Barbara Berger

1933 - 2025

Barbara Ely Bird Berger, 92, speech pathologist, died Dec. 6, 2025, at her home in Sacramento from complications of lymphoma. She was born on Nov. 15, 1933 to Selma M. Ely and Dr. Roy M. Bird in Magnolia, AR. Barbara graduated from Louisiana Tech in 1955 and later received her Masters in Speech Pathology from the University of Arkansas.

She married John H. Berger in 1962 at All Saints Catholic Church in Portland, Ore. They have three children. In 1964, Barbara and John moved to Sacramento. For more than 35 years, Barbara worked as a speech therapist, serving public school districts in Lake Charles, La., Portland, Ore., and West Sacramento and Yolo County in California. She retired from the Yolo County school district in 1995.

Barbara was a lifelong Catholic. In Sacramento, she was a leader at St. Ignatius Catholic Church in the 1960s, serving on that parish's first committee to implement Vatican II reforms. In the 1970s, she was active with the Newman Center at Sac State, supported Sacramento's first Catholic Worker house, and provided transportation for families of inmates at Folsom state prison. In the 1980s, she was part of a community that revitalized the liturgical celebrations at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, where she participated in planning liturgies, made Communion bread, sang in the choir, and organized St. Francis Parish's alternative Christmas fair.

She was involved with the United Farmworkers boycotts, the anti-nuclear movement, and the Sanctuary movement. She volunteered at Loaves and Fishes, Wellspring Women's Center, Francis House, and Laundry Love. She was an advocate for women and drew deeply from the witness of the Sisters of St. Francis.

Barbara loved fishing, black coffee, cooking, jazz, dancing, playing cards, laughing, hosting wonderful parties, and her Monday morning gathering of the "KnitWits." She died as she lived, surrounded by laughter, song, prayer, good food, and her 3 children and many friends.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at 11 a.m. at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church (1066 26th Street), followed by a reception. Memorials may be made in Barbara's name to the Catholic Sisters of St. Francis Province (https://stfrancisprovince.org/donations/charitable) and Sacramento Loaves and Fishes (https://secure.sacloaves.org/forms/donate).