Berend Joseph High

He is survived by his father, Larry D. High; his mother, Michele L. Fields (Snyder); his step father, William D. Fields; his brothers, C. Avery High, Micah High, and Christian Fields; his grandmother, Evelyn High (Mumbauer); and his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. David Fields.

Berend was preceded in death by his grandfathers, Clifford Dale High and Russell Roy Snyder; and his grandmother, Ann L. Snyder (Popovich).

Berend was a loving son and brother most of the time. He was caring, gregarious, and goofy. One could always count on him for a quick smile and sometimes a sarcastic remark. His love of life and everyone he met is exhibited in all the friends that he had from Ashland to Fredericksburg. His teachers from Lewis and Clark Elementary School, Caroline Middle School, James Monroe High School and lastly Randolph Macon College adored him and loved his intellect along with his friendliness. He was always ready to lend a hand, a smile, a laugh, or his time. There was no one that he met that was not drawn to him immediately.

His life dream was to become a medical doctor. He had always told me that he wanted to be a medical examiner but recently he was thinking about Pediatric Oncology. I think watching Gray’s Anatomy changed his mind. Along with Gray’s anatomy, many times we would find him watching Asian Drama. His love of everything in the Orient extended to his musical likes with K-pop, his colorful hair and taking the language of Japanese his first year in college. When he was not listening to music, he was playing music. He started in middle school playing flute, then piccolo, and finally landed on bassoon. He continued to play the bassoon in college with the Randolph Macon band and symphony.

When he was not playing in the band at RMC, you could find him in the esports arena practicing League of Legends as BlazeNightHunter. He was on 2 of the esports teams in the fall, both of which made playoffs. When he was not in the esports arena, he was playing Wizard 101 with his brothers or other online. Early in life he was a Pokemon card trader to go along with all the Pokemon games.

In order to help with the payment of college, he worked as a Barista at Starbucks. There he was one of the associates that all could count on to cover shifts if needed and to add a smile to their day. He started working at the Starbucks when it opened this past spring and being a barista was a dream come true since he loved his lattes and fancy teas, coffees, etc from an early age.

Berend will be greatly missed by all persons who came in contact with him. He was a dedicated friend, avid gamer, music lover, dedicated employee, loving brother and a wonderful son. His memories will help him live forever in our hearts and we hope that all live the legacy that he has given us….live in the moment and don’t be afraid as we never know when you will be taken from this earth. We will miss you young man.

A visitation for Berend will be held Sunday, December 17, 2023 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Mullins & Thompson Funeral Service, 1621 Emancipation Hwy, Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401, followed by a celebration of life at 2:00 PM.