Born on June 18, 1931 in Manhattan, NY, to William and Bella Heller Berger. Alex was raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, specifically on 1st Street across from the famous Katz’s Deli. He spent his early years surrounded by 7 brothers and sisters, Jack, Larry, Anna, Florence, Miriam, Shirley, and Milton, who have all pre-deceased him.
Alex was proud of having attended Stuyvesant High School. He was even prouder of serving 4 years in the United States Air Force during the Korean War, reaching the rank of Staff Sargent before being honorably discharged. When he returned home, he attended the City College of New York. After graduation Alex held a number of positions before finally landing with the New York City Housing Authority, managing Woodside Houses (check with Jon for others). Following his retirement, Alex was able to enjoy a second career and ultimately the one he was most proud of, as a humor columnist for the network of weekly community papers in Queens that included the Whitestone Times, the Flushing Times and the Bayside Times. Berger’s Burg won numerous awards and accolades and was beloved by many members of the “Burg.”
In 1963, Alex met and married Gloria Ruth Cream, the love of his life. Gloria predeceased Alex after a long and loving 52 years of marriage. They were inseparable before death, often “twinning” in their outfits, especially when attending New York Giants football games. The Giants were also one of Alex’s passions and probably led to his writing career when he had an op-ed piece about having his 1987 Super Bowl tickets stolen in the parking lot of the Rose Bowl published in the New York Times. He was a season ticket holder and attended 4 Super Bowls. Alex and Gloria also enjoyed traveling, specifically cruising and visiting their timeshare in Aruba, often with some of Alex’s siblings and their families.
Alex is survived by his children Jon and his wife Alicia, Vance and his wife Hue, his grandchildren Justin and his wife Jessica, Keri, Brendan and his fiancé Turni, and Aaron, as well as his great-grandson Jack Milton.
Friends and family are welcome to attend his graveside ceremony at Beth Moses Cemetery, 1500 Wellwood Avenue, West Babylon, NY 11704 on Sunday May 17 at 11:30 AM.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Alex’s name can be made to the Jeffrey W. Berger Research Scholarship Foundation. (The Jeffrey W. Berger Research Trust, P.O. Box 1652, Havertown, PA 19083)
