JOHN WILLIE BERGEN

John Willie Bergen was born March 13, 1933 to John G and Marie Bergen at Drake, SK. He had 2 older sisters, Katie and Susie, an older brother, Peter and younger sister Laura.

Dad grew up on a farm in Drake surrounded by the big open prairie. While most of his adult life was off the farm, he never lost his interest in the land and farming.

A few years after graduating from high school, Dad went to Winnipeg to attend Canadian Mennonite Bible College. There he met Martha Harms and they kept in touch for a year while she took a teaching job in the Mennonite colonies in Mexico. When she returned from Mexico, they were married on August 2, 1958 in Crystal City, Manitoba.

Their first years together were spent on the family farm in Drake. Three children were born to them there, Janice, Wesley and Lynell. In the first few years, Dad farmed in the summer and worked as a teacher at Swift Current Bible Institute in the winter.  Later he spent his winters working with his brother Peter, and starting Bergen Mfg. 

In 1967, John and Martha were called into the ministry by Hague Mennonite Church, where they stayed for five years. While there, they welcomed a fourth child, Jeanette. Never satisfied with just one job, Dad also was involved in starting two businesses in Hague.

In 1972, the family moved to Herbert, where Dad was the administrator at Herbert Nursing Home for 12 years. While there, he also was a partner at Herbert Motors, a GM and farm equipment dealership, and started Herbert Trampolines.

In 1984, Dad moved the trampoline business to their new home in Saskatoon and renamed it Canuck Trampolines.

With all of the children gone and living in or near the US, Dad sold Canuck Trampolines and in 1989 took a one-year interim position at Pulaski Mennonite Church in Pulaski, Iowa. The one year became five. It was during these years that Dad began building the furniture that so many of us continue to use and appreciate.

After Pulaski, Dad and Mom moved to a large brick home in La Riviere, Manitoba. This is the house that the grandchildren loved to visit and which hosted us many times over the years. The grandchildren skated, skied, and sledded with dad in the winter, and golfed, fished, hiked and searched for golf balls with dad in the summer. Dad built a sunroom and large workshop onto the house, and more furniture and children’s toys continued to spring from his increasingly scarred fingers.

Over the years, Mom and Dad also spent many winters working with Mennonite Mission’s SOOP program (Service Opportunities with Our Partners).  They travelled around the US, renovating houses, working in camps, cooking for people, and helping in different ways.  They also built three play structures for children in South Africa. Additionally, they spent time doing interim pastoral work at Drake Mennonite Church and Crystal City Mennonite Church.

In 2007 they were ready to downsize. They moved briefly to Winkler, and in 2010 to their condo in Lindenwood Villa, Winnipeg, where they spent 15 years. Since leaving Drake, this was the longest Dad lived in the same place.

While in Winnipeg, Dad and Mom volunteered at the Kildonan MCC thrift store, and spent countless hours sorting and hanging used clothing.

Dad was a man of much energy and loved many things deeply. He loved his family. He loved children. He loved cars, especially getting new ones. He loved risk, regularly starting or buying new businesses. He loved God and the church. He loved music, and right to the end of his life sang along to songs even when he had no words of his own. He loved people, and regularly embarrassed his family by getting to know random strangers. He loved travelling, with trips to many countries around the world (Mexico, South Africa, China, Columbia…) and many of the US states. He loved ice cream and coffee and almost any food Mom made.

Dad moved to the Pembina Place Mennonite Personal Care home on May 9, 2025.  We would like to thank the staff there for their dedicated care of our dad, and care of us in his last hours.

John W Bergen is survived by his wife, Martha; brother Peter and sister Laura; four children and their spouses, Jan and Don Miller, Wes and Deb Bergen, Lynell Bergen and Brian Dyck, Jean and Eric Williams-Bergen; ten grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. 

A memorial service will be held at Sargent Avenue Mennonite Church, 926 Garfield St, on Saturday, January 10 at 3:00 pm. For those unable to attend, a livestream of the service can be viewed here.

Donations in memoriam can be made to Mennonite Central Committee Canada or Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

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