Dorothy Therese Berding

Dorothy Therese (Reger) Berding (1930-2023) - Beloved wife of Robert Alan Berding (2006); cherished mother of Robert Joseph (Celeste Morin), Kenneth (Lisa), Patricia Mackey (Michael), Diane (2017), Kevin (Joy) and Joan Schroder; adored grandmother of Sean Logan, Timothy Logan (Carla), Kerry Logan, Dorothy Mackey, Brian Mackey (Michelle), Robert Roy (Caitlin), Lindsay, Kevin Michael, Joseph (2009), Justin, Evan Schroder and Lauren Schroder; dear great-grandmother of Olivia, Dylan Daves, Rose, Brittany Logan, Tyler Logan, Jackson Logan, Ruby Logan, Luke Mackey, Millie Mackey and Rebel.

Dorothy was the second of six children born to Joseph and Margaret Reger and last surviving member of her family. Coming into this world at the start of the Great Depression primarily shaped her childhood experience. She possessed a remarkable memory and served as family historian among those of her generation. Her vivid tales of Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia distributing Thanksgiving turkeys or charitable organizations delivering coal for heat in wintertime offered glimpses into her appreciation for the simple kindnesses in life.

Growing up on Bleecker Street, she attended St. Brigid Parish Elementary School on Linden Street in Brooklyn. Although future husband Bob lived only a few blocks away on Woodbine Street and attended the same school, they did not know each other during that time. In the true Catholic School tradition, Dorothy developed the most beautiful handwriting which was routinely admired by anyone who received a greeting card from her or merely watched her affix her signature with a flourish to some document, especially when making any type of purchase.

Like many of her generation, the necessity of becoming a household wage earner outweighed the luxury of continuing education. Altering a birth certificate to meet the minimum employment age (eighteen) was common place (Bob did it so often there is only a hole where his date of birth was originally typed in). So Dorothy entered the workforce at age thirteen beginning after school hours with local retail stores Woolworth’s Five and Dime and Kresge’s (renamed KMart in 1977). In 1945, at age fifteen, she ventured into office work and immediately established herself as a smart, efficient and reliable employee.

She was very proud to have worked at some of the most prestigious office addresses in Manhattan such as One Madison Avenue for an ink manufacturing company and on Park Avenue for the first widely successful typewriter manufacturer, the Underwood Typewriter Company. In 1947, she became engaged to Bob and took a new job at Two Hundred Fifth Avenue to type sales orders for Pacific Mills, Ltd., manufacturers of pulp and paper. There, she blossomed into a “Girl Friday” for her boss, Mr. Murray, who offered her a promotion and pleaded with her to forego her plans to marry so she could go back to school. She ignored the advice but probably never dreamed then that her experience with ink, paper and the type-written word would all foreshadow the eventual family business.

In 1948, she married Bob who was beginning his printing apprenticeship. This vocational path continued even as he joined the United States Army during the Korean War and was shipped off to Fort Sill, Oklahoma. While they immensely enjoyed most of their time there with weekend excursions to the Alamo or San Antonio River Walk, when she encountered her first tornado, just like a famous Dorothy of her era, there was no “going back to Kansas” and she took the first bus back to Brooklyn.

It was back on Bleecker Street, just two doors down from her childhood home, where they began to raise their family. Ever industrious, Bob had managed to amass the princely sum of $300 by waiting tables at the Fort Sill Officer’s Club when he was not on duty. With this windfall of cash in the bank for a mortgage deposit, they would go house-hunting every weekend on Long Island. Dorothy dreamed of living in St. James, where she sometimes visited with relatives. However, Bob needed to commute into Brooklyn and St. James was too far for a commuter. They eventually plunked down that $300 for a three-bedroom, one bath ranch style home in Deer Park with easy parkway access.

They proceeded to fill those three bedrooms with six children plus whatever family member might have found themselves without a place to live for a time. Beyond increasing the census of the Town of Babylon almost every year, Dorothy made time to become an active member of Sts. Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church as a member of the Rosary Society and Columbiettes. However, the bulk of her time was focused on raising her family. Unlike her own childhood, there were many excursions to child-friendly destinations. Most of these trips were in the burgundy-colored, faux wood-paneled, ten-seat 1965 Ford Country Squire station wagon which would be filled beyond capacity with her family plus whoever else on the block who could fit inside on the rides to paradises like Seaside Heights, Palisades Amusement Park and Jones Beach.

As the older children started to become of age to care for the younger ones, mom returned to the workforce, this time as a cashier in the brand new Mid-Island Department store. It was never officially timed but she was the undisputed fastest cashier for this retailer (pre-credit card era, mind you - strictly cash) as well as the fastest shopper during her breaks.

It was afterwards that all of her lifelong work experience would come together in a profound manner. Bob’s master printing skills had entrepreneurial potential but someone would have to handle the office functions. Someone who was familiar with sales orders, paper, ink, had typing skills, handled money and could be a Girl Friday in the office. He naturally turned to his faithful wife once again, so after all those children, a later-in-life family business was born.

However, it was always the family that was at the heart of her intentions. The family business was really just another way to interact with her family. At this point in life, Dorothy made her own rules about when to start and stop her workday which usually centered around other family personal interactions. It also led to some more upscale family adventures featuring a Williamsburg, Virginia timeshare with side trips to King’s Dominion and Busch Gardens.

Dorothy will doubtless always be remembered for many reasons. She possessed classic beauty that lasted well into her life. She was fiercely loyal to her family and loved ones. She opened her home to any loved one in need. She was generous in giving even beyond her means. She was unwavering in her faith in God. Today, her family asks that you remember her in your hearts and prayers.