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Meredith (Carpenter) Berryhill was born in St. Clair Shores, Mich., on July 28, 1930. She died on Sept. 4, 2026, at Friendship Haven in Ft. Dodge, Iowa, at the age of 96. She was the daughter of Ralph Edward Carpenter and Alta Vyrene (Bemis) Carpenter.
Meredith married Charles (Chuck) Swing on Sept. 8, 1951. He died Nov. 12, 1953. Meredith married Leroy Kenneth Berryhill on Aug. 18, 1955, and the two celebrated 67 years of marriage before Leroy's death in 2022. Meredith attended Michigan State, graduating with an undergraduate degree in education in 1952, and later earned her master's degree in reading. She taught fourth grade for three years before raising her family. In 1978, at the age of 48, she updated her teaching license and began a 28-year career as a substitute teacher in the Ft. Dodge school system, beloved by many. Throughout her life, Meredith established a co-op preschool, volunteered in ways to support marginalized people, and served on many boards and councils, including an appointment to the State of Iowa Client Security and Attorney Disciplinary Committee in 1975. She also served as a rape-victim advocate for a number of years, carrying a beeper for emergency calls from the Ft. Dodge hospital and police department. Her life of service included tutoring at Urban Vision and leadership within Ft. Dodge Urban Ministry and the Ethnic Preschool. She made several humanitarian trips to Central America.
She was a member of the First United Methodist Church where she taught Sunday School, and participated in Church Women United, School of Missions, and the annual church rummage sale, which she spearheaded for many years. She held a strong commitment to the environment and desired to tread lightly on the earth. She collected pop cans for aluminum recycling long before the bottle bill. She bought most of her clothing second-hand and used "trash walks" to collect litter as her primary exercise for many years. She rode her bike more than she drove a car. Meredith cooked frugally, and found making low-cost nutritious meals a joyful challenge. She baked bread weekly for most of her years.
Throughout her life, Meredith journaled daily and read voraciously. She was a natural teacher and storyteller. As one of her grandchildren said, "She could explain ordinary things like making bagels, a compost pile, or how much money you can save by not cutting your hair in a fascinating and memorable way." She loved reciting poetry, and she wrote handmade children's books to read with her students and grandchildren.
Meredith also delivered newspapers for The Des Moines Register for many years, savoring the quiet of the morning route and writing poems to her customers each Valentine's Day.
She is survived by her five children: Leighton Arcenas (Mariano) of Davenport, Adrienne Adams (Kenneth) of Ft. Dodge, Allison Berryhill (Dan Hoegh) of Atlantic, Megan Berryhill of Newton, and Stafford Berryhill of St. Paul, Minn.; grandchildren Alirio Arcenas, Lucero Wilcox (Mark), Leiana Arcenas, Emerson Adams (Sonja), Cameron Adams, Jordan Adams (Brian Lewsadder), Carson Adams, Ciara Hoegh, Max Hoegh (Andrea), Eloise Buergers (John), Palmer Mahal (Erik), Harrison Hoegh (Maria), Stuart Hoegh, and Evelyn Berryhill; 16 great-grandchildren and many beloved nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband Leroy Kenneth Berryhill; her parents; and her brothers Craig, Winston, and Curtis. Meredith has donated her body to science.
A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 2 p.m. at the Celebration Center, Friendship Haven.
If you wish to honor her memory, please think of her as you go on a trash walk.