RUTH D. BERGE

Ruth D. Berge March 26, 1933- April 1, 2018 On Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018, Ruth Deborah Berge, 85, wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother entered into her heavenly home.  Privileged to go through her earthly journey with her were her husband of nearly 62 years Ronald, and her six children, daughters Debra (Mark) Berge; Rhonda, deceased (Bradley) Gjesdal; Kathryn (Joseph) Bialke; Elizabeth Berge, and sons Ronald J., deceased, (Beth) Berge and Daniel (Lisa) Berge. Ruth's memory will live on through the lives of her six grandchildren: Garret (Lindsay) Gjesdal, Erika Gjesdal, Elaina (Andrew) Wickman, Jessalyn (Matthew) Bryant, Alexander Bialke and Christine Berge; and her eight great- grandchildren Esther, Lilly, Cora, Tracy, Guyle, Jace, Emmeline and Liliana. Visitation will be held at Zion Lutheran Church, Cooperstown, ND from 5:00-7:00pm on Thursday April 5, 2018, with a family prayer service at 7:00pm.  Funeral service will be held on Friday, April 6th, 2018 at 11:00am at Zion Lutheran Church. Burial will take place at Westley Cemetery, rural Cooperstown at a later date. Ruth Deborah Benson was born in Hannaford, ND on March 26th, 1933 to Harvey and Mabel (Larson) Benson, the youngest of nine children. She attended grade school in Hannaford and then attended Oak Grove Lutheran High School and graduated in 1951.  She furthered her education at Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina and then moved to Washington D.C.  where she worked for the Credit Bureau. She was united in marriage to Ronald Berge on June 23, 1956.  The family lived in Fargo, ND; Dakota & Freeport, IL; Union Grove & Racine, WI Minneapolis, MN and finally settled on a farm near Dazey, ND. They moved to Bridgeview in Valley City, ND and as Ruth's health failed, they moved into the Sheyenne Care Center, Valley City.  Ruth was a multi talented woman. She was always busy with her hands, whether it was gardening, crocheting, sewing, cooking, baking or crafting, Ruth still found time for her family. She served as a Sunday School teacher, 4-H Leader, member of the Gideon's Auxiliary, and member of Ladies Aide at St. Olaf Lutheran Church and later Zion Lutheran Church. Ruth loved to travel alongside her husband Ron. They enjoyed sightseeing across the U.S. and traveled abroad to Norway, Korea, Australia, and Germany.  Ruth will be greatly missed by her loving husband, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, sister Mary Hiebert, brother-in-law Torrey Berge, sisters-in-law Ellen (Fred) Perkins and Adeline Berge, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Ruth was preceded in death by her twin children; parents; father and mother-in law Albert and Betsy Berge; siblings Arvid, Dorothy, George, Geraldine, Homer, Robert, and Richard. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Zion Lutheran Church or Westley Cemetery in memory of Ruth.