"To God be the Glory"A Celebration of the Life of...

Carol Berg1947 ~ 2016

“The journey is over…..heaven is now my home.”

Carol’s family includes husband of 48 years, Ellis of Zahl; son, E. Michael (Nicky) Berg, and their children, Cole and Logan of Zahl, ND; daughter, Holly (Owen) Dry, and their daughter, Emily of Richland, WA; son, Hunter (Julie) Berg, and their children, Ty, Walker, Brecklyn and Irelyn Huntley, Gunnar, Quinn, and Jersey of Bismarck, ND; daughter, Amy (J.R.) Johnson, and their children, Bridger and Harper of Grenora, ND; brother, Glen (Mary) Christianson of Mesa, AZ; sister-in-law, Anne Christianson of Middleton, MA; nephew, Steven Christianson of Middleton, MA; niece, Jessica Friederman of Gilbert, AZ; nephew, Jeff Christianson of Mesa, AZ, and their families; cousins, Carmen (Jerry) McCormick of Valley City, ND, and Dennis (Karen) Christianson of Minot, ND, and their families. As the family grew with marriages, we have enjoyed the company of the kids “other parents”, Owen and Gail Dry, John and Marlene Sandaker, and Shary Johnson.

Loved ones who have become special memories are grandparents, Andrew Christianson, O.G. (Ragna) Bratsberg, Iver (Gertrude) Nysven; uncles and aunts, Palma Bratsberg, Roy Bratsberg, and Olaf (Evelyn) Christianson; father-in-law, Franz Berg (died in 1983); mother-in-law, Myrtle Berg (died in 2010); father, Clifford Christianson (died in 2002); mother, Opal Christianson (died in 2007); older brother, Rodney Gene (died in 2014). We also shared the loss of the kids “other parents”, Steve and Terry Storhaug and Gary Johnson.

"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you

also may be where I am."~ John 14:3~

Carol Ann Christianson was born on December 16, 1947, to Clifford and Opal (Bratsberg) Christianson of Zahl, one day after Ron Hanson was born to Nels and Hope Hanson. Quite some excitement, I’m sure, for a small town to have two babies born a day apart.

She had a wonderful childhood with friends from town and country – Elaine, Phyllis, Claire Marie, Francy, Miriam, and Vicky. Delores attended school in Zahl when she was twelve and they have remained life-long friends.

Carol thought high school was fun, but a bit traumatic at first. She was active in music and other groups, graduating in 1965, which was the biggest class recorded for Grenora. She was the parish secretary and church organist during high school and returned to both, when they moved back to Zahl in 1972.

She attended college at NDSU, but dropped out to marry Ellis Berg in 1967. They had dated since she was a sophomore in high school. They moved to Fargo where he finished college and then moved to Bismarck for Ellis’ job with the ND Department of Agriculture. From there, they moved to Colorado where he started working for USDA, but when offered employment in Dallas/Fort Worth, he said no and came home to be ‘poor, but happy farmers.’ In 1979, they moved into the ‘Bratsberg’ house, lived there for seven years and decided to build their home at the farm.

They were blessed with four children, E. Michael, Holly, Hunter, and Amy. Carol kept busy with their activities – Sunday School, Bible School, 4-H, sports, and music.

Carol loved her church and its women’s groups. She made lifelong friendships as she worked and traveled to unit, cluster, synodical, and national gatherings. A very meaningful verse to mom was……..“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:3

‘Grandma and Grandpa’ loved to have everyone at the farm. Grandpa was mostly in charge of the outdoor activities such as bonfires, building in the ‘forest’, tubing, etc. Grandma was not so much of a participator but tried to keep the fridge and the pantry full, find warm and dry clothes in various sizes for everyone to change into, and wondered every morning why the living room floor was covered with so many blankets, pillows, and kids when there seemed to be plenty of beds-- a result of the cousins enjoying their time together.

A special memory of Christmas, two days before Carol’s mother died, was the grandkids’ version of the Christmas Story. The three kings wore polyester leisure suits and presented their gifts, which were TROPHIES, to the baby Jesus in a wicker laundry basket! A Christmas Story enjoyed by all. Nativities were also special to Carol. Her collection numbered nearly one hundred.

Not really loving cooking and household ‘stuff’, two of her favorite things in life she said, were fabric and paper. It took many years for her to appreciate her mother and grandmothers’ quilting talents. But wow, did she eventually get hooked! She enjoyed making quilts for family and friends, charities, and especially the grandkids’ school raffles. She loved ‘piddly’ work in her office and published the Town and Country Crossroads, a Grenora-area publication distributed to over 400 monthly, for the past 23 years. She was proud of her creations, the four Grenora school reunion booklets.

Carol’s church family, her quilting sisters, and the life-long friends she has made in the Zahl/Grenora community have been such a comfort to her these past months/years and we are grateful for the loving care, concern, and prayer support that have been shown to our family.

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To God be the Glory...A Celebration of the Life ofCarol Berg

Date and Place of Birth December 16, 1947 ~ Williston, North Dakota

Date and Place of PassingApril 10, 2016 ~ Zahl, North Dakota

Her Funeral ServiceSaturday, April 16, 2016

United Lutheran Church ~ Zahl, North Dakota 11:00 AM

Officiating MusiciansRev. Al Beyer Mark Miller ~ Piano

Heidi Coughlin ~ Soloist

"Honorary Urn Bearers"Fran & Patty Bedore Phil & Val KuefflerDuane & Betty Lundby Steve & Barb PoeckesMike & Randa Eldred Loyal & Shirley LarsonDon & Carol Gunlikson Larry & Nancy JohnsonDon & Jeri Warrenburg John & Phyllis HaskinsJerry & Carmen McCormick Dennis & Karen ChristiansonRoger & Diana Bloom John & Marlene Sandaker

"Other Special Women in Carol's Life"Donna Mae Dragseth Peggy Nelson

Sandy Winter Lil Schmidt Alvina Skogen Phyllis Raaum Mary Lynn Brevik Sherry Rodvold Marlene Solberg

Final Resting Place Bethany Cemetery ~ Rural Zahl, North Dakota