Dr. Robert Walter Berry, Sr., 81, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, passed away Saturday, November 28, 2009, at St. Luke’s Hospice House in Bethlehem.

He was born October 27, 1928, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Milton and Lannes Berry.

He received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Clemson College in South Carolina, where he was awarded the Norris Medal for the most outstanding student in the class of 1950. Following graduation, he served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Chemical Corps. After his honorable discharge, he earned a doctorate degree in inorganic chemistry at Michigan State University.

At the university, he met Colleen Rudd, and they were married June 16, 1954.

After graduation, Dr. Berry was hired by Bell Telephone Laboratories in New Jersey, where he worked developing passive electrical components. He became active in the development of thin films, a crucial step to the development of the modern computer industry. He edited and co-authored the publication of one of the premier works on the subject “Thin Film Technology,” which was used as a textbook for well over a decade. He also holds multiple U.S. patents for component technology.

While working at Bell Laboratories, Dr. Berry moved to various locations, including Indianapolis, Indiana, where he directed groundbreaking work moving the integrated circuit technology for “touch tone” generation from the laboratory to volume manufacturing. This was key to replacing the rotary telephone with touch-tone buttons. The technology he worked on was used in everything from the basic telephone to the Titan missile. Dr. Berry rose to the level of department head and became active in the development of optical components as copper transmission was being phased out. He retired in 1987, and following retirement, kept in close contact with many of his former coworkers and friends.

Dr. Berry was active in the First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, where he served as both a deacon and an elder. He held leadership positions in the Monocacy Creek Watershed Association, as well as Burnside Plantation. He had many hobbies, including an interest in antique clocks, automated musical instruments, and antique cars and boats. He was an excellent craftsman in rebuilding and maintaining them, friends said.

Dr. Berry is survived by his wife; one daughter and her family, Elizabeth and Rick Helman of Bethlehem; one son and his family, Robert and Carolyn Berry Jr. of Round Rock, Texas; four grandchildren, Robert and Edward Helman of Bethlehem, and Meghan and Todd Berry of Round Rock.

Services will be Saturday, December 5, at 2 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem.

Memorial contributions may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 2344 Center Street, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18017 and the First Union Church, P.O. Box 426, Cedarville, Michigan 49719.

Long Funeral Home of Bethlehem is assisting the family with arrangements.