Rachel L. Sheldon Berry, age 86, of Meshoppen, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family at the Allied Services Scranton Hospice Center on Sunday, March 15, 2026, after a brief illness.

Rachel was born on July 18, 1939, in Towanda, PA. She was the second-born child of the late Benjamin O. Sheldon and Bertha M. Beeman Sheldon. Growing up, Rachel would spend most days helping on the Sheldon Family Farm on Spring Hill, tending to the animals and caring for her younger siblings. It was on the farm where she affectionately earned her nickname “Spud” from her father. She also loved spending time with her grandparents at the funeral home and furniture shop in Laceyville, and she, her older sister and cousins were even known to play hide-and-seek in the casket showroom with their Grandpa Burns. Rachel would attend the Laceyville Area School until its closure in 1956, where she would go on to graduate with the Wyalusing Valley High School Class of 1957.

After graduating, Rachel earned an Associate’s Degree in Medical Secretary from Lycoming College. She then raised her three children: Donald, Benjamin, and Denise. On February 1, 1975, Rachel married her loving husband, C. Wayne Berry. They recently celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary this past February. With their marriage, Rachel gained two stepsons, Howard Berry and James Berry.

Rachel lived a very adventurous life. She was a bartender when she and Wayne owned the Little Brown Jug in Factoryville. She loved to travel across the country to the Midwest and to visit their friends and families in New Jersey, Wyoming, and Oregon. She and Wayne made multiple trips to the Caribbean Islands. Rachel loved to stop at every lighthouse she could find and collected as many seashells as possible. She sold Sarah Coventry jewelry and won many awards as the area’s top seller for years. Rachel was an avid fisherwoman and traveled with Wayne to many fishing tournaments. She was a shopaholic who could spend up to 12 hours at Kohl's on a single trip. Rachel also enjoyed watching her Philadelphia Phillies and Eagles, and on Sundays, she always tuned into the weekly NASCAR race to cheer on Matt Kenseth.

After retiring from the state welfare office in the early 2000’s, Rachel and Wayne would settle on their Auburn Center home which they loved the view overlooking Cresent Lake. With retirement it opened the door to more traveling, with spending many winters in Florida where they made some amazing friends and spent time with family.

She was a member of the Laceyville High School Alumni Association and the Black Walnut American Legion Auxiliary Post 510.

There are many things that could be said about Rachel’s life. The most important aspect in her life was her family. She loved them more than anything, from siblings and cousins to nieces, nephews, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She saved any article in the paper about them, letters or postcards, and especially pictures.

Rachel is survived by her husband, C. Wayne Berry; her children, Donald Chamberlin (Therese), James Berry (Lisa), Benjamin Chamberlin (Cheryl), and Denise Chamberlin; her grandchildren, Danielle Romano, Carly Chamberlin (Mike), and Casey Buntz (John Sr.); Stephanie Eberhardt (Bill), Christine Wills, and Cheyanne Sanabia-Berry (Bernie); Dylan Chamberlin, and Cain Chamberlin; and Nathaniel Sheldon (Grace); her 12 great-grandchildren. She is survived by her sisters, Rebecca Place, and Burnzella “BZ” Michaels (Joseph); baby brother, Benjamin “Burnie” Sheldon (Linda); brother-in-law Gerald “Sike” Ruhf (Diane); and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Besides her parents, Rachel is preceded in death by her son, Howard Berry; her grandson, Stephen Conway; her great-grandson, Tyler Donald Wood; her sister, Benja Ruhf; her father-in-law, Lorenzo Berry; her mother-in-law, Alice Sisco Berry; her sister-in-law, Jean Arnold, Betty Vorhies, Frances Poyer, Dorothy Darvalics, Vicky Ruhf, and Virginia Berry; her brother-in-law, William Berry, and Theodore “Ted” Place.

Rachel’s family would like to express their extreme gratitude to the hospice staff at Allied, the Giesinger Wyoming Valley ICU nursing staff, and Rachel’s special nephew, Blaise Cleveland, for making Rachel’s last week on earth as peaceful as possible.

A Funeral Service for Rachel will be held on Friday, March 20, 2026 at 1:00 PM from the Sheldon Funeral Homes, 8206 Main Street Meshoppen, PA 18630 with Pastor Charlie Bishop of the Transue Community Church officiating. Family and friends may call at the funeral on Friday, March 20, 2026 from 11:00 until the time of the service. Interment will follow at the Jersey Hill Cemetery in Auburn Center.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Rachel’s name to the Meshoppen Volunteer Fire Company, P.O. Box 118 Meshoppen, PA 18630 or to the Allied Services Scranton Hospice Center, 511 Morgan Highway, Scranton, PA 18508.

Arrangements were entrusted with her loving family with the Sheldon Funeral Homes, Meshoppen, PA.

Online condolences may be made at www.SheldonFuneralHomes.com.