Cliff Buchan
News Editor

Slowly but surely, Forest Lakeís links to the Second World War are passing.

The area has lost another with last weekís passing of Raymond A. Bergerson, 93, who died on Thursday, July 13. Bergerson, a longtime Columbus and Forest Lake area resident, had been residing at the Meadows on Fairview assisted living facility.

Bergerson was 28 when he was inducted into the Army in June of 1941. He had enlisted under a one-year program with a goal of satisfying his military obligation and returning to everyday life in Forest Lake.

Americaís entry into World War II following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 put an end to any hope Bergerson had of a one-year stay in the Army.

By the time he was a civilian again, four years and two months had passed. During his time in the Army, Bergerson fought in five major European campaigns, including the Normandy Invasion in 1944 and the Battle of the Bulge in December of 1944.

Bergerson was a combat engineer with the Armyís 23rd Armored Engineer Battalion. He earned additional battle commendations for campaigns in northern France, the Rhineland, the Ardennes and in central Germany.

His main job was a driver of a half track. The unitís main duty was to build roads and bridges over rivers to assist Allied forces in their march across Europe.

Bergerson received the Purple Heart after being wounded by artillery during fighting in Belgium.

Two years ago during the 60th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, Bergerson looked back on his service days with the stoic style that came to characterize the man. He simply considered military service his duty and felt he was ìluckyî during it all, despite losing a number of close friends in combat.

ìThey say there will always be wars,î Bergerson said in the June 2004 interview.

ìYou had to do it. Iíve got no complaints. Sometimes you wouldnít get any food for a couple of days and in the winter it was cold.î

Stayed in FL

After the war, Bergerson returned home to Forest Lake. He never strayed too far from his roots.

He was born on March 4, 1913 and lived on farms in Columbus Township for much of his early life and attended Forest Lake area schools. He spent his early years on a farm that was part of the wire grass camps that grew grass that was baled and used for carpets.

His father, Art, spent 10 years as foreman at one of the wire grass camps.

Prior to the war, Bergerson worked as a house mover. In the post-war years he worked as a house mover, truck driver and a welder, retiring in 1978.

Bergerson continued his passion for work in the fields and woods. Partnering with friends, he would spend hours putting up wood and doing field work, more for the work than the money, he once said.

Each spring, he would join his son Garnet and family in Scandia to help tap maple trees for the production of maple syrup.

His community life was strongly devoted to the Masonic Lodge.

He was a key figure in the planning and construction of the Forest Lake Masonic Lodge in 1962. He was the Lodgeís first master. He was also active in the Lindstrom Masonic Lodge where he was a past master.

Funeral Details

A funeral service for Ray Bergerson will be at noon Saturday, July 22 at Mattson Funeral Home, 343 North Shore Drive, Forest Lake. Family and friends will gather at 10 a.m. until the time of the service. A private interment will take place at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.

He is survived by his four sons, Garnet (Betty), Lynn (Leslie), Neil and Ned (Libby); grandsons, great-grandsons and other relatives and friends; sisters Eleanor and Lois.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 47 years, Lue, and one brother, Willard.

Memorials may be directed to the Shriners Hospital, 2025 East River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN, 55414 in Ray Bergersonís name.

Mattson Funeral Home invites friends to share a personal sentiment about Bergersonís life by making an entry in the permanent community memorial scrapbook.

Go to www.mattsonfuneralhome.com and visit the Help Honor a Veteran article on the News and Events page of the website for more details.

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Forest Lake Times
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880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
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