Mr Robert Edward Berney

Robert Edward Berney of Grasonville, MD passed away on November 27, 2018 at the Queen Anne’s County Emergency Center in Queenstown, MD. He was 86. Born on September 13, 1932 in Walla Walla, Washington, he was the son of the late William Edward and Dorothy Adelaide Smith Berney. Robert graduated from Walla Walla High School, Class of 1950 and earned his Bachelors Degree and Masters Degree at Washington State College (later Washington State University - WSU). He earned a PhD in Economics from The University of Wisconsin under a Ford Foundation grant in 1963. Robert often said that his life-long love of the outdoors and especially, the mountains, began during his Scouting years. He was very active in the Boy Scouts and achieved Eagle Scout status. He attended the National Boy Scout Jamboree in Philadelphia and Valley Forge in 1950 which opened his eyes to the world beyond Walla Walla. Some of his early adventures included Jeep rides and white water rafting. As an active member of the Outing Club of WSC, he learned to ski and mountain climb, acting as president of the club in his junior year. That year with a group of friends, he ran Hell’s Canyon of the Snake River before it was damned up. He was Vice President of the Senior class graduating from WSC and the ROTC program as a Distinguished Military Graduate in 1954. He went on to active duty with a regular Army commission and trained at Ft. Benning with the latest class from West Point, earning both Ranger and Airborne certifications going on to spend his first 18th months with the 82nd Airborne Division. After 4 years in the Army, Robert returned to WSC to get his MA degree in Economics. After earning his PhD in 1963 at Wisconsin, he spent a year with the Royal Commission of Taxation in Ottawa, Canada and then two years at Arizona State University before joining the Economics Department at WSU, teaching public finance, money and banking and macroeconomics at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He retired after 33 years at WSU in 2000 as a full professor, having spent 7 years as Director of Graduate Programs in Economics, 7 years as Chair of the Economics Department, a year as Chair of the Faculty Senate, a year visiting at Indiana University, a year with the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, an agency of the Federal Government in D.C., and six years on loan to the Federal Government, mostly as Chief Economist for the U. S. Small Business Administration. Robert spent his retirement years on the Eastern Shore of Maryland biking 3,000 to 4,000 miles a year, kayaking the beautiful Chesapeake Bay around Kent Narrows, and traveling the world. He was an active member of the Queen Anne’s County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. One of Robert’s proudest accomplishments was having climbed Mount Rainier in Washington State with all four of his children. He was a great lover of the outdoors and a supporter of many environmental organizations. Robert is survived by his long-time life partner Georgette Toews; son Michael Berney of Pullman, WA; daughter Marybeth Berney of Olympia, WA; son Tim Berney of Maui, HI; grandsons Jamieson Berney of Aberdeen, WA; Wesley Berney of Maui, HI; and sister Barbara McCornack of Fort Collins, CO. He was predeceased by his son Peter Berney and his brother William “Bill” Berney. Services will be private and held at a later date in Washington. In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Robert’s name to The Nature Conservancy, The American Himalayan Foundation, The Robert E. Berney Endowed Fellowship in Economics Sciences of Washington State University or The Peter William Berney Scholarship Fund of Washington State University.

Mr Robert Edward Berney

September 13, 1932 - November 27, 2018