John J. Berg

John J. Berg, 73, of Green Valley, AZ, formerly of Kimball, NE died on Wednesday, August 31, 2016 at Banner University Medical Center in Tucson, AZ. Services for John will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016 at the Cantrell Funeral Home in Kimball. Reverend Christine Plantz will officiate. Visitation will be from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Wed., Sept. 21st at the funeral home. Burial will be in Kimball Cemetery. Visit www.cantrellfh.com to view John’s Tribute Wall and leave messages of sympathy for the family. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to St. Francis in the Valley Episcopal Church, 600 S. La Canada Ave, Green Valley, AZ 85614, to the USO or to a charity of the donor’s choice. The services for John have been entrusted to the Cantrell Funeral Home.

John was born on Sept. 10, 1942 in Wilkinsburg, PA to Jacob and Helen (Fails) Berg. He attended school in Penn Hills PA and graduated from Penn Hills High School in 1960. He obtained a two year degree from Point Park Junior College in Pittsburgh and then graduated from Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science in 1965. He enlisted in the United States Navy and served as a corpman for the Marines in the Vietnam conflict. He and Carolyn Budz were married on May 4, 1968. They owned and operated the John Berg Funeral Home in Franklin, PA for 5 years. The family then moved to Trinidad, CO and in 1977 began working for the Allnutt Funeral Service in Greeley, CO and then in Kimball, NE. They retired to Green Valley, AZ. John was a member of the Colorado Funeral Directors Association and the National Funeral Directors Association and held offices in both organizations. John was a member of the Colorado Funeral Directors Association and the National Funeral Directors Association. He served on the NFDA Convention Programming Work Group, NFDA Member Resources Advisory Group, NFDA Professional Conduct Committee and NFDA Professional Development Committee. He was an NFDA Past District Governor and Heritage Club Member. John also served as president of the Colorado Funeral Directors Association in 1986. He was awarded the CFDA Mentor Award in 1999, served on the advisory board of the Colorado Funeral Service Board, and on the CFDA Board of Directors and each office of the state association, up to President. He was also a member of the Colorado Jaycees. John was active with the Kimball Rotary serving as secretary/treasurer, a member of St. Hilda’s Episcopal Church serving as Senior Warden. He also spent several years mentoring the youth of Kimball through the Teammate’s Program. John served on Kimball Health Services’ Board of Directors and later served on the Kimball Health Services’ Foundation. He was a member of St. Francis in the Valley Episcopal Church in Green Valley. He began his employment with the Allnutt Funeral family in 1977 and remained an active part of this family business for 38 years. He enjoyed taking an active part in the organizations that he belonged to and was active in his church activities. He was the ultimate funeral director and had a wonderful sense of humor. John enjoyed traveling, spending time with family and friends and the beauty and wildlife of the Arizona desert.

He is survived by his wife, Carolyn of Green Valley; daughters, Jennifer Brownlee and fiancée Geoff Gaebe of Santee CA; Jessica (Andy) Laws of Gering, NE; sister, Jayne (Howard) Evans of Ft. Lauderdale, FL; brother, Philip Berg of Clintonville, PA; brother-in-law, Robert (Marion)Budz of Littleton, CO; sister-in-law, Pat (Tom) Bassetti of Sarver, PA and 5 grandchildren, Brandon, Kyla, Tabor, Annalee (Brandon) and Jerilyn.