Dorothy Lurline (Barham) Berger was born in New York City on October 27, 1924. She died January 15, 2020 at the age of 95. Her parents were British subjects who emigrated to the United States from Kingston, Jamaica. As a child, her family moved to and from Jamaica twice. Her parents settled in Astoria, Queens She attended Julia Richman High School in Manhattan, New York. Dorothy graduated from Brooklyn College with majors in Psychology and English in 1946. She obtained her master’s degree in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1948. At the University of Pittsburgh, she met Emanuel M. Berger, a doctoral student in psychology. They were married in 1948. After Manny obtained his doctorate, they moved to Minneapolis so he could take a position at the University of Minnesota.
Dorothy worked as a research psychologist with Emily Willerman, PhD, studying the coping skills of blind children. A Fridley resident, she had two sons: Jack in 1952, and Robert, in 1957. In 1964, she returned to graduate school at the University of Minnesota where she obtained a second master’s degree in Social Work. In 1966, Dorothy took a social work position at Anoka State Hospital. In 1970, Dorothy founded Tasks Unlimited, a lodge program dedicated to helping people with serious mental illness lead a fuller life combining work and communal living. She continued supporting the organization well into her retirement. She worked for People, Incorporated as the director of Hewitt House from 1978 until her retirement in 1994. Dorothy had many friends and was engaged in her community and with her family. She is survived by her brother, Francis Barham and his sons and her sister Joyce Lazar,and her children, her son, Robert, her daughter-in-law Kathleen Schmitt, her grandson Jon and his wife Jen and her three great grand-daughters, Anabelle, Lilah, and Clara. Memorials to Tasks Unlimited, 2419 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404.
