Joseph Alexis Berch

Joseph Alexis Berch June 20, 1925 - March 25, 2009 Resident of Santa Clara Joseph (Joe) Berch passed away March 25, from complications arising out of a fall at home. He leaves behind his three sons and their wives, J.Michael and Jan of Littleton Colorado, Steven and Carol of Fremont, and Mark and Rhonda of Walnut Creek, California. He was a loving "Grandpa" to seven grandchildren, Tyler, Laurel, Patrick (with his wife, Jessica), Sarah, Miranda, Kendra and Whitney. Joe also leaves his brother, Bernard (Uncle Benny) Berch and Benny's wife Teri as well as nephews (Anthony, Jerry, David) and nieces ( Jennifer and Christina ). Joe grew up in Tracy California and attended Tracy High School. As did a great number of his friends after Pearl Harbor, Joe enlisted in the Navy after his 17th birthday in 1942. He served on the aircraft carrier USS Lexington and saw action in virtually every major battle in the South Pacific theater. Returning from the war, he met and fell in love with the love of his life, Janis Inez Davlin. They married in 1947 and were together for 61 years, prior to her passing in April of 2008. In 1955 they purchased a home in Santa Clara and lived there for the rest of their lives. In 1958, Joe went to work for Oliver de Silva, Inc., a small general engineering contractor based in San Leandro. Over the next 37 years, he helped guide Oliver de Silva to a position of prominence in Northern California as Executive Vice President. His sons Steve and Mark followed him into the construction industry at Oliver de Silva and now are in business together as Sitework Management Group, Inc. Joe loved his wife and family dearly and in 1980 fell in love with the game of golf during a family trip to Hawaii. He was instantly addicted to the beauty and frustration of the game. He then infected his wife with the "fever" and they played hundreds of courses all over the world. Joe is a former member of La Rinconada Country Club, but while Joe took all the lessons, Jan was the better golfer. Private services will be held at the Lima Family Mortuary in Santa Clara. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in Joe's memory to be made to Glide Memorial Church or St. Anthony's Dining Hall, both in San Francisco, charities that Joe and Jan supported generously for over two decades.