Caleb Berry would be proud to see the village full of love and support that has emerged in the wake of his death, his family said.
The young man from Redwater, Alta., was killed this week while on the drive to work south of Edmonton in Nisku, leaving behind his wife and baby.
“He was a good boy. He was good kid. He was responsible. He loved his family. He was a good provider,” his mother Shannon Berry said on Thursday as she, along with Caleb’s sister Willow, shared memories of the 21-year-old they described as kind, generous and outgoing.
Undated photo of Caleb Berry, 21, with his family.
Supplied by Berry family
“Anytime we got together, you couldn’t have a quiet moment with Caleb around. Like it just wasn’t happening,” Willow said. “No, he was cracking jokes,” their mother chimed in.
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Caleb and his wife had an 18-month-old daughter his family said was the light of his life.
“He was so happy and proud of his little one,” Shannon said of her granddaughter.
Shannon said the toddler has her son’s curly, strawberry blond hair, blue eyes and, of all things — fingers.
“I know is a weird thing to notice, but he had his dad’s fingers, so that was just something that I noticed about him and the baby definitely had all of those attributes,” Shannon said.
“When you look at her, you know who her dad was.”
Undated photo of Caleb Berry, 21, with his young daughter.
Supplied by Berry family
Caleb was killed earlier this week in a three-vehicle collision.
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He worked for a propane company in Nisku and with them, was in the process of applying for a gasfitter apprenticeship through NAIT.
Caleb and his wife had been looking to move further south to shorten what was a nearly 200-km round trip commute from Redwater to Nisku for work, but could not find a dog-friendly rental before winter set in.
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“He was going into the busy season. They were gonna start looking again in the spring, so they could move over the summer when it was less busy,” his mother explained.
Undated photo of Caleb Berry, 21, with his dog.
Supplied by Berry family
Caleb was just about to arrive at work this past Tuesday morning when tragedy struck. It happened around 6:30 a.m. on Township Road 502 (Airport Road), east of 9 Street near the Nisku industrial area.
RCMP believe Berry was making a left-hand turn when his Audi sedan was hit from behind by a Honda CR-V. The impact pushed Berry’s car into the path of an oncoming Dodge pickup and the two collided.
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Police arrived to find Berry suffering from extensive injuries. He died on scene.
Getting that phone call from Caleb’s wife was the worst moment of Shannon’s life.
“Probably said ‘no no no’ a million times. It’s like this part of your brain says if you just don’t accept it, it will change and you’ll be OK… But that’s not how it works.”
His mother said her son’s death has left a gaping wound in their lives.
“It’s a whole family devastated. It’s a baby without a daddy. I mean, she’ll have no memory of him. She’s only 18 months.”
Shannon said her granddaughter will grow up only knowing her father through photos, videos and memories passed on by those around her.
“We’re never going to get hugged by him again. We’re never going to be able to say ‘I love you’ again.
“She’s never going to be held by him again.”
Undated photo of Caleb Berry, 21, with his young daughter.
Supplied by Berry family
Caleb was the primary provider for his family and while he worked hard, his mom said he had not yet built up a nest egg to see his family secured financially.
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“He was only 21. And unfortunately, you know, when you’re 21 you’re not thinking, ‘Well, tomorrow I could be dead,’” Shannon said.
“So he, unfortunately, didn’t prepare very much. He didn’t leave very much behind for his family.”
For that reason, the family has a GoFundMe to raise money for Caleb’s wife and daughter’s living expenses in the immediate future.
“The only thing that he really would have wanted was to know that his wife and daughter would be cared for and looked after,” Willow said.
The family said Caleb’s employer is also working on providing support, believed to be in the form of an education fund for his daughter.
Undated photo of Caleb Berry, 21, at work in Nisku.
Supplied by Berry family
Since Caleb’s death, old friends have begun reaching out to the family, expressing condolences and sharing memories.
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“I think it says a lot,” Willow said as she choked back tears. “I just keep getting messages from old friends of his and stuff, all saying how big of an impact he made in their life and how they remember him as such a fun and caring guy. It didn’t matter who you were to him. If you needed help, he would help you.
“We’re realizing his village is very big.”
Caleb was the kind of person who helped those less fortunate, his mother said.
She shared a story of how on a school trip where he had been sent with an extra $200 to get his own food and souvenirs, he returned home with just a hat and no leftover money.
“We were like, how much was that hat, you know?” Shannon said. “We found out after the fact that there were three other children in his class, they came with $10, $15, $20 — it was not close enough, but it was what their families could do. And one of those children used to give Caleb a rough time in school,” the mother explained.
“Well it was one of these kids that he spent the rest of his $200 on, making sure they had food and that they had a souvenir to take home.
“That’s who Caleb was.”
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Undated photo of Caleb Berry as a child holding a sparkler.
Supplied by Berry family
The family has not yet finalized all their funeral plans, but said Caleb will be buried in a family plot.
The driver of the Dodge truck was taken to hospital with minor injuries. Police did not report any injuries from inside the Honda SUV, which RCMP said remained on scene after the collision.
As of Thursday, no charges have been laid in what police said was a tragic event.
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