Gerard W. Bergin

Gerard Bergin was born in South Amboy, NJ on March 27, 1957. He left this world with great hesitation on Wednesday, April 24. He was a man who wanted to live.
Gerard attended Catholic school from kindergarten through college, much to the nuns' delight and consternation. The fourth of five children to Marty and Mary Bergin, he was deeply close to his father, who died when he was 12.
When Gerard was 14, he walked into St. Mary's homeroom classroom and met the woman he'd spend the rest of his life with. The former Patricia Bush and Gerard were inseparable from when they were teenagers until their last moments together on Wednesday. After marrying on April 3, 1982, they eventually settled in Lincroft, NJ. 1986, their daughter Kelly was born, and Gerard settled into the role he was born to play: doting, loving, obsessive, and slightly paranoid father. Their daughter Kristie was born in 1988, and their son Gregory was born in 1991. Gerard gave his children the best childhood they could have imagined: from Friday night TGIF parties while Patty worked the nurse night shift to Home Depot trips, bike rides, beach trips, and summers spent on Long Beach Island.
In 2002, Patty and Gerard found the dream home they had worked so hard for in Interlaken, and the family of five settled happily into their home by the beach. In 2012, Kristie and her husband Cliff welcomed their daughter Sadie, and Gerard's joy hit new heights. We teased him often for his constant refrain of "Isn't she something?" about a newborn, but we agreed-she really is something. His joy increased threefold when Adelaide was born in 2015, and Leo came in 2019.
Gerard was constantly helping the disadvantaged. From coaching mentally disabled kids basketball in high school and college to constantly giving away his nice clothes to the poor to giving away twenties to anyone who looked like they needed it, Gerard was known for his kindness. He was also known for his hilarious one-liners, incredible fitness routine, and welcoming nature. He was a second dad to everyone--his beloved nieces and nephews, his kids' friends, neighbors, and anyone who might've needed a funny guy in their life. He loved his parents, and he loved his brothers and sister. He was so funny, and he knew it, even if we were hesitant to inflate his ego by telling him he was the funny one in the family.
It's hard to imagine a world without Gerard in it and to fathom a day without him. He was larger in life in all the best ways possible. He made us believe in the power of love, brotherhood, husbandry, fatherhood, and grandfatherhood. To say he will be missed is the biggest understatement of all time.
Gerard leaves behind a bereft wife, Patty, devastated children Kelly, Kristie (Cliff), and Greg (Nicole), and grandchildren Sadie, Adelaide, and Leo, who feel lucky and grateful to have been the loves of his life. He also leaves behind siblings whom he loved and adored: Mary Anne (Mark), Kevin (Shirley), Marty (Marie), and Paul (Peggy) as well as his beloved mother-in-law, Maureen Bush, and sisters-in-law, Maureen and Jean. He was the proud uncle of many nieces, nephews, and friends along the way.
Visitation will be on Monday from 4:30 pm-8 pm at Fiore-Buckley Funeral Home, 236 Monmouth Road, Oakhurst, Ocean Township. A celebration of Gerard's life will be Tuesday morning at 10:30 at the funeral home. Instead of flowers, donations can be made to the Mercy Center in Asbury Park. For condolences, please visit www.fiorefuneralhomes.com.