William Edgar Berg

A Celebration of Life will be held for William Berg, 82, of North Bend, on Saturday, September 21, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. at the North Bend Chapel, 2014 McPherson Avenue. A private inurnment was held at Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery in Coos Bay.

Bill was born on August 15, 1941 in Marshfield to William and Selma Berg. He passed away on July 12, 2024 in Vancouver, WA after a short illness.

Bill graduated from North Bend High School, class of 1959. In 1960 he joined the US Army with his cousin, Dennis Graham. They served in Germany until 1963. While he was away, he was pen pals with Sandra Wallace, a family friend. This friendship developed into love. She graduated in June of 1963, he returned in August, and they married December 13, 1963. They were married 58 years until her passing in 2022. He never really recovered from the loss.

Bill and Sandi raised their family in North Bend. Teri was born in 1967 and Brad followed in 1970. Their last grandchild graduated from North Bend High School, a full four generations of NBHS grads.

Bill worked at Menasha/Weyerhauser Paper Mill on the North Spit for many years until retiring in the late 1990’s. He was a “Shipper”, loading train cars and trucks with rolls of paper.

Together Bill and Sandi enjoyed traveling, and went to various countries in Europe, the United Kingdom and across the United States, Canada and Mexico. They took many family trips as they raised the family, and more travels after retirement. They enjoyed spending time with family, with many trips being to visit family. They also made several trips with family and friends traveling with or meeting up in other parts of the world. They even took a conversational Spanish class at SWOCC in hopes of using that in their travels.

Bill enjoyed crossword puzzles and most every family gathering ended up with a Scrabble game – some more competitive than others! The winning scores posted on refrigerators or later on Facebook with winner earning bragging rights until the next game. He was artistic, attended art school by correspondence in the 1960’s and 70’s. He liked drawing, and helped illustrate school projects and made pictures that were used at his work and children and grandchildren’s schools, and also drew ‘just for fun.’

The family moved from a couple acres in Hauser to a house on a big corner lot in town in 1983, which was closer to the school for the kids’ activities. Bill enjoyed keeping the big yard to a certain standard – immaculate. After a thorough mowing of his yard, ( and down the sidewalk and around the corner on Pony Creek Road where the city didn’t mow quite as often as he would have liked ), he could be found on hands and knees getting the lawn trim “just right” by hand. This standard has inspired his son and son-in-law in their yard ventures, “what would Dad/Bill do?” Both keep their yards to a standard Dad would be proud of!

Bill liked woodworking and over the years built many things including beds, tables, workbenches, tree houses, forts, playhouses, rocking horses and more. He collected the tools of the trade inherited from his father, a carpenter, who helped with construction of the McCullough Bridge and many other builds in the area.

Bill was generous with his time, helping the kids with many home and yard projects over the years. His  unwavering support meant the world to them. He also volunteered for a homeless shelter in Coos Bay for a time. Together, Bill and Sandi liked to keep busy, ( or she kept him busy ) after retirement. They frequently walked together and even took yoga and Tai Chi classes together, even through the pandemic via Zoom!

Bill is survived by his children, Teri ( and Quentin ) Davis of Vancouver, WA; Brad ( and Taylor ) Berg of North Bend; grandchildren, Victoria Davis, Kolbey Berg, and Owen and Olivya Roe; sister, Betty Bronsema of Wenatchee, WA; close cousins, Dennis Graham, Jim Berg, Marilyn Berg, and numerous other cousins; in-laws that became longtime friends, Sue and Jim Jones and Gary and Karyle Wallace; much loved nieces and nephews; and dear friends from the neighborhood, work and school.

Bill was a kind man and father and was loved a lot. Friends and family are encouraged to sign the online guestbook at www.coosbayareafunerals.com and www.theworldlink.com. Arrangements are under the care of North Bend Chapel, 541-756-0440.

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