Irving Eugene Berg

Irving Eugene Berg, a 68-year resident of Las Vegas, NV, passed away at the age of 90 years young on April 29, 2019. Irving was born and raised on a farm outside of Newman Grove, NE on April 25, 1929. He grew up on the farm during the Great Depression and during the “dust bowl” days of the dirty 30’s, learning the value of a dollar and hard work.

“Irv” attended grades 1-8 in a 2-room schoolhouse in the county and attended high school in Newman Grove, NE, graduating in 1947. He worked on farms in the area and the local grocery store for 5 – 25 cents an hour upon graduation. Irv also went to work for a local creamery, picking up the raw milk from are farmers and transporting it to the creamery in Newman Grove, NE for processing to make butter that was then distributed nationwide.

In November 1950, Irv joined the U.S. Air Force, doing his basic training at Lockland Air Force Base in Texas then being stationed at George Air Force Base in Victorville, CA. On June 22, 1951, Irv was united in marriage to his childhood and high school sweetheart, Florence Steensnes, at George Air Force Base. He was trained as a munitions specialist and was deployed to Korea during the Korean War.

In September of 1951, Irv returned from Korea and was stationed at Nellis Air Force base in Las Vegas, NV. Irv and Flo decided to make their home in Las Vegas, and after settling in at Nellis Air Force Base, Irv went to work at Anderson Dairy in Las Vegas. Irv still had 3 years left to serve in the U.S. Air Force, so from 1951 until his discharge in 1954, he worked his shift at the Air Base then ran his milk route afterwards, putting in 20-hour days for those 3 years. Irv continued to work with Anderson Dairy for the next 40 years; he was a wholesale driver/salesman, delivering bulk dairy products to hotels and restaurants on Fremont Street and the Las Vegas Strip, retiring in May of 1991.

Irv and Flo were blessed with four boys, Gary, Bob, Steven and John, who all were born in Las Vegas and continue to make Las Vegas their home. Irv spent his life working hard, being active in Calvary Lutheran Church, participating with all of his sons in their Boy Scout adventures, Little League and high school sports activities, later attending all of his grandchildren’s school and sports activities. He even found time to get in a round of golf or a game of shuffleboard with his longtime friends from the dairy.

Through thick and thin, good times and challenging times, Irv and Flo stood by each other’s side for 55 years until Flo’s passing in September 2006. Irving was a past member of the local VFW, the American Legion Post #73 in his hometown of Newman Grove, NE, and the Las Vegas Nebraskans Football Club. Irv donated to many worthy charities his entire life, including Boy’s Town, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Lutheran Charities and numerous others. He did this because he felt blessed and fortunate to have his family, his job and a nice home after having nothing while growing up during the depression.

His four sons, Gary, Robert, Steve and John; numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren survive Irving. Irv was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers and one sister; his loving wife Florence, grandchild John Berg II, and his daughter in law Diane Berg.

Irving was a true pioneer of the Las Vegas Valley, arriving here with nothing but his wife and the clothes they could carry. After living a long life with a big family, a good job, and many, many friends and memories, he would always say, “I’m the luckiest man in the world”.