Richard C. Berg

Richard C. BERG Dick Berg was born on March 18, 1915 in Spokane, WA and died on April 23, 2009 in Seattle, WA at the age of 94. He was the son of Bert Berg, a Norwegian immigrant, and his wife Clara. He had two younger sisters, Eleanor and Charlotte. Dick graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane in 1933 and attended the University of Minnesota, WSU and the UW. He was employed as an engineer by Puget Sound Naval Shipyard from 1937-1940. Dick was recruited to work at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in Hawaii in 1940. He and his beloved sweetheart, Grace, were married in Honolulu in 1941 and moved to naval housing at Pearl Harbor that year. Dick and Grace woke up on the morning of December 7, 1941 to the sounds of gunfire and explosions at Pearl Harbor. He rushed over to the shipyard and heroically helped to fight fires on some of the ships in dry dock. Dick and Grace lovingly raised four children in Hawaii: Gary, Rolly, Margaret and Paul. He retired from his supervisory engineering position with the Navy in 1970 and moved to Seattle with Grace. Dick and Grace enjoyed traveling to Norway, the land of their ancestors. Dick was extremely creative and he authored and illustrated two books. He painted several exquisite pictures and was famous for his annual Christmas newsletters dating back to 1935. Dick also designed the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard logo still in use. Dick was a man of strong Christian faith and great generosity. He is survived by his four children and their spouses, by five grandchildren and two great grandchildren, and by his sister Eleanor. Dick was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and a friend to many and he will be missed by all.A memorial service for Dick will be held at Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church, 2400 NW 85th St., Seattle on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 11 AM. Contributions may be made in Dick's memory to: The Compass Center, 77 S. Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104.