Paul "Paulie" Bergman

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am.    -  John 14:3

The Lord welcomed Paul Bergman into His presence on October 12, 2016.

Paul "Paulie" was born in rural Higdem Township to Anna Ruth and John Bergman on March 26, 1927. He was baptized and confirmed as a member of Elim Lutheran Church of Alvarado, Minnesota. Paul grew up on the family farm working with and learning from his father and his Uncle Nick, an important mentor in his life. He attended school at District 86 through grade 8 at which time he did what was then common, he began his full-time career as a farmer. Paul attended the Hanson Auto School in Fargo, where he developed great mechanical skills which he used every single day. What Paul had to miss in “book learning,” he made up for ten-fold with his problem-solving, mechanical and persistence skills. Paul was known by his family as the one “who can fix anything.”

In 1954, Henrietta Van Baalen captured Paul’s heart and they married on February 11 in Alvarado. They lived on the farm for 43 years during which time they raised three children, Susan, John and James. Paulie and Hank moved to Alvarado in 1997 and to East Grand Forks in 2013. For 12 years they wintered in Arizona where they spent time with siblings and met many new friends who became near and dear to their hearts.

Paul was an active community member. Over the years he served multiple terms on the Elim Church Board, the Alvarado Public School Board of Education, the Cenex Board, and Higdem Township Board. He was an active “cooking” member of the Alvarado Lion’s Club and was on the Watershed Advisory Committee.

Paulie made sure there was fun in his life! He looked forward to annual fishing trips with his buddies, was always working on some type of hand project, regularly engaged in solving the world’s problems or talking farming while at the local café, braked for garage sales, played pinochle, solitaire, and bingo, loved to eat and thoroughly enjoyed traveling the world with Hank. In his later years, Paulie became a master of jigsaw puzzles, spent hours tinkering with watches, and played a mean game of RummiKub.

Family was everything to Paul. He was proud of his children and grandchildren. He enjoyed watching all of them grow up. Paul never missed seeing his children perform in school and church activities and when grandchildren came along, he did a repeat performance, attending many of their games and recitals. Summer family week-ends at a lake were a favorite.

Paul is survived by his wife, Henrietta; three children, Susan (Lee) Myxter, Fargo, ND; John (Claire), Fargo, ND and James (Donilyn), Oslo, Minnesota; nine grandchildren, Melissa (Matt) Bishoff, Nathan Bergman, Peter (Jessica) Myxter, Erik (Jennifer) Myxter, Louisa, Lillian, John, Nickolas, and Adrianna Bergman; two great-grandchildren, William Bishoff, and Kate Myxter; and two sisters, Helen Bergan and Ruth Moen. He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, Russell and Nels, sister, Anna Mae, and infant sister, Luverne.

​In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials be directed to the Elim Cemetery Fund.

​Visitation: Sunday, October 16, 2016, from 3-5 PM, with a prayer service at 4:30 PM, in New Hope Lutheran Church, Alvarado, MN.

Funeral Service: Monday, October 17, at 10:30 AM, in New Hope Lutheran Church, Alvarado.

Interment: Elim Lutheran Cemetery, rural Alvarado.

 Service Information