Obituary for Wilhelm (aka Bill, Willy) Bergen
Wilhelm Bergen (aka Bill, Willy), 96, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, has passed away on August 13, 2023.
Our dad was born on May 6, 1927 to Cornelius and Katharina Bergen in St. Joseph, Manitoba.
Dad’s youth was extremely rich, although by today’s standards we’d say it was pretty poor. He grew up a farm boy with 16 siblings, of which he was the 11th born. His family primarily farmed grain crops but the financial difficulties of the ‘30s were hard on them. When he was 10 years old they chose to homestead a place they affectionately refer to as “Marsh Island”. Homesteading is hard work, and they did it together, as a family, and they thrived despite the hardships they suffered.
Our dad was a skilled hunter and tracker with great respect for the animals he hunted and for nature in general. They were at Marsh Island for several years, but the social isolation was not healthy for a growing family so they eventually moved to Pansy, Manitoba, where dad met our mom, Elma Klassen. They got married on September 18, 1954 and had 3 children: Sandy, Karen and Scott. Dad took care of our mom while she was battling cancer, always by her side. She passed away on December 1, 2006.
Growing up we lived in Winnipeg, but once we were all out of school, our parents decided to move onto an acreage outside of Winnipeg in Cooks Creek. They were there for several years before they moved to East Selkirk, where they lived until our mom passed. Dad moved back to Winnipeg and was still living on his own into his early 90s until he entered an assisted care facility. He moved into a personal care home just weeks before his death.
Family has always been important to dad. He was very close with his parents and siblings. It was no different for us. Growing up he always made sure Sundays were for family. Often, after church, we would visit family, usually grandparents, or we might go for a drive out to Lockport. We all have lots of memories of dad. He was a good, kind man, and the best dad.
Dad loved to play hockey and was in an old-timers’ league for many years. He even coached Scott’s youth hockey team while he played hockey.
Dad was an automobile mechanic for almost 40 years before retiring in 1999. Since then he had developed a love of golf, spending hours every day playing 2, sometimes even 3, rounds. He was always active and loved to “putter” (and no, that’s not intended as a golf pun), but he would always be doing something… hitting golf balls into the field or tinkering in the garage with something, or even just doing the dishes. He was not one to just sit around and do nothing, unless there was someone interesting to talk to. He really loved the time they spent on the acreages... he had lots of room to play and putter.
Dad loved to draw and paint. He was quite good, too, with animals being his usual topic. While he was in the care facility the residents would have sing-alongs, and he discovered that he was a really good singer and really enjoyed it.
Everyone loved dad: he was even-tempered, had a good sense of humour and really cared about people. He loved talking to people and was always out and about, visiting family or friends, and was always willing to lend a hand. He was, and still is, loved, and will truly be missed.
Our dad was predeceased by his beloved wife Elma, his grandson Kevin (Melissa) and his survived by his 3 children: Sandy, Karen (Blair) and Scott (Nicole), 6 grandchildren: Steve, Stephanie, Chris (Sarah), Sara (Josh), Duncan (Jesse) and Shannon (Alice), 11 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great-grandchildren.
A service will be held for our dad at E.J. Coutu & Co. Funeral Home, 680 Archibald St. Winnipeg, Manitoba on Tuesday September 5th at 6 pm.
Our dad was born on May 6, 1927 to Cornelius and Katharina Bergen in St. Joseph, Manitoba.
Dad’s youth was extremely rich, although by today’s standards we’d say it was pretty poor. He grew up a farm boy with 16 siblings, of which he was the 11th born. His family primarily farmed grain crops but the financial difficulties of the ‘30s were hard on them. When he was 10 years old they chose to homestead a place they affectionately refer to as “Marsh Island”. Homesteading is hard work, and they did it together, as a family, and they thrived despite the hardships they suffered.
Our dad was a skilled hunter and tracker with great respect for the animals he hunted and for nature in general. They were at Marsh Island for several years, but the social isolation was not healthy for a growing family so they eventually moved to Pansy, Manitoba, where dad met our mom, Elma Klassen. They got married on September 18, 1954 and had 3 children: Sandy, Karen and Scott. Dad took care of our mom while she was battling cancer, always by her side. She passed away on December 1, 2006.
Growing up we lived in Winnipeg, but once we were all out of school, our parents decided to move onto an acreage outside of Winnipeg in Cooks Creek. They were there for several years before they moved to East Selkirk, where they lived until our mom passed. Dad moved back to Winnipeg and was still living on his own into his early 90s until he entered an assisted care facility. He moved into a personal care home just weeks before his death.
Family has always been important to dad. He was very close with his parents and siblings. It was no different for us. Growing up he always made sure Sundays were for family. Often, after church, we would visit family, usually grandparents, or we might go for a drive out to Lockport. We all have lots of memories of dad. He was a good, kind man, and the best dad.
Dad loved to play hockey and was in an old-timers’ league for many years. He even coached Scott’s youth hockey team while he played hockey.
Dad was an automobile mechanic for almost 40 years before retiring in 1999. Since then he had developed a love of golf, spending hours every day playing 2, sometimes even 3, rounds. He was always active and loved to “putter” (and no, that’s not intended as a golf pun), but he would always be doing something… hitting golf balls into the field or tinkering in the garage with something, or even just doing the dishes. He was not one to just sit around and do nothing, unless there was someone interesting to talk to. He really loved the time they spent on the acreages... he had lots of room to play and putter.
Dad loved to draw and paint. He was quite good, too, with animals being his usual topic. While he was in the care facility the residents would have sing-alongs, and he discovered that he was a really good singer and really enjoyed it.
Everyone loved dad: he was even-tempered, had a good sense of humour and really cared about people. He loved talking to people and was always out and about, visiting family or friends, and was always willing to lend a hand. He was, and still is, loved, and will truly be missed.
Our dad was predeceased by his beloved wife Elma, his grandson Kevin (Melissa) and his survived by his 3 children: Sandy, Karen (Blair) and Scott (Nicole), 6 grandchildren: Steve, Stephanie, Chris (Sarah), Sara (Josh), Duncan (Jesse) and Shannon (Alice), 11 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great-grandchildren.
A service will be held for our dad at E.J. Coutu & Co. Funeral Home, 680 Archibald St. Winnipeg, Manitoba on Tuesday September 5th at 6 pm.