Dr. Bruce Howard Berget

Dr. Berget was born on April 19, 1947 in Fargo, ND to Howard D. Berget and Carol (nee Estenson) Berget who preceded him in death. His family bought their beloved lake cottage on Big Floyd Lake in Detroit Lakes, MN where they spent their summers waterskiing, sailing, fishing, and having adventures with the many lifelong friends that they made there. Following the death of his father at age 10, Dr. Berget’s family moved to Fort Meade, SD and Sturgis, SD, where he was a member of the Sturgis High School graduating class of 1965. While at SHS Dr. Berget took his first international trip to Peru, which began a lifelong love of travelling and exploring new customs and cultures.

In the fall of 1965, Dr. Berget attended Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA, where he was a history major. While at Stanford, he had the opportunity to study abroad in Austria where he spent his time skiing, traveling the continent, couch surfing, and being introduced to Wiener Schnitzel (it was love at first bite!). Later in his life, he brought his children to the Panhans Hotel where he had stayed for part of his trip so that he could share his fond memories of his European experience with them.

Dr. Berget graduated from Stanford University in 1969 and then began his medical school training at Northwestern University in Chicago. He completed his pediatric residency at Northwestern and Children’s Memorial Hospital in 1976 and began to fulfill his calling to serve children and families as a pediatrician. He joined Child Life Center in Northwest Indiana working primarily out of the Crown Point location. There he established himself as a knowledgeable, thorough, kind, and patient doctor. He was well respected by his colleagues, admired and trusted by his nurses, and adored by his patients and their parents for his wonderful bedside manner.

In 1994, he made local headlines when he resigned from the Crown Point Community School Corporation after the School Board failed to adopt a smoking ban on all school campuses. His actions earned him recognition and gratitude from the American Cancer Society for his commitment and advocacy of healthy lifestyle behaviors for youth.

After a 20+ year career in the Chicagoland area, Dr. Berget and his wife relocated to the Fort Myers, FL area where he joined the Physicians’ Primary Care of Southwest Florida group practice. Dr. Berget quickly earned the respect and devotion of his colleagues and patients and served as the Chairman for the Department of Pediatrics at Gulf Coast Hospital from 2000-2001. He retired from practice in July 2019.

During his 40+ year career, Dr. Berget held numerous teaching and faculty positions including Instructor at Northwestern University, Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at University of Chicago, and Lecturer in Pediatric Neurology at Indiana University School of Medicine (Northwest campus). His passion for teaching was evident to all who knew him, and he viewed each interaction with families, or really anyone, as an opportunity to educate.

Leading up to and following his retirement, Dr. Berget traveled extensively with his treasured wife, Margie. A lover of a good road trip, Dr. Berget drove to visit granddaughters in Maryland and Massachusetts, siblings in Minnesota, and his annual summer vacation at his beloved family lake cottage in Detroit Lakes. He also hit the road in 2019 and drove to California for his 50th reunion at Stanford, making stops in Nashville, Lake Tahoe, Carmel, and Arizona. He and Margie also traveled internationally to Costa Rica and the UK and took a Northern European river cruise with stops in Norway, a destination that Dr. Berget had long desired to visit in order to further connect him to his Norwegian heritage.

Dr. Berget leaves behind a treasure trove of memories that his family will hold dear. He lived his philosophy of living each day to its fullest and making memories. His love and passion for sailing, swimming, and skiing were passed on to his children and grandchildren, and they all have wonderful memories of the ski and boat trips in recent years.

Dr. Bruce Berget is survived by his dear wife of 32 years, Margie of Cape Coral; children Kimberly Salmon (Dave) of Bridgewater, MA and Todd (Leanne) of Crofton, MD; step-daughter Chrisie Lundgren of Cape Coral; grandchildren Adeline, Elinor, Norah, and Marin; siblings Pam Mowery (Garry) of St. Paul, MN, Paul Berget (Pam) of St. Paul, MN, and Bill Berget (Helen) of White Bear Lake, MN; and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in his name to either the Southwest Florida Children’s Charities or to the American Liver Foundation.

A memorial and celebration of Dr. Berget’s life is planned for Tuesday, February 16th. Service begins at 5:30pm ET and reception with refreshments immediately following. Cape Coral Yacht Club Ballroom, 5819 Driftwood Pkwy, Cape Coral, 33904. Online streaming of the service is planned. Details available at www.facebook.com/Dr-Bruce-Berget-Memorial-Page-104497194978175/