PETER BERGEN

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PETER BERGEN December 18, 1926 - August 7, 2018 With great sorrow we announce that Peter passed away peacefully on Tuesday, August 7, 2018 at the Victoria Hospital, at the age of 91 years. Left to treasure his memory are his beloved wife Mary, of 65 years, his children, Rolfe (Evelyn), Hugo, Valerie (Gerry), Dorothy (Brian) and Nancy (Minson), and 12 grandchildren. Peter was previously deceased by his daughter-in-law Theresa Sullivan. His brother Gerhard, the last of seven siblings, survives him. Peter was born and grew up in the Mennonite village of Hamburg, Molotschna, Russia, and survived the Communist upheaval and irrational family displacements of that time, only to be subjected to famine and starvation brought on to many in the mid to late 1930s. Throughout these struggles, Peter managed to gain an education and became proficient in Math, German and Russian languages while working part time jobs to support his family. Drafted in the German Youth Organization at 17, his training and education continued and excelled as he travelled throughout the various major German occupied cities. As the Second World War erupted, Peter managed to escape the allied bombings of Berlin in December of 1943 and was forced to move around with his reunited family to seek shelter and safe havens from the ravages of war. With a temporary passport in hand and sponsorship and assistance from the Mennonite Central Committee, he left the refugee camp at Gronou and immigrated to Canada on May 6, 1948 and settled in Winnipeg. Canada was new land of opportunity, a new beginning, and Peter was committed in contributing in the growth and development of this country. He immediately got a laborers job working in a foundry and enrolled in an English evening course where he met his beautiful wife who he married on May 30, 1953. As if courtship was not enough to keep a man busy, Peter was able to complete an international correspondence course and receive the prestigious certificate in Carpentry at the age of 27. By this time Peter had already started his career in construction having built and been involved in many residential and commercial construction projects including The First Mennonite Church at which he was a member. Work was not his only life. The mid-1950s, on in to the 1960s, he raised a family of five children and took the time to travel (car trips) to visit his brother in California, stops in Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore, and tour the World Trade show in New York. Family fishing trips, camping excursions, backyard toboggan slides, river skating ponds, and driveway basketball courts which were the envy of the entire neighbourhood, showed the commitment to family life and that creating special memories was the single most important part of life. Peter was a very successful construction superintendent/manager, employed by many recognizable firms of the day, that included Taubense Construction, Benjaminson Construction, W.W. Construction, Kraft Construction and Marwest Construction. His involvement in the many notable and complex projects throughout his career showed the versatility and skill that he possessed. The Holy Family Nursing Home first addition; Water Treatment Plant in The Pas; Waste Water Treatment Plant in Taber, AB; Manitoba Hydro Gillam Municipal offices and Gillam Hospital; Schools in Baker Lake, Transcona and St. Vital; Medical Arts Building; Senior housing complex in Selkirk; Royal Bank Data Centre; Sargent Park Pool; Monarch Foundry and Machine shop in Winkler; Red Deer Community College; Polo Park shopping centre renovation; Johnson Terminal and Children's Museum Phase I at the Forks; remain and stand the test of time as his contribution to us all. As well as the many houses he personally built, then sold, to improve on the quality of life and living circumstances of his family. Helping and assisting other family members on their projects to improve on their lives and volunteering countless hours at the Portage Avenue Mennonite Brethren Church on the many renovations undertaken to update and modernize the church filled any free time and continued to be his hobby and passion until his later years. After his retirement and into the golden years, Peter and Mary travelled and spent extended stays in Palm Springs and continued to visit and spend valuable time and enjoy memorable occasions with their children and grandchildren. Peter always remained a man of true and steadfast faith in his Lord God and committed to Him until his last breath. "I do not know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future". Funeral services to be held Monday, August 20, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. at the Portage Avenue Mennonite Brethren Church, 1420 Portage Ave. A private interment service will be held prior. Donations may be made to Ovarian Cancer Canada.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Aug 18, 2018