Don Travis Berry was born in San Antonio, Texas, on July 7, 1953, to John Travis Berry, Jr., and Alvatine Beach Berry. He was an only child, but he was very clever and was able to keep himself entertained and busy. Even as a small child, he had many friends and several of them remained in touch with him throughout his life. Along the way, he made many more friends, whom he continued to cherish and always tried to stay connected with.

Don, known as “Donnie” to his friends and family, was a particularly good student and showed prowess in engineering, especially mechanical engineering, from an early age. He attended Winston Churchill High School in San Antonio; San Antonio Junior College; and then the University of Texas at Austin where he earned a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering.

He loved shallow-water salt-water fishing especially at the Texas gulf coast around Rockport, TX and Port Aransas, TX. He also loved hunting, but he really enjoyed re-engineering devices that he felt had not been built properly. He always found a way to make them better. He especially enjoyed target shooting and tinkering with guns. Over time he developed an extensive understanding of guns, ammo, and ballistics.

He was able to put his expertise into action when he went to work for the Institute for Advanced Technology (IAT) at the University of Texas at Austin as its lab manager. He managed people, equipment, and processes to perform high level research into hypervelocity impact physics for the Army. It was during his time at IAT that he began attending Aeroballistic Range Association (ARA) conferences. The ARA is a professional society that explores research into multiple aspects of hypervelocity impact physics. In the early 1990’s the ARA voted IAT in as a member and Don became their representative for many years in several countries as well as in the United States. In 2014 the ARA bestowed Don with the prestigious Fellow Award at the meeting in Archachon, France.

After retiring from IAT he became a lecturer for the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Austin. He taught multiple core (required) courses such as Machine Design, and he really loved working with the students. He only stopped lecturing during covid when classes switched over primarily to on-line rather than classroom formats. Recently Don was a senior engineer at Hadland Imaging, a business that markets high-speed visible, infrared, schlieren and flash X-ray imaging solutions.

Before IAT he had worked for a time at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio; and at Tracor, Inc., a major Austin, Texas-based defense electronics and technology contractor.

Don passed away on August 21, 2026, from Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD), a condition that he was diagnosed with in January 2025. In April 2026 he contracted pneumonia, which significantly damaged his lungs further. The cause of the ILD is unknown. The doctors said it was something he was exposed to, but they do not know when or what it was. Don was never a smoker.

On August 16, 1980, Don married Peggy Ann Bowen, and they were married for 46 years. Peggy was by his side continuously after he contracted pneumonia and during his continuous hospitalization that lasted from May 29, 2026, to August 21, 2026.

Over the past several years Don became more spiritual, more interested in God and Jesus, and in reading the New Testament. He prayed to God every day, multiple times some days.

Don is survived by his wife, Peggy Berry of Austin; four cousins: Sheila Beach of Tyler, Texas, Sharon Beach of Weatherford, Texas, Maxine Denkeler of Dickinson, Texas, and Steven Kennedy of Uvalde, Texas; three brothers-in-law: Wayne Bowen of Austin, William Bowen of Canyon, Texas, and Steve Horton of Odessa, Texas; four nephews: Chris Horton and his wife Deborah of Paris, Virginia, Joshua Horton and his wife Beth of Lubbock, Texas, Derek Horton and his wife Courtney of Midland, Texas, and Jordan Horton of Midland, Texas; two great-nephews: Zachary and Landon Horton, both of Paris, Virginia; and a great-niece: Cadance Horton of Midland, Texas.

A celebration of life is scheduled for Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at

Cross Tracks Church

101 Church Street

Liberty Hill, TX

78642 https://crosstrackschurch.org

In lieu of flowers please donate to Tunnels to Towers, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, or to the charity of your choice.