Vernon Curtis Berger

Vernon Curtis Berger, loving husband, father, and uncle, went to be with the Lord on October 11, 2016, at the age of 91.

Vernon was born on January 16, 1925 in Cut Bank, Montana, the son of Montana homesteaders Edwin and Ella Berger and was the fourth born of their 5 children. He graduated from Cut Bank High School in 1943.

In 1948, Vernon met Doris Vretstrom from Minnesota. They were both working in the park at the lodge in East Glacier for the summer (he was working as a carpenter doing maintenance on the lodge buildings and she was a chambermaid). They married on February 26, 1949, and settled on the Berger farm in Cut Bank.  He farmed with his father, Edwin Berger, until Edwin’s death in January of 1950 and then farmed with his brother, Gerald Berger.

Vernon was an active farmer and, in partnership with his brother Gerald Berger, maintained and expanded the family farm north of Cut Bank over many successful years together.

Vernon started Berger’s Air Conditioning in 1975.  He needed to repair the air conditioners on their farm equipment.  Finding someone to service the equipment was difficult so he got the manuals and tools to do it himself. S00n neighboring farmers started asking him to fix their air conditioners.  Through word of mouth he was soon traveling many miles to install and repair air conditioning equipment on tractors, combines, swathers, trucks, and sometimes personal automobiles. He finally retired around the age of 82 because climbing up and down on equipment was getting harder to do.

During his busy life he was one of the founding members of many cooperatives, including Northern Telephone Cooperative in Sunburst, Glacier Electric Cooperative, Farmer’s Union Cooperative; a Charter Member of St Paul’s Lutheran Church, a member of the Sons of Norway.   He is a member of the Moose Lodge (35 Years) and a long-standing member of the Cut Bank Elk’s Lodge.

Vernon loved the outdoors including fishing, hunting, and working on projects around the farm. During his retirement years, he enjoyed tinkering with various projects in his well-loved shop as well as playing pitch with many friends and visiting family.

Whether someone had a need at their house or at their farm, Vernon was always the "go to" guy to get it done.

Vernon is survived by his daughter, Susan, along with many beloved nieces and nephews. Throughout his life he remained a resident Cut Bank, MT.

A funeral service will be held on Thursday, October 27, 2016 at 2:00 PM.  Funeral will be upstairs at the Cut Bank Elks Lodge. The reception will be downstairs at the Elk’s. Officiating the service will be Vernon’s nephew, the Reverend Dr. Thomas Jonez.  Memorial contributions may be made in Vernon's memory to Northern Rockies Medical Center or your own local hospital.