Donald “Don” Berg, of Newburgh, NY, died peacefully on March 6 at the age of 94.
He was preceded in death by Ardelle, his wife of 57 years, sister Grace Berg, brother Ken Berg, and parents George and Karin Berg.
Don was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and completed high school there. During World War II he served in the US Army’s 97th Division, 386th Infantry Regiment, weapons platoon of Company D, arriving in Europe at the tail end of the Battle of the Bulge and later serving as part of the occupying forces in Japan. Following the war, he enrolled in the University of Minnesota, married Ardelle in 1948, and graduated with a BS in Chemical Engineering in 1949. During Don’s career and family-raising years, he and Ardelle lived in Chicago, IL, Oak Lawn, IL, Newburgh, NY, and Houston, TX, before moving to Cornwall, NY. Don worked as the plant manager for the GAF/Tarkett Floor Tile plants in Houston, TX, and Vails Gate.
During retirement years Don and Ardelle attended and served at King of Kings Lutheran Church and had fun introducing the Young at Hearts senior ministry members to many new sights and venues in the Hudson River Valley area. They collaborated on creating woodworking and craft items for consignment in their area, as well as special handmade items and memory books for their children and grandchildren, and they had fun hosting numerous family gatherings and spending time with their family. Don enjoyed painting landscapes, reading, gardening, and outdoor work. He especially enjoyed travelling with Ardelle to Hawaii and exploring new sights throughout the U.S. and in the Hudson River Valley. His love, generous spirit, service to his family, hard work ethic, laughter, and wonderful sense of humor expressed in songs, limericks, puns, jokes, and stories will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his family and friends.
Don is survived by his four children, Janet (Mike) Price, Robert (Chris) Berg, Marilyn (Stephan) Toman, and Gary (Janis) Berg; nine grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. The funeral service is private.
A memorial service will be held at King of Kings Lutheran Church on Saturday, May 25 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to your favorite charity.