Helen Meryl Berger, 89, of Wells, passed away peacefully on March 18, 2009, at The Shepherds Inn in Wells. Funeral services will be held Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Wells. The Rev. Paul Woolverton will officiate. Visitation will be today from 4 to 8 p.m. at Bruss-Heitner Funeral Home in Wells and one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be in Rosehill Cemetery in Wells.
Meryl was born March 31, 1919, to Henry and Lovie (Caldwell) Bergo in Grenora, N.D. During a great old fashioned blizzard they moved to Wells in 1932. She attended the public school and graduated in 1936. On June 25, 1940, she married her high school classmate Donald Berger in the Wells Methodist Church. They remained in Wells where they raised their three children. In 1958, Don and Meryl became business owners when they purchased Berger’s Drive Inn which they ran for 8 years. Meryl then worked as the manager of Mitchell’s Style Shop, a dress shop for women. In 1965, she became one of the first female business owners in Wells when she purchased Mitchell’s and made it her own. Meryl’s Style Shop served the community until 1988. As a member of the Methodist Church, Meryl taught Sunday school, served as a youth leader, was circle chairwoman and bazaar chairwoman. She served as both a VFW Auxiliary and American Legion Auxiliary member since 1946. During that time she was the Legion Auxiliary President three times. She had many hobbies; the greatest of these was sewing. She had the talent to see something, go home, and have it made in a matter of hours with no pattern to guide her.
Meryl is survived by her children: Donnette (Larry) Dulas, Wells, Doreen Stiles, Colorado Springs, Colo., and Dirk (Darbie) Berger, New Prague; six grandchildren: Jedd Dulas, Jenna (Brent) Sculley, Travis (Moyra) Stiles, Dana (Nick) Mendez, Darin Berger and Courtney Bailey (fiance’ Jeff Davis); nine great-grandchildren with two more due soon; brother, Lyle (Patricia) Bergo; step-sister, Cleo McQuillan; brother-in-law, David Berger; and several nieces and nephews.
Preceding her in death were her husband, Donald; her parents, Henry and Lovie; and her stepmother, Ole.
Meryl touched many lives and will be dearly missed.