Thomas Joseph Berger

Tom was born in Richardton, North Dakota, to Raphael and Elvira Berger. After his father’s early death, Tom spent his childhood with his mother and grandparents in Fargo. He attended St. John’s Preparatory School in Collegeville, Minnesota, where his Benedictine education rid him of his North Dakota accent and left him with a low-grade but persistent mistrust of Jesuits. Tom graduated from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, where he met his wife of 37 years, Anne Galloway. Together they had four children: Frederica, Catherine, Thomas, and Andrea.

Tom was a career officer in the US Navy, earning a Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam. His service took the family to Illinois, Florida, Rhode Island, California, Virginia, New York, and Pennsylvania. The Bergers stayed in Norfolk, VA, after his retirement while he earned his PhD at Old Dominion University. They moved to land-locked Raleigh for his work as an oceanographer. Tom spent the next three decades living in various homes within two miles of the North Carolina Capitol and was a devoted parishioner at Sacred Heart Cathedral throughout.

Tom was predeceased by his parents, his wife Anne, and his second wife Diane Desclos Moretz. They had nine precious years together, enjoying travels and grandchildren in their retirement. Beloved father and grandfather, Tom is survived by Frederica, Randy, Jackson, and Grace Rhodes; Catherine Berger; Thomas Berger, Leigh Carroll, Lila Hanifin, and Georgia Berger; Andrea, Nico, Joseph and George Verykoukis; and Zachary, Lisa, Chase, Tate, Sawyer, and Piper Moretz, as well as his extended family and many friends.

He spent his last years cooking, traveling, painting, watching obscure European crime shows, and delighting his family.

A memorial mass for Tom will be held Monday, November 21, 2022 at 10:00 AM at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 200 Hillsborough St, Raleigh, NC 27603. A reception will immediately follow at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 St. Mary's Street, Raleigh.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Door Fund at Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral or Raleigh Rescue Mission. Tom’s family is exceptionally grateful for the loving care he received at SECU Jim and Betsy Bryan Hospice Home of UNC in Pittsboro.