We received the sad news this morning that Roger Berryhill, co-owner of Berryhill Nursery in Sherwood, Ore., passed away last night (Feb. 18, 2009) of a heart attack at the age of 75. Roger was featured, along with his wife Arda, in a profile article (PDF) that ran in this month’s issue of Digger magazine.

Roger was born April 3, 1933 in Gresham, Nebraska. His folks moved Roger to Oregon at age four, where the family lived in the Salem area. He served in the U.S. Navy during the late 1950s. Roger married Arda, the love of his life, in 1956 in Salem, Ore. Following his service, he and Arda lived in Klamath Falls while Roger attended Oregon Institute of Technology, then moved to the Portland area where he worked as a machinist at Hyster. The Berryhills started Berryhill Nursery in 1962, and Roger worked the graveyard shift so he could help Arda with the nursery during daylight hours, constructing the buildings and maintaining the equipment. He retired from Hyster in 1980.

Roger was very active in public service. He served as a director with the Tualatin Soil & Water Conservation District in the late 1990’s and early 2000s. He has been actively involved with the Oregon Association of Nurseries, including serving as a member of the Government Affairs Committee for more than a decade.

Roger is survived by his wife and sons Douglas and Brian, daughter Julie, daughter-in-law Diane, son-in-law Andre Vachon, and grandchildren Simone and Chantele. A funeral service will be held on Monday, February 23 at 2 p.m. at Attrell’s Newberg Funeral Chapel, 207 Villa Road, Newberg, Ore.; call Attrell’s at 503-538- 2191 for information. The family requests that any memorial gifts be given to the American Diabetes Association.