Eugene "Gene" Joseph Berns 1942-2007
KOERPERICK, BERNS, FETKETTER, LARSON, HEISLER, SMRCINA, GRAMLICH
Posted By: Mary Durr (email)
Date: 12/14/2007 at 19:21:26
Gene Berns
Eugene "Gene" Joseph Berns, 65, of Postville died Thursday, November 8, 2007 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon after a 14-year battle with cancer. Funeral services were held Tuesday, November 13 at St. Bridget's Catholic Church in Postville, with Rev. Msgr. Ed Lechtenberg and Fr. Richard Gaul officiating. Burial was in Smith Cemetery, rural Postville.
Eugene Joseph Berns was born July 17, 1942 in Postville, the son of Leo and Lucille (Koerperick) Berns. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Bridget's Catholic Church in Postville and graduated from Postville High School in 1960.
April 23, 1977, he married Nancy Fetketter at St. John's Catholic Church in Caledonia, MN. Gene farmed his entire life with his dad and brothers, Dick and Chuck. He especially enjoyed working with cattle and prided himself on the disposition of his cattle and the quality of the herd. He had definite ideas what genetic characteristics he wanted his cattle to have and learned how to artificially inseminate cattle in the 1960s. He spent hours going through breeder's books, choosing from the top herds in the country.
Gene also enjoyed his side businesses, selling Biozyme products, Apache and Vermeer equipment, and New Zealand fencers which he trusted to keep the cattle out of the corn. Like his cattle, he spent a lot of time researching the best products to enhance his farming operations.
Gene enjoyed hunting and fishing. He took great pride in training his dogs for hunting and farm work. He also was a horseman and excelled when he participated in horse games. He loved spending time with his family and friends. He was also an avid Iowa Hawkeye fan and enjoyed following high school sports, especially sports his son, Alex, was involved in.
Gene was a member of St. Bridget's Catholic Church. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus Council in Postville, Upper Iowa Saddle Club, National Farmers Organization, NRA, Red Angus Association and Allamakee County Cattleman's Association.
Survivors include his wife, Nancy, of Postville; his children, Kari Berns of Spring Valley, MN and her children, Rylee and Carley Tjossem, Kimberly (Adam Larson) Berns of Ridgeway, and Alex (Melissa Fritz) Berns of Postville; three brothers, Richard (Cindy) and Charles Berns, both of Postville, and Robert (Kay) Berns of Arlington Heights, IL; three sisters, Ann (Robert) Heisler of Dyersville, Bobbi (Robert) Smrcina of Dubuque, and Mary (Gerald) Gramlich of Waukon. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Casketbearers were Pete Mathews, Jim Keehner, Brad Berns, Allen Meiners, Steve Wagner, Tim Berns, Jeremy Krueger and Mike Koerperick.
The Waukon Standard, November 14, 2007
Allamakee Obituaries maintained by Sharyl Ferrall.
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