Dennis LeRoy Berg

Funeral Service for Dennis LeRoy Berg, 77, of rural Aurora, will be 10am Thursday, August 4, 2011 at Ziemer-Moeglein-Shatava Funeral Home in Aurora with Rev. Patricia Gillespie officiating. Visitation will be Wednesday from 5-7pm at the funeral home and continue for one hour prior to the service. Burial with military honors accorded by the Aurora/Hoyt Lakes Color Guard will be in the Biwabik Township Cemetery. Dennis Berg passed away on Monday, August 1, 2011 after a courageous 16 year battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and his loving wife, Sharon, who cared for him and never left his side. Dennis Leroy Berg was born on September 1, 1933 in Wahpeton, ND to Clarence and Mildred (Haverland) Berg. He attended schools in rural Richland County, ND, and graduated in 1951 from Wahpeton High School. Dennis worked on the family farm before enlisting in the US Army in January 1954. He served for two years, including 10 months in Japan and Korea. Dennis was united in marriage to Sharon Brosowske on November 16, 1956, at Peace Lutheran Church in Barney, ND. They moved to McKinley, MN, in 1958 after the birth of daughter, Darla. They moved to their home in Palo, MN, in 1963, shortly after the arrival of son, Douglas. Dennis started as a heavy equipment operator at Erie Mining Company, Hoyt Lakes, MN, and retired in 1995 from Seppi Brothers, Virginia, MN. Dennis had a real love of baseball and played on many teams in his youth and early adulthood. He cheered for the Twins through thick and thin. Dennis was a talented woodworker. Among his other passions were snowmobiling and ice fishing. But his greatest joy was his children and grandchildren. He relished in their accomplishments and was their biggest supporter. Dennis is survived by his wife of 54 years, Sharon; daughter Darla Rufer (Mike) of Christine, ND, and their children, Robert Vallie, Fargo, ND, and Reed Rufer, of Christine; son Douglas (Bonnie) and their children, Candice Berg, Rachel Mattila, and Randy Mattila, all of Virginia, MN. Other survivors include his siblings Doreen Heitkamp, Moorhead, MN; Merlin Berg, Breckenridge, MN; Lynwood (Janet) Berg, Fayettville, NC; Memory (Kenneth) Mauch, Mooreton, ND; Roland (Linda) Berg, Doran, MN; as well as many nieces and nephews. He was proceeded in death by his parents, brother Clarence, Jr., and infant brother, Kenneth, and a brother-in-law Ray Heitkamp.