LaVerne C. ‘Labe’ Berg, 94

Published 7:01 am Sunday, April 19, 2015

Berg

Berg

LaVerne C. “Labe” Berg, 94, of Lincoln, a native of Minnesota, died peacefully at home looking forward to reuniting with his love Bernice, Thursday April 16, 2015.

He was born on Aug. 20, 1920, in Grand Meadow, Minnesota, son of Sanford and Anna Marie Olson Berg. He married Bernice Crowley on Aug. 13, 1944, in Hawthorne, California. She preceded him in death in 2008.

Berg graduated from Grand Meadow High School in 1937, and attended Mankato State University for two years.

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Berg retired in 1984 after serving for 38 years as a sales representative for Hormel Foods Corp. out of Austin, Minnesota.

A U.S. Navy Veteran of World War II, he received the American Theatre of Operations Ribbon, the Asiatic Pacific Theatre Ribbon with one star, and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon. He was a crew member of the USS Register, which was one of the ships that rescued the survivors of the USS Indianapolis that was sunk after delivering the atomic bomb to Saipan. He was unhurt when the Register was earlier hit by a kamikaze plane at Okinawa.

Berg is a member of Holy Family Catholic Church in Lincoln, a third-degree member of the Knights of Columbus, past Faithful Navigator of the Fourth Degree, member and Past Commander of the American Legion Post No. 263, member of Forty & Eight, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Elks Lodge 914, where he was a past secretary.

Survivors include one daughter, Judith (Robert) Brothman of Waukegan, Illinois; daughter-in-law Gail; two sons: Richard (Linda) Berg of San Juan Capistrano, California, and Donald (Fran) Berg of Prospect, Kentucky; 11 grandchildren, and nine great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, Bernice; his parents; a son, Robert; and four sisters and five brothers.

Funeral services will be 2 p.m., April 20, 2015, at Holy Family Catholic Church in Lincoln, with Father Simon Taabu officiating. Visitation will be from 2 to 5 p.m., Sunday, April 19, 2015, at Fricke-Calvert-Schrader Funeral Home in Lincoln. A prayer service will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 19, 2015, a half-hour prior to visitation. Burial at Holy Cross Cemetery will follow the service with full military rites accorded by the Lincoln American Legion Post Np. 263. Memorials may be given to Carroll Catholic School or Elks Crippled Children.