In Memoriam — Chiquita Berry — 1935–2010
From TwelveStoneFarm
Greetings!
It is with the saddest heart that my sister, brother and I have to report that our Mother — your friend — Chiquita Berry, passed away peacefully in her sleep in the early morning hours of Monday, April 19, 2010. She was 74 years old, and maintained the 100-acre 12 Stone Farm in Talking Rock — which featured gardens, a chapel, a lake, a campground, and a pavilion — all by herself.
In addition, she had a thriving herd of horses which included Arabians and quarter horses, and through them was able to support such diverse things as horse rescues and therapeutic riding programs. She wanted to share the beauty of her farm with everyone, and hosted Boy and Girl Scout camping events, plays, concerts, weddings, group and riding events — all in her enthusiasm to share the abundance of what she viewed she was so very blessed to enjoy in such abundance — allowing us all to enjoy the beauty of her pavilion by the lake, and the surrounding riding trail systems.
But that is just the part you can see — in addition to that she was a boundless source of enthusiasm, courage, hope, strength, joy and friendship — to everyone who met her. Her "Can Do!" attitude inspired everyone. Standing roughly 5' tall, she seemed like a giant, with her daily adventures and escapades; no kidding. And she had more energy than a whole classroom of first graders, doing tasks like bush hogging 20 acres of a hilly pasture with ease, exercising 10 horses, or weed-eating all the way around her lake - in a single day — and still take all the time in the world to visit with a friend who stopped by for counsel or to visit. Her late 60's found her foot-kneading mud to build the chapel on the hill out of clay she had hauled out of the lake bed she was having constructed, and creating the vision we all enjoy that is today's 12 Stone Farm.
In her "last life", Mom was a renowned cake decorator, providing custom confections throughout Atlanta — even the Governor's Inauguration. She always told us that any party was made up of "good people, good food, & a good space".
Many have asked about a Memorial.
Chiquita founded "12 Stone Ministries" to provide the resources to help establish — on a more permanent basis — the "wide open space to commune with nature" that was her primary vision for the farm. Those wishing to do something in Mom's honor can make a tax-deductible contribution to "12 Stone Ministries", a 501(c)(3) non-profit, through the PayPal button below.
We thank you all for the joy and purpose you brought into her life, and the love it gave her of living her own life.
Yours truly, we remain,
Elaine, Paul and Ellen (Chiquita's kids)
