Richard Lee Berger

Richard (Dick) Lee Berger, who offered love without bounds, humor without regard to convention, and constant compassion without judgment to all of his family members, friends and employees, died on Thursday at his home in Dallas. He was 86.

The cause was complications of Parkinson’s disease.

Dick was born on February 3, 1934, to Joseph and Betty Berger. He grew up in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and Dallas and obtained a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. In the late 1950s he served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Birmingham, Alabama. Upon completion of that term, he moved back to Dallas and started an engineering and construction firm. In the 50 years that Dick operated his company, it employed more than 100 people and was contracted to handle engineering-construction projects for hundreds of shopping centers, offices, government buildings, hotels and schools all over the country.

Under Dick's management and direction, Berger Engineering Co. consistently was ranked as the nation's #1 most profitable company in this sector. Dick was a tremendous businessman and go-getter, but he also was a sweethearted father figure and caretaker to his colleagues and employees. For this reason, few people left his employ over the course of a half of a century. Weekends would find him at the side of a sick employee at the hospital, on the phone consoling a stressed-out employee whose teenaged son had had a traffic accident, or mentoring and providing career advice to a student or young person starting out on a work path.

Dick relished history, books, different cultures and travels, new people, old friends and animals. He was particularly a student of World War II history, a quote-dropping Winston Churchill fan and enjoyed sparring with everyone with trivia. He was fun-loving, unexpected, always irreverent, teasing and goofy, persistent, determined and hard-driving. His example was writ large: push through boundaries and obstacles by designing your own personal way but step with joy and fun and also with respect and regard for others.

Dick is survived by his life's soulmate and treasured wife of 50 years, Ann (Moynan) Berger of Dallas: six children; Scott Berger (Sandy Berger) of Dallas; Kim Braden (Steve Braden) of Dallas; Alison Berger of Los Angeles; Carey Adams of Dallas; Brett Adams of San Francisco and Loren Berger of New York; three grandchildren; Taylor LaFargue of Dallas, Alyssa Berger of San Francisco, Rebecca Berger of Nashville; dog-daughter Rosie Berger of Dallas and countless other dog-and-cat grandchildren. Three members of his family are especially honored to carry his middle name of Lee; daughter Alison Lee, granddaughter Taylor Lee and grandcatson, Nikki Lee.

Dick is preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Alan Berger.

Dick's family is deeply, deeply grateful for his caretakers and the love they gave to him.

After a graveside service on May 3, 2020, in Dallas, Dick will be laid to rest at Sparkman Hillcrest.

In lieu of flowers, donations to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research are appreciated.

We will dearly miss our days with you on Earth, but you always have been and always will be our Sun.