Bruce Berg

Bruce Berg, 89, a lifetime resident of Jamestown, passed away on Saturday, October 11 in Billings, Montana after a battle with time.

Bruce was born on July 5, 1936 to Oscar and Beatrice Berg in Jamestown. He graduated from Jamestown High School in 1954, and Jamestown College in 1958 with a degree in English.

He then embarked on his great passion, a nearly 40 year teaching career, starting in Rugby – where he also coached the wrestling team – and then Jamestown, where he was a much-loved teacher of literature, writing and especially speech until his retirement in 1995. He also taught in the Education department at the University of Jamestown (formerly Jamestown College), teaching new generations of teachers.

In 1960, while living in Rugby, he met Janice Hall. They were married in 1961, and had four children – Mitchell, Susan (who died in infancy), Barbara and James.

Later in life, he married Rowena “Roni” Bye, with whom he spent over 30 wonderful years enjoying nightly walks around town, conversation, and Roni’s amazing cooking. .

Bruce had a deep love of writing, literature and the arts. In 1982, he founded “Jamestown Performing Arts” which staged plays by local writers and, for over 30 years, the “Last Annual Comedy Review”, a comedy show featuring local talent. He spent much of the thirty years since his retirement writing books – most notably “Common Ground”, the history of Jamestown’s baseball stadium. He also wrote opinion pieces for the Jamestown Sun and Prairie Public Radio, and spent years corresponding with famous authors – a byproduct of building one of the most prodigious book collections in Jamestown. He loved tennis, got his first hole-in-one at Hillcrest at age 72, and was so proficient at baseball trivia that sportscasters in the Twin Cities would call him for answers.

Bruce was motivated by his love of teaching, and for his family, including his ex-in-laws, Don and Pat Hall, Carl and Jerri Pfiffner and Roger and Jan Hall, with whom he maintained a close relationship even after his first marriage ended – a fact for which he was profoundly grateful.

Bruce was predeceased by his parents, his daughter Susan, and his first wife Janice. He is survived by his wife Rowena “Roni” Berg of Jamestown, son Mitchell of Saint Paul, daughter Barbara (LeFevre) of Billings, Montana, son James of Minneapolis, as well as six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, and thousands of students.

Services will be held 2:00 p.m., Friday, October 24 at United Presbyterian Church in Jamestown, and a prayer service will be 7:00 p.m., Thursday, October 23rd at Eddy Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Alfred Dickey Library, on whose board he served and about which he felt strongly.