Mary Ann Berg

1937 - 2022

Mary Ann Berg
July 20, 1937 - December 10, 2022
Mary Ann Berg passed away peacefully / lost her battle with ALS, at age 85, on Dec. 10, 2022, at her home in Atherton, California. She leaves behind her husband, Carl Edwin Berg, and daughter, Kara Ann Berg-Brown, as well as her brother (Don Karp), sister (Janice Morton), son-in-law (LaPlac Brown Jr.), grandchildren (LaPlac, Maliq, La'Nyjah, and Laila), nieces and nephews (Jeff Karp, Jennifer Karp, Diane Sweeney, Pam Karp-Gordon, and Chris Karp). All who knew her will forever miss her big smile, generous nature, shopping acumen, competitive streak, and sage advice.
Mary Ann was born in Jackson, Michigan, July 20, 1937, to Walter Alexander Karp and Josephine Lena Obegenski. She followed her brother to Michigan State where she got her bachelor's degree and teaching credential. Upon graduation, she moved out west to Long Beach, California, where she spent 15 years as a children's speech therapist. During this time, she met Carl, who shared her sense of adventure and convinced her to marry him and move up to Northern California. They wed on Oct. 18, 1969, at St. Vincent de Paul Church in San Francisco. Five years later, they welcomed Kara into their family, who quickly became the center of their world.
An original soccer mom, Mary Ann spent a lot of time cheering Kara on – always supportive, always impeccably dressed! She also was an avid golfer, traveler, and foodie, with a cookbook collection that rivaled that of any library. She was an internationally ranked bridge player, which took her to many tournaments that she often described as more exciting in theory than reality. When looking for a little downtime, Mary Ann liked to shop and dine with friends, as well as retreat to their home in Carmel.
A celebration of life will be held in March in the Bay Area. In lieu of giving flowers, the family asks those who are able and interested to make a donation to the Salvation Army or The 49ers Foundation.