Mavis Berge, formerly of Milan, died Tuesday, November 21, 2017 at Home Front First in Montevideo at age 86.
Funeral services will be held on Sunday, November 26, 2017 at 2:00 PM at Kviteseid Lutheran Church in Milan with Rev. Kristine Isder officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery.
Visitation with the family will be held one hour prior to services at the church on Sunday.
Mavis Irene (Perseke) Berge was born on February 16, 1931 in Akron Township, Big Stone County, MN to Irvin and Elsie (Thymian) Perseke. She was baptized and confirmed at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Correll, MN. She grew up on the family farm and attended school in Milan, graduating in 1949. Following graduation, she stayed on the family farm and helped her father with the farm work. On April 14, 1951 Mavis was united in marriage to Wallace Berge at Kviteseid Lutheran Church in Milan. To this union, a daughter, Carol and two sons, Arden and Vernon were born. Mavis helped on the farm and later was employed at Fingerhut in Appleton and then Microdynamics in Montevideo. She and Wallace farmed in the Milan area until February 2012 when they entered Luther Haven. They moved to Home Front First in May of 2012. Wallace died in February of 2016.
Mavis will be remembered as a wonderful cook and baker. She enjoyed making food and entertaining family and friends and she made sure they always had enough to eat with leftovers plentiful. Her specialties were pies, especially apple, and breads but family said that whatever she made was wonderful. When she was not cooking Mavis enjoyed reading, gardening, both flowers and vegetables, and embroidery. In later years on the farm time was spent sitting by the window and birdwatching.
Mavis is survived by her children: Carol (Patrick) Meagher, St. Paul, Arden (Deborah) Berge, Apple Valley, and Vernon (Patricia) Berge, Milan; grandchildren: Brandon (Susan) Berge and Justin Berge; siblings: Lois Berge, Neil (Clarice) Perseke and Inez Golden as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Wallace Berge; sister-in-law, Alda Behrens; brothers-in-law: Raymond Golden, Harold Behrens, and Walter Berge; and nephew, David Perseke.