Thomas David POTTS

Notes:

Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Walter Floyd BERGE. Walter (son of Anton Olsen BERGE and Oline GIGSTAD) was born on 20 Feb 1897 in Wisconsin; died on 3 Jul 1974; was buried in Our Saviors Cemetery, Valders, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

T.W. married H. ALFSTAD [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Allan "Al" O. Berge, age 91, a Brillion resident, died Monday, January 18, 2021 at his residence. He was born on May 21, 1929 in Valders, son of the late Walter Berge and Helen (Potts) Berge. Allan was a graduate of Valders High School, Class of 1947. On August 5, 1950 he married Dolores M. Streckert. He was called to serve our Country in the United States Army Reserves in 1951 and was stationed in Fort Jackson, South Carolina until being deployed to Korea 1952. He served in the 8th Infantry Division, 2nd Chemical Mortar Battalion. After completing active duty, the couple moved back to Wisconsin and farmed in the Collins area before moving to Brillion in 1957. After moving to Brillion, Allan was employed by Ray Kleiber Masonry, while going to night school Chicago Technical College for drafting. After graduation he worked in various roles with ACE Building in Manitowoc, Mike Wallander Construction in Valders, Keller Structures in Kaukauna, and ended his career with Lorrigan Construction of Reedsville. Allan enjoyed fishing, bird watching, woodworking, and all Wisconsin Sports, especially the Green Bay Packers and the Brewers. He was a loving family man who enjoyed going to his grandchildren and great grandchildren's sporting events and spending summers on any body of water they could fish on. Allan was also a Shriner and Master Mason.

Survivors include his children: Terry (Cheryl) Berge, Denver, North Carolina, Lynn (Mark) Ott, Chilton, Pamela (Casey) Schneider, Chilton; eight grandchildren: Jeremie (Jennifer) Ott, Chad (Tiffany) Ott, Daniel (special friend Heidi) Ott, Suzanne (Sean) Gruett, Ashley (Chris) Porsche, Brandon (Kimberly) Schneider, Chelsa (special friend Channing) Schneider and Riley Schneider; twelve great grandchildren: Braeden, Owen, Benjamin, Cael, Mason, Breleigh, Brantley, Harper, Cooper, Jase, Taylor and Brynn; and his siblings: Tom and Mary; three sisters-in-law: LaVerne Berge, Bernadean Berge and Janice Streckert. He was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years Dolores, two brothers: Robert and James Berge; brothers-in-laws Orman Streckert, Leslie Moede, Clarence Leys, and Edward Streckert, two sisters-in-law: Evelyn Moede and Ione Leys; and other relatives.

Allan married Dolores M STRECKERT on 5 Aug 1950. Dolores was born on 8 Jun 1928 in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin; died on 25 Feb 2015 in Calumet County, Wisconsin; was buried in Zion Evergreen Cemetery, Reedsville, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

He was a 3rd grader in Valders at the time of the 1940 census.

James Walter Berge, 87, died Tuesday morning August 27, 2019 near his longtime Arlington Heights home. He was born in Valders, WI on September 14, 1931 to Walter F. and Helen M. (Potts) Berge. Helen died in October of 1931. Jim's paternal Aunt Belinda then helped raise Jim and his brothers until Walter married Agnes Berge four years later. Jim grew up in Valders, helping out at his father's nursery when old enough and spending summers on his grandfather's or aunt's farm. He graduated Valders H.S. in 1949. He was a member of the last six man football team in 1947. He served four years in the U.S. Navy (1949-1953), mostly in Norfolk, VA.

After entering the University of Wisconsin in Madison in 1954 and marrying Berna Dean (Bernie) Johnston at Valders Evangelical Lutheran Church on September 3, 1955, he became even more ambitious and had two children before graduating in 1958. Soon after that he began his 30 year career with the Federal Aviation Administration, residing in half a dozen places until 1973 when he dropped anchor in Arlington Heights, IL. He and his family spent the majority of those years in Spring Green, WI., Glendale, WI., and Arlington Heights, IL.

Jim enjoyed fishing with friends and family his whole life. He collected stamps for a time. He went deer hunting with his father-in-law Leonard. He took the family on camping trips, built puzzles and played board games with his sons, and coached little league baseball. He polka danced his way around many a Manitowoc County tavern. He relished playing Sheepshead with family when returning to Valders. He loved travelling rustic Wisconsin backroads. If a western movie, football game, or a PBS historical drama was scheduled to be on TV, he'd be watching.

With cookie in hand he enjoyed reading history books. On top of that he smoked a very aromatic pipe for many years! Jim and Bernie toured the U.S. extensively upon his retirement, from Nova Scotia to Arizona, Florida to Alaska, and nearly every state in between.

Jim is survived by his beloved wife Berna Dean, three sons: Michael and his first wife Shami (Moshi) of Schaumburg, IL, Dean of McHenry, IL, and J.J. (James Jeffrey) and Karen (Kucera) of Twin Lakes, WI. He leaves behind nine grandchildren: Johanna Berge (Miguel Lazo), Mariana Berge; Rachel Haws, J.D. Berge (Gretchen), Meghan Berge (A.J. Treu); Krista Epping (Jordan), Erik, Sean, and Lyndsey Berge. He is also survived by ten great-grandchildren: Layal, Jacoub, and Michael Lazo-Berge; T.J. and Emerson Haws; Oliver and Eliza Berge; Kiera and Aubree Borgert; and August Epping. He is also survived by two brothers: Thomas of Sykesville, Maryland and Allan of Brillion, WI., one sister Mary Bushart of West Bend, WI., and one sister-in-law LaVerne Berge of Manitowoc, WI. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents; one brother Robert Berge; four sisters-in-law Harriet Berge, Dolores Berge, Ida Belle Steinhilb, and Shirley Bushman; brothers-in-law Earl Renskers, Edward Bushart, and Warren Johnston; and two daughters-in-law Maria Hernandez and Lori (Voth) Berge. He was also preceded in death by Arthur Steinhilb, Donna(Forest)Johnston, and Donald Bushman.

Family/Spouse: B. JOHNSTON. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]