Edwin Berge

Edwin Berge, 86 of Devils Lake formerly of Alsen, ND died on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 at his home. Funeral Services for Edwin will be held on Saturday, October 17, 2009 at 2:30 p.m. at Faith Lutheran Church, Hampden, ND. Rev. Donald Reynolds will officiate and burial will be in the Alsen Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the Gilbertson Funeral Home, Devils Lake on Friday, October 16, 2009 from 2:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. with a Prayer Service at 7:00 p.m. with Rev. Bruce Dick officiating and music provided by Trudy Dick. Visitation on Saturday will be at the church one hour prior to the funeral service. Serving as Casket Bearers for Edwin will be Clyde Myers, Harris Saele, Raymond Sletteland, Newton Lindseth, Ted Lindseth, Mike Nelson, Clifford Nelson and Jerry Idland. Honorary Bearers will be Robert Harder and Milo Elgin. Music will be provided by Donald and Evelyn Klein, vocalists and Barb Lunde, organist. Edwin, the son of John and Ellen (Gravem) Berge was born on July 20, 1923 on the Berge Homestead, rural Alsen, ND where he lived his entire life as a farmer. Edwin was united in marriage to Maletta Klein on July 12, 1969 at St. Olaf Lutheran Church, Devils Lake. They established their home on the farm near Alsen where they lived and worked together through the years. They enjoyed traveling and traveled to many states. For several years they spent the winter months in Apache Junction, Arizona and later spent the winter months in Devils Lake always returning to the farm in the spring. In 2000, they moved to Devils Lake permanently. Maletta passed away on February 7, 2005. Edwin was a life member of Faith Lutheran Church and served on the Board of the Alsen Elevator and Alsen Farmers Union. Edwin’s first love and passion was farming. He was a faithful steward of the land and even after an unofficial retirement from farming, Edwin never missed an opportunity to be at the farm. He always had his “workshop” at the farm and was never idle. He always found a project that needed his special touch. And he never forgot about the “farm dog” and always had a special treat for him. You could never take too many trips to look at the crops or see the countryside and the neighborhood happenings or sometimes just a drive with no particular purpose. He and his dear friend, Robert Harder enjoyed many of those drives together. Also Edwin always enjoyed a good conversation about farming and current events with his dear family and many friends. Edwin’s first love may have been farming but that was not his only love. He was a devoted and loving husband and uncle. He took such pride in his nieces and nephews and watching them grow from little ones, to young adults, to men and women with children and jobs and farms of their own. He loved them all dearly. We have lost someone very special and his memory will be forever in our hearts. Edwin is survived by his loving and caring nieces, nephews and their families. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Maletta; sister, Thea Berge and brother, Herbert Berge.