Gordon Bergen

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-220547
• Residence: 1980, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
• Residence: 1987, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada

Notes:

Gordon Robert Bergen

Friday, June 6th, 1930 - Thursday, January 27th, 2022

"Life is so short. This stretch of sea and sand, this walk on the shore,
before the tide covers everything we have done."

Gordon Bergen passed away peacefully January 27, 2022, with his family at his side, in his 92nd year.

Gord was the loving husband of the late Lois (Hertzberger, 2020); father of Shelley (Jamie Kropf), Tom (Eileen Sweeney), and Steve (Corinne Donald); grandfather of Matthew (Alysha), Meghan (Chris), Jillian, Patrick, Jonathan, Elissa, Andrew and Claire; and great-grandfather to Aidan, Quentin, Liam, Emmett, and Wyatt.

Gord was born on June 6, 1930, in Kitchener to the late Carrie (Doerr) and Theodore Bergen. He lived his whole life in Kitchener and was a long-time member of St Mark's Lutheran Church (now Trillium) serving on the Church Council and Property Committee over the years.

Our father had an insatiable curiosity and quiet, fearless confidence when it came to dismantling and puzzling out automotive, electrical, plumbing, or heating malfunctions. We have fond memories of him making our family's first tv and stereo \endash or Hi-Fi as it was called in the day. He was an electrical contractor by trade but also spent countless hours building and fixing things big and small for his kids - go-karts, basketball nets, swing sets, birdhouses, and fishing poles.

Dad was a repairer, repurposer, and recycler long before it was in vogue. He saved all broken things with the firm conviction they could be made whole once again or used to repair something else later. He gained deep satisfaction from fixing things rather than throwing them out. Dad was always there with the right solution, and more than enough love and support to get you home. A precious quality in any father and one we will desperately miss.

If the worth of a father were measured by the time he invests in his children, then our father was, simply put, 'priceless'. Dad was a consummate jack of all trades, and a master craftsman with a subtle sense of humour and a smile that was equal parts genuine and disarming. But most importantly he was a wonderful father, a quiet strength, and a comforting anchor to his three children.

In the words of Jann Arden, "I've got a good father and his strength is what keeps me here. Feet on ground, heart in hand, facing forward, be yourself." Thanks Dad for those amazing precious gifts. Your work is done. You can finally lay down your tools and put them away.

A celebration of Gord's life will take place at a later date in the Spring.

For anyone wishing to make a donation, The Working Centre or Sanguen Health Centre Foundation would be fitting recipients in memory of someone who always thought of others first.

Visit www. henrywalser.com for Gordon's memorial.

Gordon Bergen Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information (no date) Gordon Bergen Obituary - Kitchener, ON | Henry Walser Funeral Home Ltd. Available at: https://www.henrywalser.com/memorials/gordon-bergen/4844614/ (Accessed: 26 May 2024).

Gordon — Lois Hertzberger. (daughter of Percy Emmanuel Hertzberger and Elise Elizabeth "Elsie" Schmidt) [Group Sheet]

Shelley — Jamie Kropf. (son of James Emmett "Emmett" Kropf and Patricia Elizabeth "Pat" Forler) [Group Sheet]