Gordon Owen Berg

Gordon Owen Berg, 81, passed away on November 20, 2019. He is survived by his adoring children Simone Berg and Michael Berg, loving siblings Sharon Brown, Ellery Berg, Judson Berg, Byron (Mark) Berg, Corey Berg, Naron Berg, and their spouses, as well as nephews, nieces, their children, and grandchildren.

Born in Big Timber, Montana, Gordon was raised in Washington. He was a longtime resident of Tempe, receiving his Ph.D. in Mathematics at Arizona State University. After moving to Las Cruses to teach and do research at New Mexico State University for five years, a job brought him back to Tempe. He would spend the remainder of his long career at Motorola in Tempe.

After retiring, Gordon decided to take up ballroom dancing. He became an impassioned dancer, practicing most every day. Dance became one of his loves, along with horses, fly fishing, cigar smoking, and most of all, mathematics, which can be defined as, “the flame of intuition, frozen in rigor.”

Gordon was adored by those around him. He delighted in solving problems. (Of late, he wanted to write a thesis on how humankind has learned to throw.) He was an innovator and loved to invent things. He enjoyed teaching others how to solve problems. He was a brilliant, yet unassuming man, who could be recognized by his signature fedora and cowboy boots.

Our beloved father, brother, uncle, great-uncle, friend will be laid to rest on Saturday, December 7 at 1 p.m. at Double Butte Cemetery located at 2505 West Broadway Road in Tempe. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be sent to the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group.