Dwayne Donald Berger

Dwayne Donald Berger, 86 of Dannebrog, died Friday, November 29, 2019 at CHI Health - St. Francis in Grand Island.

Memorial Services will be 11:00 A.M. on Thursday, December 12, 2019 at the First Baptist Church in Dannebrog.  Reverend Rob Pearson and Reverend Donnie Halbgewachs will be officiating.  Family will greet friends 1 hour prior to services at the church.  Inurnment will be in the Loup Fork Cemetery.  Military Honors will be provided by the Mickelsen-Larkowski Legion Post 241 of Dannebrog. 

Memorials are suggested to the First Baptist Church in Dannebrog, Rio Grande Bible Ministries, or the donor’s choice.  Jacobsen-Greenway-Dietz Funeral Home in St. Paul is in charge of arrangements. 

Dwayne was born on February 25, 1933, the only child of Preston and Trilby Hansen Berger. He was born at home in Cleveland Precinct near Dannebrog, Nebraska.  He attended grade school in District 37 south of his home until 5th grade when the school closed. He then attended District 59, 2 miles west of his home, through the 8th grade. He went to high school in Dannebrog graduating in 1951. He worked for Jay Lawrence and Leonard Swanson during the summers of high school. Jay taught himself how to weld. After graduation, he worked at Hyannis, Nebraska for Pearl Cogil putting up hay. He also worked 2 campaigns for the sugar beet factory in Grand Island. The 1st campaign was taking samples up to the chemistry lab and the 2nd campaign he did chemistry work of testing samples.

 In May of 1953 he was drafted into the United States Army. He was inducted into the service in Omaha, Nebraska. He was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas for infantry basic training. From there he was shipped to Germany and stationed near Karlsruhe for 18 months. He was a jeep driver and radar operator. He was discharged from FT. Sheridan, Illinois on May 12,1955. Dwayne went to Milford Trade School and took Auto Body Repair Training. He went to Portland, Oregon and worked for Hudson House Grocery Warehouse running the forklift. He met Sally McDougall and they were married there. Their 1st son Roderick was born there. They returned to Nebraska in 1960, Dwayne did farm work for Albert Madson foe a short period of time and then started working Farmers Union Co-op in the shop and then later started driving the fuel delivery truck.  During that time their other three sons, Bryan, Jack, and Jeff were born. On March 5,1983 Dwayne married Charlene Brown of Omaha and provided a home for her children, Douglas, Colleen, and Jeremy. He retired from the Co-op in 1995 and then worked part-time hauling gravel for Howard County Roads Department until 2012. From 2000 until 2016 Dwayne & Charlene spent 2-3 months in the winter in Edinburg, Texas at Rio Grande Bible Institute doing volunteer work. Dwayne worked in the mechanics shop there and enjoyed meeting and working with people from many different states and Canada. They also did camp hosting at state parks in Nebraska and enjoyed camping & traveling.

He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Dannebrog and the Michelson & Larkowski American Legion Post 241 of Dannebrog.

He is survived by his wife Charlene of Dannebrog; sons and daughters-in-law, Roderick & Lisa Berger of Grant, Bryan Berger of Grand Island, Jeff & Dianne Berger of Surprise, AZ, Douglas & Laurene Brown of Omaha, Jeremy & Yara Brown of Columbus; daughter, Colleen Brown  (Miguel Cruz) of Council Bluffs, IA & numerous grandchildren & great-grandchildren.

Dwayne was preceded in death by his parents & a son, Jack.

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