Peter Derek Bergstrom

Peter Derek Bergstrom, 82, of Leesburg, VA, formally of Vienna, VA, died Wednesday, May 30, 2018 at Poet's Walk, Leesburg, VA. He was preceded in death by his father Gustaf Adolf Bergstrom, his mother, LaUna Fenton Bergstrom, his brother, George Fenton Bergstrom and his sister, Barbara Bergstrom Rochow. Born on October 21, 1935, in Jacksonville, FL, he graduated from Robert E. Lee High School class of 1953. He earned 3 degrees from Georgia Tech: Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate in Electrical Engineering. On October 7, 2000, he was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Engineering Alumni at Georgia Tech. While in Atlanta, he met his wife of 56 years, Joanna Roden Bergstrom of Richmond, VA.

Dr. Bergstrom joined MITRE in 1973. He became a group leader for setting performance and technical requirements for the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) effort to acquire and deploy the first nationwide automated system for Flight Service Stations to automatically deliver pilot weather briefings and file flight plans. Dr. Bergstrom's efforts led to successful acquisition and deployment of the system. He was then promoted to head a department to support the FAA in the design and procurement of communication systems for nation-wide Air Traffic Control System. As the design and procurement progressed, Dr. Bergstrom was promoted to lead a division of over two hundred senior engineers to support design and modernization as well as acquire information and communication systems for various government agencies, such as the Patent and Trademark Office, the GSA, the IRS for Tax System Modernization, and the USPS. His teams of engineers also assisted the FBI in modernizing crime-fighting tools, such as the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System and the National Crime Information Center 2000. These tools are used by the FBI and over 60,000 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. During this time, Dr. Bergstrom was also employed by George Washington University's Continuing Education Program to teach short courses in Data Communications which he developed over several years.

Dr. Bergstrom was promoted to VP for MITRETEK's Center for Information Systems when MITRETEK (MITRETEK now is known as Noblis) was spun from MITRE in 1996. Upon reaching mandatory retirement age of 65 at MITRETEK in 1998, Dr. Bergstrom joined SETA Corporation as the VP for Research and Advanced Systems Design. When SETA was sold to Apptis in 2005, Dr. Bergstrom served as Vice President for Advanced Technology before retiring.

He always felt it was important to have a good work ethic. "Strive to do a quality job in your activities. Remember your work reflects on you. Ask yourself when you finish any task, is there any way I can add more value or creativity to what I have done?..Hard work is its own reward." He also loved family vacations to the beach, following the stock market, and golfing. He would say balance in work and life is important for peace of mind. He told us that behind all our family and friends, health, work, education, service, and money was the belief that our Almighty God had created us in His image and we were to give Him thanks for the blessings which He had given to us.

Not only was he a beloved husband, but also a devoted father to his daughter Barbara Fenton Clendenin (Jon) of Ashburn, VA, and two sons, Peter D. Bergstrom, Jr. (Denisse) of Leesburg, VA, and Lee R. Bergstrom (Kristin) of Belleair, FL; grandchildren: Stephen Clendenin (Nikkoahk), James Clendenin (Jennifer), George Clendenin, William Clendenin (Churchill), Addison and Andrew Bergstrom, Lucas and Brielle Bergstrom; great-grandchildren: Nathan and Phillip Clendenin, Arrayah Clendenin.

The graveside service is at Riverside Memorial Gardens (7242 Normandy Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32205) on June 18, 2018 at 10:00 AM. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to: Lewy-Body Dementia Association, 912 Killian Hill Rd., S.W., Lilburn, GA 30047, or the Georgia Tech Foundation, Inc. (760 Spring Street NW., Suite 400, Atlanta, GA 30308). To make a gift online, donors can go http://development.gatech.edu and click on the "GIVE NOW" button. Please note that the gift is in memory of Peter D. Bergstrom. You may leave words of comfort and sympathy at www.HGRiversideFuneralHome.com . HARDAGE-GIDDENS, RIVERSIDE MEMORIAL PARK and FUNERAL HOME, 7242 Normandy Boulevard is serving the family.