Patricia Ann ‘Patsy’ Berry, Cross Keys art gallery consultant, dies

Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun
·3 min read

Patricia Ann “Patsy” Berry, a sales consultant at Renaissance Fine Arts in the Village of Cross Keys, died of ALS complications Jan. 7 at her brother’s Rosedale home. She was 67.

Born in Baltimore and raised on Kimberleigh Road in Wilson Park, she was the daughter of Hannah Berry, a Baltimore City Schools elementary teacher, and Maxie Berry Jr., a Coast Guard officer who headed its equal opportunity division in Washington, D.C.

She attended the old Blessed Sacrament School in Baltimore and was a 1975 graduate of the old Archbishop Keough High School. She earned a bachelor of science in biology from Syracuse University and remained an active alumna.

“We grew up near Morgan State University in the essence of a village. Families remained and turned over their homes to their children or relatives,” said her sister, Helen Cole. “Patsy lived in the family home and on top of everything she accomplished professionally, was a caregiver to our late mother.”

“Patsy was a descendant of the last commander of the first all-Black lifesaving station along the Outer Banks on Pea Island, North Carolina,” her sister said. “The Berry family has had members in that branch of the service since the late 1800s.”

Ms. Berry became a procurement manager for PepsiCo Inc. and traveled throughout Europe for the firm.

She served as a women’s fashion buyer for the Nordstrom department store at White Marsh for a decade, and spent the past 16 years as an art consultant for the Renaissance Fine Arts gallery.

“When you are selling art, you are building a bridge,” said the gallery’s owner Merritt Miller. “Patricia was excellent at helping people find what resonated with them.

“Patricia graced our gallery with a presence defined by her warmth, patience, and expertise,” the gallery owner said. “She had the ability to make friendships. … She was kind and her nature was authentic and approachable. She was a part of our core team.”

Ms. Miller said her colleague enjoyed having fun at work.

“Whether Patricia was starring in videos for our Instagram or participating in goofy gallery photo shoots, she shared her knowledge of our artwork,” Ms. Miller said. “She took every opportunity to infuse joy and vibrancy into our collective experience.”

She recalled Ms. Berry as an “immaculate person who could be formal in dress or be casual. Paper towels and Purell were her friends.

“Patricia’s passion for art transcended the canvas. She brought beauty and joy to countless lives through her meticulous curation and genuine love for her craft.”

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“My sister was not a fashionista, but the clothes she wore were low-key and on the expensive side. She enjoyed good food and did not eat meat — only seafood and vegetables. She was a wine connoisseur and was a huge consumer of news and current events,” Ms. Cole said. “She was a CNN junkie.

“Patsy was a fiercely loyal friend. And during her illness her friends from college came long distances to be with her,” her sister said.

Ms. Berry favored the art of painter Romare Bearden, who The Sun called in 2003 “one of the most original, innovative and important figures in 20th-century American art.”

Survivors include her sister, Helen “Suggie” Cole, of Reston, Virginia; a brother, Tony Berry, of Rosedale; three nieces; and six great-nieces and great-nephews.

Services were Saturday at the Vaughn Greene Funeral Home.