Obituary of James Arthur Berg

James “Jim” Arthur Berg of Manzanita, OR (formerly of Westwood Hills, KS) passed away on Oct. 20, 2019 with his wife and sons at his side. A memorial service will be held on Nov. 10 at 2 PM at Cannon Beach Community Church (132 E. Washington, Cannon Beach, OR) with Pastor David Robinson officiating. Jim was born March 18, 1937, to the late Hilda & Anton Berg, the second child after brother Bill and before brother Richard “Rich” (deceased) and sister Betty. As a boy in Thomaston, Connecticut, Jim had a newspaper route, played baseball, basketball, and soccer, and played tuba in the marching band. Jim attended The University of Connecticut where he played soccer, was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and studied Business. After college Jim served as a Lieutenant in the United States Army. After a short courtship, Jim and Rebecca “Becky” Reick married and began a happy life together full of dinner parties, dancing, music, sailboat rides, snow skiing, travel, church involvement, and raising their two sons. They were married 52 years. Jim was extremely dedicated to youth soccer development in Shawnee Mission, Kansas, and served as a coach in the Johnson County Soccer League for many years. He also relished his work as a referee, officiating games at the local colleges. Most of Jim’s professional life was in the hardware industry (“making doors work”), including his consulting business Berg Marketing Association, specializing in sports stadiums, hospitals, and schools. In their empty nesting years in Kansas City, Jim and Becky shared a two-story house converted to an office building where Becky ran her interior design firm and Jim ran his hardware consulting business. Since retiring to the Oregon coast about six years ago, Jim and Becky have been members of the Cannon Beach Community Church as well as the St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church in Manzanita. Jim served on the boards of The Rinehart Clinic and The Pine Grove Community Center. He was also a dedicated member of The Cannon Beach Chorus. Most of all, Jim was devoted to his Christian faith and enjoyed being a part of several men’s Christian faith groups. As a grandfather and family organizer, Jim’s commitment and enthusiasm were undeniable. If he could be there for one of his grandson’s games, practices, school assemblies, recitals or performances, Jim was there. If there was a family reunion, Jim organized it. If there was a speech to give, Jim stood up. If there was a song to sing, Jim gave it his best. If there were pancakes or eggs to make or ribs or chicken to smoke, Jim had his apron on. Jim loved cooking and sharing with friends and family (perhaps especially his favorite German family recipe for sauerbraten and spaetzle handed down by his mother). Jim leaves behind his wife Rebecca and his sons James “Jamey” (wife Heidi) and John “Tony” (wife Laura). Jim is also survived by his grandsons: Jacob, Eli, and Henry; his brother William “Bill” Berg of Thomaston, CT; and his sister Elizabeth “Betty” Berg of New York, NY. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jim’s honor may be made to TMA@myositis.org and Cannon Beach Community Church (Outreach) at BeachCommunity.org.