Mary Lou Berg - Oronoco
Mary Lou Berg, 77, of Oronoco, died Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012, at Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be Wednesday, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m. at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Zumbrota, with Father Randal Kasel officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery.
Visitation will be held Tuesday, Nov. 20, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Mahn Family Funeral Home – Larson Chapel in Zumbrota, and on Wednesday one hour prior to the Mass at the church.
Mary Lou Bimler was born Oct. 1, 1935, in Thief River Falls, to Louis and Monica (nee Hoffarth) Bimler. She was a 1953 graduate of Lincoln High School in Thief River Falls. She then became head of her department at St. Paul Book and Stationary in St. Paul, before entering nurses training. Mary Lou graduated with a Practical Nursing Degree in 1957 from Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester. She worked in the Neurology Department and also completed a post graduate course in Pharmacology, working there until 1960. She retained her lifetime nursing credits and license.
On May 10, 1958, she was united in marriage to Earl C. Berg at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Zumbrota. They resided in Rochester until moving to Oronoco in 1959. Mary Lou and Earl bought the empty brick "Postier" building in Oronoco in 1963 and together built and operated Berg’s Antique Store, which had a nationwide reputation. Earl Berg, Sr., died Jan, 4, 1997, and Mary Lou continued to run the business until her death.
Mary Lou was a charter member of Holy Spirit Catholic Church and former charter member of Pax Christi Catholic Church, both in Rochester, MN.
Mary Lou is survived by her four children, Jonathan (Cindy) Berg of Sartell, Steven E. Berg of Oronoco, Earl (Susan) Berg, Jr. of Spring Valley and Valerie Berg Lee (Marlon Dahl) of Nowthen, Minn.; five grandchildren, Kristen Lee (Curtis) Johnson of Black River Falls, Wis., Jacob (Sarah) Berg of Ashland, N.C., Richard Kahn, Leonard "Hank" Kahn and Monica Berg all of Sartell; six great-grandchildren, Caden, Madisyn and Rylee Johnson, Savanah and Summer Berg and Ashlynn Kahn; sister, Leona Meyers of Huxley, Iowa; many nieces and nephews; sisters-in-law, Dorothy Berg of Rochester and Karen Garness of Austin; brothers-in-law, Roger (Sharon) Berg of St. Charles and Kenneth (Irene) Berg of Mazeppa.
Mary Lou was preceded in death by her parents, Louis and Monica; three sisters, Dorothy, Margie and Virgie Ann and two brothers, Matthew and James.