Shirley Berg

Prayer Service:

Shirley Ida (Rasmusson) Berg, age 86, passed away Tuesday, September 17, 2024, at Bethany Retirement Living in Fargo, ND.

Shirley was born to William (Bill) and Ethel (Basford) Rasmusson in Devils Lake, ND, on March 15, 1938. She grew up on the family farm near Warwick, walking to the one-room schoolhouse for all but one year of elementary school. She received her high school education and diploma from New Rockford High School in 1956, traveling by car with her younger brother Chip each week for her education, staying with family friends, and returning home on the weekends.

Shirley moved to Fargo to attend Dakotah Business College, where she was a member of the Sigma Phi Sorority and earned her secretarial certificate. She worked for The Greater North Dakota Association and later for Arlo Turek Accounting until she was fired for getting pregnant with her first child, Eric.

She met her future husband, Paul Berg on a date arranged by mutual friends Don and Lorraine Knounovsky. They were united in marriage on September 2, 1961, at Elim Lutheran Church in Fargo, ND. They made their home near Horace, ND, where they owned and managed a Horseshoe Bend Mobile Home Park and raised their three children until moving to a farm near Kindred in 1975.

Shirley was an active member of Norman Lutheran Church, Homemaker Club, and more. Shirley enjoyed cooking and baking – with her Swedish meatballs, banana bread, and grasshopper pie being named family favorites. She loved sewing and was a talented seamstress creating beautiful clothing and costumes for herself, her children, and grandchildren.

She was fearless in her approach to home restoration, tackling wood and furniture refinishing, wallpapering, painting, and more. But her pride and joy were her grandchildren, devoting hours of time, energy and joy in their care, feeding, and development, which resulted in happy and healthy human beings.

As Paul and Shirley’s nest began to empty, she found her calling with Bethany Home Health Services. Shirley’s warmth, selflessness, compassion, and kindness shone through as she dedicated herself to providing comfort, companionship, and care to those in their elderly years.

In 2013, she and Paul moved to a lovely home in Fargo, and she spent the last year under the care of Bethany Retirement Living in South Fargo. The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the staff at Bethany who showed incredible kindness and provided excellent care for Shirley each day she was there.

Shirley is survived by her husband of 63 years, Paul; son Eric (Erika) Berg of Kindred, ND, daughter Ellen (Rod) Shafer of Fargo, ND, and daughter Alaine (Noble Baker) Berg of Marathon TX; granddaughters Julianna and Ida and grandson Oskar Berg, and grandsons Ethan and Angus Shafer; brother William “Chip”, (Sharon) Rasmusson of Arlington Heights, IL, sister Stella (Keith) Papachek of Devils Lake, ND, sister-in-law Janice (Ivan) Berg of Fargo, and sister-in-law Ethel Rasmusson of Fargo; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Douglas Rasmusson, and brothers-in-law Keith Papachek and Ivan Berg.

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials to NDSU Bison Strides Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies Program.

A prayer service will be held at the Fredrikson-Boulger Funeral Chapel at 6:30 pm on Thursday, October 3, with visitation starting at 5:00 pm. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, October 4, at Norman Lutheran Church, rural Kindred, with visitation starting at 10am. There will be a lunch served after. Interment will be at the St. Johns Lutheran Cemetery near Horace at a later date.