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Bernard 'Abe' Bergren
Havre —Bernard "Abe" Bergren, 89, our husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather passed away Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at his home in Havre of natural causes.
His memorial service will be 1 p.m. Monday at the Fifth Avenue Christian Church with Pastor Titus Bergren, his grandson officiating. Full military honors will be held outside of the church. A luncheon will be held at the church immediately following the military service. Memorials in Bernard's honor may be made to The Northside Havre Food Bank or Feed My Sheep Soup Kitchen in Havre. Services and arrangements have been entrusted to Holland & Bonine Funeral Home.
Bernard was born Aug. 4, 1923, in Harlem and was raised in Hogelund on the Big Flat. He attended school in Hogelund graduating high school in 1940. He went to work at the shipyards in Seattle as a chisler and then was drafted into the United States Navy, July 13, 1943. He married Clea Richman in May of 1944. He was honorably discharged in December of 1945. After the war, he returned to Montana and lived in Harlem and raised his family. He later moved his family to Havre, where Bernard went to work as a mechanic for the Montana Department of Transportation. His wife Clea passed away on April 2, 1994. He and Arlene Heppner were married on June 7, 1997, in Lincoln.
Bernard enjoyed country western music, dancing and playing cards, and he really didn't like to lose. He loved to restore his old cars. He was a very generous man with a compassionate, kind and fun-loving nature. He had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to joke and tease with those he loved. He also was a fantastic storyteller, but most of all, he loved to spend time with his family.
Bernard was preceded in death by his parents; wife Clea Bergren; his sisters Helen McGuire and Eloise Hern; and his brother Frank Bergren.
Bernard is survived by his wife of 16 years, Arlene of Havre; his six children, Jerry (Penney) Bergren and Tom (Deb) Bergren, all of Havre, Lynne (Gary) Nordrum of Bayview, Idaho, and Richard "Dick" (Garnet) Bergren, Randy (Janice) Bergren and Clea H. Bergren, all of Havre; his stepchildren, Rosann (Burt) Tiegen of Palmer, Alaska, Ramona (Jim) Awbery of Lewistown, Rhonda (Scott) Skerlock of Lincoln, Rena (Bob) Spangler of Montana City and Rudy Heppner of Helena; his 26 grandchildren; 53 great-grandchildren; and one sister, Vernice Doughton of Great Falls.
Condolences may be posted online at www.greatfallstribune.com/obituaries
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
3 Entries
Our family was so blessed when Bernard married our Mom! He was such a kind, gentle, and loving person! And the stories he could tell!! I love and miss him so very much!
Rhonda (Heppner) Skerlock
May 16, 2013
It's so crazy to think I'm the last generation he'll ever get to see. Also, it's crazy that he alone created nearly 80 people.
Brittney Bergren
May 11, 2013
Uncle Bernard was and will always be one of my favorite people. All of the kids in my generation charish the memories of teasing, chasing and playing with the best uncle ever.
Vicki Barrett
May 10, 2013
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