Dr. Bruce Berget

1947 - 2021

Dr. Bruce Berget

CAPE CORAL, Fla. | Following a brief illness, Dr. Bruce H. Berget, 73, died at his Cape Coral home on Jan. 26, 2021. His wife and children were at his side.

Bruce was born April 19, 1947, in Fargo, ND, to Howard D. and Carol Estenson Berget. Following his father's death in 1957, his mother remarried Dr. William J. Perry in 1961. Their blended families moved to Fort Meade, where Dr. Perry was a surgeon.

Bruce graduated from Sturgis High School in 1965 and from Stanford University in 1969 as a history major. While in high school and at Stanford he participated in two study abroad programs, the first to Peru and then in Austria. He began his medical training at Northwestern University in Chicago and completed pediatric residency at Northwestern and Children's Memorial Hospital in 1976.

Bruce joined Child Life Center in Northwest Indiana, working primarily at Crown Point. In 1994, he made local headlines when he resigned from the Crown Point Community School Corporation after the School Board failed to adopt a smoking ban. His actions earned him recognition and gratitude from the American Cancer Society for his commitment and advocacy of healthy lifestyle behaviors for youth.

After a 20-plus year career in the Chicago area, he and his wife relocated to the Fort Myers, FL, area where he joined the Physicians' Primary Care of Southwest Florida and also served as the chairman for the Department of Pediatrics at Gulf Coast Hospital. He retired from practice in July 2019.

During a medical career of more than 40 years, Bruce held numerous teaching positions in Illinois, Indiana and Florida. He and his wife and family were frequent travelers across the United States and Europe. They held special fondness for the Berget family cottage on the shore of Big Floyd Lake, MN, a retreat established by his parents in the 1950s.

Bruce is survived by his wife of 32 years, Margie of Cape Coral; children Kimberly Salmon (Dave) of Bridgewater, MA, and Todd (Leanne) of Crofton, MD; step-daughter, Chrisie Lundgren of Cape Coral; grandchildren Adeline, Elinor, Norah, and Marin. His siblings include Pam Mowery (Garry) of St. Paul, MN, Paul Berget (Pam) of St. Paul, MN, and Bill Berget (Helen) of White Bear Lake, MN; and step-sister Kathryn Perry Ogston (William) of Anacortes, WA.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to either the Southwest Florida Children's Charities or to the American Liver Foundation.

A memorial of his life is planned for Feb. 16. Online streaming will be available at www.facebook.com/Dr-Bruce-Berget-Memorial-Page-104497194978175/