Glen Berger

Glen’s parents, Henry and Elfriede Berger were born in Wolfsburg, Germany and kept close connections with relatives and friends there after immigrating to the United States in the 1950’s. Their son, Glen, was born here in 1952, and attended Edsel Ford high school in Dearborn Michigan. He later took classes at a community college, where he enjoyed and excelled at giving presentations in language arts.

For the next several years he was employed in a variety of workforce jobs, and eventually caught the attention of a supervisor who found him a position as a shift supervisor at one of the University of Michigan warehouses. This proved to be an ideal position for Glen which he held for eleven years, until diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s at the age of 40. During his years at University of Michigan, he attended five annual sessions of Richard Petty Driving School. There he met many of the NASCAR drivers and maintained connections to them, and to the sport, although the diagnosis ended his hopes to actually participate in NASCAR at some level.

His interest in entertainment and his frequent attendance at concerts at the Fox Theater in Detroit led to his idea to start a small limousine company to provide transportation for entertainers arriving at the Detroit airport. This quickly became a successful and rewarding enterprise for him for a few years, until the progression of Parkinson’s brought it and his employment with the University to an end. He took early retirement and moved to Charlevoix in 2006. Here he enjoyed visiting the shops and galleries. He had already developed an extensive collection of scale models of racing and other autos over the years and added to that as well.

Through a series of fortuitous circumstances, he and Judith Wedemeier met a few years later, and they married in 2012. Gradually, his disability began to impact their active lives walking around Charlevoix and Petoskey . By 2016 Glen entered Grandvue Medical Care Facility in East Jordan as a resident, where he has remained until the present.

Those who knew Glen enjoyed his humor, his stories of the interesting and varied life he lived, and his whole-hearted response to life. His smile has always been remembered by those who were fortunate to know him, and has always endeared everyone who has become his friend.

Donations in his memory can be made to the ASPCA or the Charlevoix County Animal Shelter.

Arrangements are in the care of the Charlevoix Chapel of Mortensen Funeral Homes.

Sign his online guestbook at www.mortensenfuneralhomes.com