Dave, A Remembrance

January 22

A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows you are slightly cracked. ~ Bernard Meltzer

IN MEMORIAM David F. Berg May 1, 1947 – December 23, 2023

It is with much sadness we announce the passing of Alexandria Golf Club member Dave Berg. Dave was a gentleman’s gentleman and will be greatly missed. The AGC family extends our deepest condolences to the Berg family. David Fredric Berg May 1, 1947 – December 23, 2023 Dave Berg, 76, of Plymouth, MN passed away with his family at his side on December 23rd, 2023. Preceded in death by parents Dorothy and Joseph Berg, sister Carol Lynn Stenzel and brother-in-law Ryan Stenzel. Dave was a humble man of high character and integrity, who put his love of family above all else. Heaven has gained one of the most positive, optimistic souls the world has known. Born in Minneapolis in 1947, Dave spent his youth on the lakes in Alexandria, and graduated from Robbinsdale high school in 1965 before attending the University of Minnesota. He married Suzanne Burglund in 1968 and together they had 3 children. He was a devoted, loving father, extremely involved in his children’s lives in every aspect possible. He coached many of their sports teams, and never missed a game or competition. Dave was seemingly good at everything. He was a talented guitarist and banjo player. Along with his brother Jeff, brother-in-law Ryan and a family friend, the “St. Philip Four” played in church services and other events. He was also a proficient wood worker, building tables, shelves, and anything else his family requested. He was probably most proud of the handmade Yahtzee boxes and shakers he made for various family members. Dave was an excellent cook, and even created his own stir fry recipes affectionately known as “Wok to Dave’s.” Dave had a successful career in the banking industry where he was bank President at both The Bank Group, Inc. in Crystal, and Center National Bank in Plymouth. He also enjoyed 14 years as CFO at the Foursome Clothing Store. Dave married Karin Thaemert in 1998, and they had 25 wonderful years together. In 2006 they bought a house on Lake Carlos, in the Alexandria area where the Berg family had owned a resort in the 1950’s. Dave and Karin spent many weekends completely renovating their new house, and eventually moved there full-time in 2019 when he retired. They loved lake life and enjoyed many beautiful sunsets on their deck with a gin and tonic or glass of red wine in hand. Dad was an avid golfer and loved being part of the Alexandria Golf Club community. Above all else, Dave loved time with family and friends. He cherished gatherings…including holidays and the annual week at Viking Trail Resort…with his children, grandchildren, siblings and extended family, time on the golf course with his sons and brothers, pull-tab winners over a meal with his daughter, Monday night poker with the guys, and his life with Karin and their beloved dog Gracie. He is survived by wife Karin, children Christopher (Beth) Berg, Jodie (Chad) Moeller, Jeremy (Janna) Berg, grandchildren Emily Berg, Kate Berg, Jack Moeller, Alex Moeller, Oliver Berg, Addison Berg, stepsons Christopher Thaemert and Andrew (Jessica) Thaemert, brothers Loren (Delores) Berg and Jeffrey (Nancy) Berg, and sister Cynthia (Kevin) Ryan.A celebration of life will be held at a date to be determined.

Dave, Karin, and their labradoodle daughter Gracie lived on the far NE corner of Lake Carlos. Their little slice of heaven here on earth, home to beautiful sunsets on the classic Minnesota lake. Through the years, however, we always marveled at their ability to join us for in-town social events when they had such a long drive home after 8:00 pm (we were all real night owls). We live about two miles from “downtown” Alex while the Bergs were way out there in the exurbs, maybe 10 miles from downtown. In their last few years there, they did begin consideration of a move closer to town.

Dave and I first met at the Alexandria Golf Club (AGC) double digit years ago. By federal, state, and local law, it is a requirement that first meetings of retirees must take place on a golf course. We had similar games and had many fun times together playing in the AGC’s senior men’s league. Then about eight years ago I was struck by a sudden bolt of sanity and decided that life is short and golf just takes too much time. Fortunately Dave, Karin, Ruthie, and I would still be knit together by mutual love affairs with wine, fine dining, and live music.

Ruthie and I had just started our 3-week cruise around South America when we received notice that Dave had died. ~ Me

August 2012

Fan the sinking flame of hilarity with the wing of friendship; and pass the rosy wine. ~ Charles Dickens

[Here Dave (far right) and Karin (middle, putting) are competing in the annual senior men’s league Steak Fry and Bean Feed at the Alexandria Golf Club . . . ]

To like and dislike the same things, that is what makes a solid friendship. ~ Sallust

[Dave and Karin provide the background for two native Alexandrians who returned home in retirement because it was the only place that would accept them . . . ]

Friendship is a wildly underrated medication. ~ Anna Deavere Smith

[At the aforementioned Steak Fry and Bean Feed . . . ]

Friendship is being there when someone’s feeling low and not being afraid to kick them. ~ Randy K. Milholland

[Awards at the steak fry were handed out by Dave’s older brother Loren (standing) . . . ]

It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like ‘What about lunch?” ~ A. A. Milne

All you need to do to be my friend is like me. ~ Taylor Swift

I’ll stick to finding the funny in the ordinary because my life is pretty ordinary and so are the lives of my friends—and my friends are hilarious. ~ Issa Rae

November 2013

No man who has once heartily and wholly laughed can be altogether depraved. ~ Thomas Carlyle

[Over the years, a home away from home for the four of us – initially, Sixth Avenue Wine & Ale (SAWA), succeeded-in-name-and-ownership by the Garden Bar on 6th. Lisa Lynn (between Karin and Dave) was a favorite performer of ours at this venue . . . ]

My friends and I are crazy. That’s the only thing that keeps us sane. ~ Matt Schucker

[I think this was an example of flash/no flash . . . ]

June 2014

I don’t like to commit myself about heaven and hell — you see, I have friends in both places. ~ Mark Twain

[If we were not to be found at SAWA/Garden Bar, the likely next choice would be at Carlos Creek Winery (CCW) as always ISO a music venue . . . ]

September 2014

The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they’re OK, then it’s you. ~ Rita Mae Brown

[Again at CCW with Bob, Vivian, and Angie Annen at the next table . . . ]

May 2015

Most of us don’t need a psychiatric therapist as much as a friend to be silly with. ~ Robert Brault

[A time of year phenomenon (too cold to be outside), here Karin taking photos indoors at CCW . . . ]

Friendship is born at the moment when one man says to another, “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” ~ C.S. Lewis

September 2017

The imaginary friends I had as a kid dropped me because their friends thought I didn’t exist. ~ Aaron Machado

[In the Grand Hall at CCW for a music event. Dave discovered a handy holster for his bottle of wine . . . ]

One measure of friendship consists not in the number of things friends can discuss, but in the number of things they need no longer mention. ~ Clifton Fadiman

[I detect a western theme . . . ]

May 2018

Friend is someone to share the last cookie with. ~ Cookie Monster

[A fundraising soiree for Theatre L’Homme Dieu (TLHD) at the Alexandria Golf Club. (Note: It’s Theatre L’Homme Dieu; and Lake Le Homme Dieu. Go figure?)]

It’s important to our friends to believe that we are unreservedly frank with them, and important to the friendship that we are not. ~ Mignon McLaughlin

[TLHD’s executive director Nicole Mulder talks shop with TLHD board member Dave while Karin chaperones . . . ]

Anybody can sympathize with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathize with a friend’s success. ~ Oscar Wilde

[Looks like a first class beverage . . . ]

Come at once if convenient. If inconvenient, come all the same. ~ Arthur Conan Doyle

[Dave and Karin have left the building . . . ]

June 2018

No one will ever be as entertained by us as us. ~ Your Friend Who’s a Riot

[Younger generation family members joined Karin and Dave for The Killer Vees at the CCW Grand Hall . . . ]

Some people go to priests; others to poetry; I to my friends. ~ Virginia Woolf

[Another flash/no flash event . . . ]

Friendship is not possible between two women, one of whom is very well dressed. ~ Laurie Colwin

September 2018

Whoever says friendship is easy has obviously never had a true friend! ~ Bronwyn Polson

[Likely the Grape Stomp at CCW with older brother Loren . . . ]

Friends come and go, like the waves of the ocean, but the true ones stay. Like an octopus on your face. ~ Unknown

[Was that a ’57 T-bird?]

June 2019

Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty. ~ Sicilian Proverb

[Another oft visited music, wine and dining venue – the Lure Lakebar patio overlooking Lake Le Homme Dieu . . . ]

Friendship must be built on a solid foundation of alcohol, sarcasm, inappropriateness and shenanigans. ~ Unknown

Instead of the mahi mahi, may I just get the one mahi because I’m not that hungry? ~ Anna Faris

[Another cropping/no cropping example . . . ]

A good friend is a connection to life – a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world. ~ Lois Wyse

True friends don’t judge each other, they judge other people together. ~ Emilie Saint-Genis

[Yes, I think it was that ’57 T-bird . . . ]

September 2019

Friendship consists in forgetting what one gives and remembering what one receives. ~ Alexandre Dumas

[And here we are back at the winery patio again. It must have been a cold September . . . ]

December 2019

Friends make you smile – best friends make you giggle till you pee your pants. ~ Terri Guillemets

[Rockin’ around the Christmas tree, Have a happy holiday – the usual suspects at the winery again . . . ]

A good friend keeps your secrets for you. A best friend helps you keep your own secrets. ~ Lauren Oliver

[Fine dining at the Garden Bar . . . ]

Friends should be like books, few, but hand-selected. ~ C.J. Langenhoven

[The Group of 6 (Paul and Deb Trumm are closest to the camera) at the Garden Bar, likely to listen to the musical stylings of Tuesday Night Club . . . ]

Time doesn’t take away from friendship, nor does separation. ~ Tennessee Williams

A man’s friendships are one of the best measures of his worth. ~ Charles Darwin

Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends? ~ Abraham Lincoln

June 2020

I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let’s face it, friends make life a lot more fun. ~ Charles R. Swindoll

[Another member of the Berg family (left, Dave’s daughter, as I recall) decided to join parental units in all the fun they have on the winery patio . . . ]

Of all possessions a friend is the most precious. ~ Herodotus

August 2020

Awards become corroded. Friends gather no dust. ~ Jesse Owens

[Dave signing in to compete in the annual Resorters Tournament at the Alexandria Golf Club . . . ]

The only way to have a friend is to be one. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Karin caddied for him in the golf cart . . . ]

There’s not a word yet for old friends who’ve just met. ~ Jim Henson

[The tee off on hole #10 . . . ]

Happiness is a long walk with a putter. ~ Greg Norman

Nobody asked how you looked, just what you shot. ~ Sam Snead

The proper score for a businessman golfer is 90. If he is better than that he is neglecting his business. If he’s worse, he’s neglecting his golf. ~ St. Andrews Rotary Club Member

Don’t sell yourself short Judge, you’re a tremendous slouch. ~ Ty Webb, Caddyshack

At the end of the day, if I can say I had fun, it was a good day. ~ Simone Biles

[The usual sixsome at the winery listening to Erik Schultz . . . ]

September 2020

Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one. ~ Dr. Seuss

[Listening to Anthony Miltich at the winery . . . ]

April 2021

We just like having fun with everything we do. ~ Young Dolph

[The Grand Hall at CCW for The Bands Played On fundraiser . . . ]

Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game. ~ Michael Jordan

Never, ever underestimate the importance of having fun. ~ Randy Pausch

[Dave always had to check with Anthony to make sure Anthony was taking good care of his 8-string guitar . . . ]

June 2021

Life is too short to not have fun; we are only here for a short time compared to the sun and the moon and all that. ~ Coolio

[Road trip to Munsinger Gardens in St. Cloud to see Harper’s Chord, a long time favorite area group . . . ]

You just do what you can and you have as much fun as possible. ~ Frank Ocean

August 2021

Fun is like life insurance; the older you get, the more it costs. ~ Kin Hubbard

[Ruthie and I usually spend the first week of August at summer camp in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. That week also coincides with our local Resorters Tournament. The two years of COVID cancelled summer camp so we got to follow Dave in the golf tournament again . . . ]

Winning is only half of it. Having fun is the other half. ~ Bum Phillips

If you watch a game, it’s fun. If you play it, it’s recreation. If you work at it, it’s golf. ~ Bob Hope

When you start recognising that you’re having fun, life can be delightful. ~ Jane Birkin

[Panorama of the Mick Sterling concert at the Legacy of the Lakes Gardens . . . ]

September 2021

There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is having lots to do and not doing it. ~ Andrew Jackson

[Dave happy amongst his fellow guitar players, all performers at CCW and other area venues: l-r, Erik Schultz, Jeff James, Robb Justice, Dave, and Anthony Miltich . . . ]

I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints – the sinners are much more fun. ~ Billy Joel

[This, and the above photo, were taken at the Grape Stomp at CCW. Karin and Dave’s friends Sue and Bob from The Cities joined us here . . . ]

December 2021

Aging can be fun if you lay back and enjoy it. ~ Clint Eastwood

[The Those Who Stay Behind dinner at Arrowwood . . . ]

I just like having fun. ~ Katy Perry

[With Warren and Ann Smith to see Elsa Lee at the winery . . . ]

March 2022

We are driven by five genetic needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun. ~ William Glasser

[Wednesday night fine dining, at this time of year at Lure Lakebar, and joined by Jim and Mary Pohl . . . ]

You don’t fall in love with people because they’re fun. It just happens. ~ Kirsten Dunst

[And Tom and Jeanne Mulder on the right . . . ]

I realize that humor isn’t for everyone. It’s only for people who want to have fun, enjoy life, and feel alive. ~ Anne Wilson Schaef

People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing. ~ Dale Carnegie

[And later that same month by an additional cast of thousands . . . ]

Searching is half the fun: life is much more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party. ~ Jimmy Buffett

May 2022

If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s gathering people together to do something fun. ~ Dave Grohl

[Run for the Roses fundraiser for TLHD at CCW Grand Hall . . . ]

The fun for me in collaboration is, one, working with other people just makes you smarter; that’s proven. ~ Lin-Manuel Miranda

Of the seven deadly sins, only envy is no fun at all. ~ Joseph Epstein

[Jim Pence, the “CEO” and Dave, the “CFO” of TLHD, and yes, I can be blamed for nominating both of them for the board . . . ]

Don’t get older just to get wiser. If you get older, you will be wiser, I believe that – if you dare. But get older because it’s fun! ~ Maya Angelou

July 2022

Astronomy’s much more fun when you’re not an astronomer. ~ Brian May

[An outdoor concert at Theatre L’Homme Dieu . . . ]

When people refer to ‘Back in the Day,’ it was a Wednesday. Just a little fun fact for you. ~ Dane Cook

[An outdoor concert with Josie Nelson at Gathered Oaks . . . ]

I only do this because I’m having fun. The day I stop having fun, I’ll just walk away. ~ Heath Ledger

[A Tribute to Bread outdoor concert at TLHD . . . ]

I like to go to parties where I know everyone. How are you going to have fun with people you don’t know? ~ Mary-Kate Olsen

[TLHD fundraising soiree . . . ]

Skiing combines outdoor fun with knocking down trees with your face. ~ Dave Barry

August 2022

Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before. ~ Mae West

[Breaking in a new venue – Rolling Forks Vineyards on Lake Minnewaska in Glenwood . . . ]

To love what you do and feel that it matters how could anything be more fun? ~ Katharine Graham

[We were there for the Cheese Bots, another of our longtime favorites . . . ]

As long as I’m having fun, I’m not quitting. ~ Sue Johanson

As a rock star, I have two instincts, I want to have fun, and I want to change the world. I have a chance to do both. ~ Bono

November 2022

Are we having fun yet? ~ Bill Griffith

[Joined by John and Helen Etnier, the prince and princess of Ashby, to see Elsa Lee at the winery . . . ]

January 2023

As long as you’re having fun, that’s the key. The moment it becomes a grind, it’s over. ~ Barry Gibb

[To see Anthony Miltich at Willy T’s . . . ]

Summer means happy times and good sunshine. It means going to the beach, going to Disneyland, having fun. ~ Brian Wilson

The universe is hilarious! Like, Venus is 900 degrees. I could tell you it melts lead. But that’s not as fun as saying, ‘You can cook a pizza on the windowsill in nine seconds.’ And next time my fans eat pizza, they’re thinking of Venus! ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson

April 2023

Comedy is a reflection. We create nothing. We set no styles, no standards. We’re reflections. It’s a distorted mirror in the fun house. We watch society. As society behaves, then we have the ability to make fun of it. ~ Alan King

[Wednesday night fine dining at Lure Lakebar . . . ]

May 2023

It’s kind of fun to be sexy. ~ Tea Leoni

[Galaxy Road playing at the winery . . . ]

July 2023

There is no sunrise so beautiful that it is worth waking me up to see it. ~ Mindy Kaling

[Dave, Karin, and super volunteer Janet Baker join the star of the show, Don Shelby, after the play Love Letters at TLHD . . . ]

August 2023

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society. ~ Mark Twain

[TLHD’s annual fundraising soiree . . . ]

September 2023

I walk around like everything’s fine, but deep down, inside my shoe, my sock is sliding off. ~ Anonymous

[The usual suspects gather for an evening of entertainment with Anthony Miltich at Stella’s in beautiful downtown Battle Lake . . . ]

You know you’ve reached middle age when you’re cautioned to slow down by your doctor, instead of by the police. ~ Joan Rivers

[The Berg’s Twin City friends, Bob & Sue, join us at the winery for an afternoon with Anthony Miltich . . . ]

I never feel more alone than when I’m trying to put sunscreen on my back. ~ Jimmy Kimmel

There’s no need to dress like everyone else. It’s much more fun to create your own look. ~ Twiggy

[Or why I’m also more comfortable behind the camera . . . ]

November 2023

When I’m in social situations, I always hold onto my glass. It makes me feel comfortable and secure and I don’t have to shake hands. ~ Larry David

[November 17, 2023, our last get together, dinner at Biaggi’s in Maple Grove. They had recently moved from Alex to Plymouth to be closer to family and health care. They got away before we could take them out to dinner in Alex. Maybe some day we can get together again for a round of golf?]

Love when you can. Cry when you have to. Be who you must, it’s part of the plan. Await your arrival, with simple survival, and one day we’ll all understand. ~ Dan Fogelberg