Charles Berk

Full Name: Charles Berk
Date of Death: Saturday, December 17, 2022
Charles (Chuck) B. Berk of Hewitt, New Jersey, died peacefully at home on December 17, 2022, after a
brief illness. Born in Brooklyn, New York on December 1, 1944, to the late Samuel and Ida Berk, Chuck
moved to New Jersey in the 70s where he spent much of his life immersed in the arts. Prior to his work
as an artist, Chuck held several management positions at the former Lehn & Fink Industrial Group of
Sterling Drugs in Montvale, New Jersey and The Bendix Corporation in Teterboro, NJ. After obtaining a
master's degree in visual arts from William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey, Chuck opened his
full-service agency, Ads Up Creative Advertising and Marketing Concepts, specializing in packaging and
literature design. In 1981, he joined Ringwood Manor Art Association, serving as President from 1983-
84, supervising two art galleries, theater, and summer events, and founding the Young Artists Expo.
From 1982-86, Chuck taught art at the Wyckoff Gallery in Wyckoff NJ. In 1986, he served on the art
faculty of SUNY Rockland Community College as an adjunct art professor of figure painting and life
drawing, until opening his own studio, Chuck Berk Contemporary Fine Art in Hewitt, NJ.
In his lifetime, Mr. Berk earned several awards for his expressionist and figurative artwork. He was a
member of the National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylics, exhibiting over several years at their
annual shows held at the prestigious Salmagundi Club in New York City and serving on their jury
selection. Chuck also enjoyed contributing his artistic designs to community projects and mentoring
promising young artists. Selections of his work also reside in the Permanent Collection at the Leepa-
Rattner Museum of Art in Tarpon Springs, Florida, as well as at the National Museum of Racing in
Saratoga Springs, New York.
A true nature lover, Chuck moved from the city to a conservation forest in Northern New Jersey, where
he resided for 48 years, enjoying the wildlife, especially watching black bears play on his front lawn, wild
turkeys running amok and foxes setting up dens in his backyard. He also dabbled in the art of Bonzai,
practicing mindfulness, meditation and yoga, and extended his creativity into unique culinary dishes.
One of Chuck's favorite quotes from Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis, embraces the essence of
what he as an artist attempted to accomplish in his life, and to all who knew and loved him he
accomplished a great deal, capturing the beauty of the world in his work: "We are all one, we are all one
substance involved in the same terrible struggle. What Struggle? Turning matter into spirit."
Chuck is survived by his devoted partner of twenty years, Wendy Serratelli, as well as his brother Jerry; a
nephew Jonathan and his wife Lauren, great-niece Alma and great-nephew Elias; several cousins and
numerous friends.
The family of Charles B. Berk wish to thank Louis Suburban Chapel for providing their cremation service
as well as a future venue for a memorial service slated for the spring of 2023. Family and friends are
asked to make donations in Chuck's memory to the American Cancer Society or the National Wildlife
Federation.