On July 16, 1948, in Roanoke, Alabama, Jesse and Katie Berry had a baby girl. They named her Mary Kate. She was loved as the precious baby girl of her parents and the sweet baby sister of her older brother, Jesse Ford, who affectionately called her "Sister." She was reared on the west side of Anniston, Alabama. She matriculated from the following schools: Cobb Avenue High School (Anniston, Alabama), Southwestern Christian College (Terrell, Texas) and Jacksonville State University Lurleen B. Wallace College of Nursing (Jacksonville, Alabama).

Let's take a look at the loves of Mary Kate Berry Hooks. Mary loved the Lord. She was baptized at a young age at the 14th & McDaniel Avenue Church of Christ in Anniston, Alabama. She participated in all of the various youth activities and decided to attend the Church of Christ-affiliated Southwestern Christian College (SWCC). As a student at SWCC, she was a member of a traveling choral group that toured in the Southeastern United States. In her later years, she was one of the founding members of the Sister Connect Prayer Line, which allowed Christian women from all across the country to come together for devotion and prayer.

Mary loved Richard Leon Hooks. On December 21, 1968, she married Richard Leon Hooks of Montgomery, Alabama. This union was blessed with three children: Richard Leon, II, LaKeta Renee and Dionne Michelle. She was a dedicated wife and beloved mother.

Mary loved the Henry Street Church of Christ. When Richard became the minister there, she worked alongside him as a devoted minister's wife. She began lifelong friendships and gained an extended family. Even when it became difficult for her to travel, she longed to be in their presence. Yet, as a devoted member and Christian, she attended virtually via Facebook every Sunday. Mary loved nursing. She was a consummate professional and was esteemed by doctors, fellow nurses, hospital staff and patients. She worked as a registered nurse at Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center in Anniston, Alabama for 32 years, retiring in December 2005.

Mary loved to travel. She traveled as a young member of 14th Street Church of Christ, as a choral singer at Southwestern Christian College, as a minster's wife and as a grandmother. She told stories of conferences she attended as a child and the various states she visited while touring with her group in college. As a minister's wife, she initiated the attendance of ladies conferences by groups of her fellow sisters in Christ at her congregation. She traveled to visit her grandchildren and participate in their lives.

Mary was loved by those who knew her. After an extended illness, she left her earthly body on July 18, 2024. Those who loved her gather today to say goodbye and to share memories of the beloved Christian, daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, friend, nurse and traveler.

Mary was preceded in death by: her husband, Richard; her parents, Jesse and Katie; her sister, Julia Maude Berry; her nephews, Jesse Ervin Finch and Hollis Finch; and her granddaughter, Ella Grace Vandiber.

Cherishing her in memory include: three children, Leon Hooks, LaKeta (Roger) Monhollen and Dionne (Tonikos) Vandiber; seven grandchildren, Cassandra Monhollen, Mychal Royal, Savannah Monhollen, Mariyanna Monhollen, Brooke Vandiber, Roman Vandiber and Corrine Vandiber; her brother, Jesse Ford Berry; two sisters-in-law, Mary Ann Berry and Zenobia Hooks; a brother-in-law, Charles Hooks; two nephews, Frederick Berry and Leonard Hooks, Jr.; three nieces, Michelle Williams, LaTonia (Lonnie) Russell and Chastity M. Berry; the Henry Street Church of Christ family; and a host of relatives and friends.