001, when he and other deputies were investigating a reportedly stolen truck and a burglary case that was believed to be connected.
When the deputies located a suspect hiding inside a house, a struggle ensued and the suspect grabbed one of the deputies’ guns. He fired several times, fatally wounding Berry and injuring Bill Black, who is now the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy.
Annual tradition
Bulloch County Sheriff Noel Brown, continues the tradition of holding a memorial service annually, which he did on Thursday, May 19, 2023. The memorial service remembers and honors Sergeant Wilbur Berry's life and service and reminds deputies and the community of the dangers they face daily.
Sheriff Brown led the service and gave brief remarks along with Reverend Craig R. Tremble.
Rev. Tremble read from a devotional from Psalm 23 which stresses the importance of living with confidence in God. The challenges they face everyday, especially in law enforcement, require great confidence. They are trained to run toward trouble when we all run from it. In spite of what we go through you have to have confidence in God he shared.
"Remember it is real easy to make an arrest, but Wilbur would have a conversation and worked to change lives. He treated everyone as he would want to be treated," said Sheriff Brown. "He loved people. He shaped a lot of lives."
Members of Sergeant Wilbur Berry's family attended including his widow Judy Berry and his children, Chris Berry, Troy Berry, Brian Berry and Melissa Deal. The family had 8 blue balloons with Sergeant Berry's name and badge number, which was #8, that they distributed to the audience and released at the end of the service.
In 2018 Bulloch County officials named Westside Road as the Sergeant Wilbur Berry Memorial Highway. This is the road Berry traveled daily to work from his home in Candler county.
