Charles J. Berry was born April 07, 1920 in Charlotte, Eaton County, Michigan to Quinn A. and Cleda Louise Snider Berry. His middle name may be just "J.". His parents separated when he was nine years old, in 1929, and he went to live with his aunt and uncle, most likely Clifford Snider. When he was 14 (1934) he moved to Battle Creek to live with his mother Cleda, who had remarried.
Charles was a affable man, and leveraged this capability into a successful insurance brokerage business in Coldwater, Michigan. He was a member of most of the clubs in Coldwater, including the Masons, Elks, and the Coldwater Country Club. An inveterate golfer, the family residence at 1275 Union City Road was located adjacent to one of the fairways.