Megan Trilk

Megan Gail (Berger) Trilk

Rockford, Ill., formerly Sioux City

Megan Gail (Berger) Trilk, 56, Rockford, formerly Sioux City, passed peacefully on Sunday, May 30, 2021, in Rockford. She was surrounded by her husband and children at the time of her passing. She was an unfortunate and undeserving victim of the Covid pandemic.

Funeral Mass will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday, June 3, at Holy Family Catholic Church, 4401 Highcrest Road, Rockford, Ill., followed by burial in Calvary Catholic Cemetery. Visitation was held Wednesday, June 2, at Fitzgerald Funeral Home & Crematory in Rockford.

Meg was born on May 15, 1965, in Sioux City, Iowa, to Thomas Nelson Berger and Gail LaRue (Swanson) Berger. She lived all her childhood years in Sioux City, where she participated in many church activities as well as enjoying summer days at the Sioux City Boat Club playing golf and relaxing at the pool. She attended Sioux City North High School, where Meg was active as a cheerleader and gymnast.

After two years at Briar Cliff College in Sioux City, Meg transferred to the University of Iowa where she earned her degree in 1987 and enjoyed some of the greatest Iowa athletic teams in Hawkeye history.

While in Iowa City, Meg met her future husband, Michael Trilk, and they had been married 30 years at the time of Meg's death.

Meg and Mike lived the first few years of their marriage in Chicago, Ill., and lived for a short while across the street from Wrigley Field. They enjoyed games from the rooftop and enjoyed being able to entertain many family and friends from their unique home.

While in Chicago, Meg worked for T.A.S.C. Inc., helping juveniles with drug addictions and criminal histories get their life back in order. She always fought for the underdog.

After a few years in Chicago, Meg and Mike moved to Davenport, Iowa, where they added their first two children, Nicholas and Abigail. While in Davenport, Megan continued to help juveniles that needed a little extra help as part of the team at the Wittenmeyer Youth Center.

In 1987, Mike's job moved the family to Rockford, Ill. While in Rockford, they added two more children, Timothy and Elizabeth. She spent a few years working with troubled juveniles at The Mill in Rockford before taking time to devote full attention to her four children.

Meg's children were the light of her life. She dropped everything to make sure they had what they needed and drove them all over Northern Illinois and Wisconsin to various football, basketball, soccer and volleyball and cheer tournaments.

Always with her camera at her side, she chronicled all the important moments of the kid's lives.

She was a very good photographer and took some award-winning shots as well as had several photos published in various photography magazines.

Once the kids were nearly grown, Meg got involved with coaching cheerleading first at the junior high level and then at the high school level.

Meg helped coach the very first Boylan High School Cheer Team that qualified for the state tournament. She was still coaching up until the end. She was also most recently employed at the Children's Home and Aid, Rockford and helping place Foster Home kids.

Meg is survived by her husband and four children; mother; mother-in-law and father-in-law, Mary and Curt Trilk of Surprise, Ariz.; sisters, Beth (Mike) Stava of Eureka, Mo., and Amy (Terry) Graves of Sioux City; brother, Mike (Heather) Berger of Sioux City; brother-in-law, Chris (Kathleen) Trilk of Gilbert, Ariz.; sister-in-law, Jennifer (Tom) Brooke of Davenport, Iowa; several nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and her cat, Chloe.

The family would like to thank all of those who have provided support over the past several weeks. Meg would have been humbled by all the love.

Memorials may be made to Boylan Catholic High School, 4000 St. Francis Drive, Rockford, IL 61103.

Express condolences and share memories at www.fitzgeraldfh.com.