What's your name?  Where are you from?  What do you do?

The first 3 questions Steve always asked when someone new came into his life.

For the friends that were already a part of his life; it was a friendly greeting in person, on the phone or a stop in their driveway if they were out in the yard.

Steve Berg, 72 of Underwood died at home on Saturday, July 8, 2023.   A Celebration of his Life will be held at 10:30 AM on Wednesday, July 12, 2023 at Augustana Lutheran Church in Underwood, ND.  There will be a prayer service at 5:30 PM on Tuesday also at the church.  Burial will be held at the Underwood Cemetery immediately following the service with military rights.  The celebration of life will be livestreamed at the bottom of his obituary on this page.

Steve Emil Berg was born on November 22, 1950, to Emil & Marion Berg.  He was raised in and around Fessenden, Turtle Lake and then Underwood.  Most of his youth was spent on a farm where he & his brother Mike helped plant & harvest crops, along with milking cows.  He had two older & one younger sister whom he either teased or befriended depending on the circumstances.

Steve attended school in Turtle Lake/Underwood and graduated from Underwood High School in 1970.  During his high school years, he joined the football team upon the encouragement of the coach.  He excelled in the sport and often led the team in tackles.  He challenged his son & his grandson to exceed his tackles, which they both did.

After graduation he joined the US Army, especially since his draft number was so low.  After basic training he had orders for Vietnam and came home for a visit before deporting.  The day before deporting, his orders were switched, and he was sent to Alaska to serve out his 2-year Army commitment.

Upon returning from the Army, he worked for ICI in Bismarck.  After construction season he started working for Acme Welding Supply in Bismarck where he was a route salesman, delivering welding supplies & gases to southwestern ND customers along with the area power plants.  He established many friendships along his routes and quickly became known for his "sales" abilities.

It was through mutual friends in Bismarck that Steve met Ellen Opsal.  They were married in Williston, ND on July 6, 1974, celebrating 49 years last Thursday.  Steve & Ellen were blessed with 3 children: Sheldon, Stephanie & Jennifer.

In the fall of 1982, the family moved to Underwood where Steve began farming with his dad & brother.  In addition to farming, he worked at the Coal Gasification plant and drove trucks moving coal from Riverdale to Falkirk.  Steve also started selling corn & sunflower seeds to area farmers around this time.

Steve's selling endeavors brought him to open Berg Ag Sales, which he thoroughly enjoyed and expanded especially during the CRP era.  However, in May of 1989 Steve suffered a brain aneurysm and after having surgery had partial paralysis of his left side. Although a major setback, Steve didn't let this ultimately slow him down. With the help of many amazing people, Steve regained movement in his leg and continued to do many of the things he enjoyed prior to his aneurysm. Simultaneously, Steve made the brave decision to quit drinking and held that sobriety for 33 years. As he walked his sobriety journey, he also became a huge advocate for others to do the same. We know he helped many in this way.

We have many fond memories of Steve from snowmobiling at Lake Metigoshe to camping at Lake Sakakawea when "Captain Sticky" would make an appearance. Steve sure liked to have a good time and made sure everyone else around him had one too. Between his "imaginary pet goat or bear" he was always teasing his grandkids and others with his active imagination. He loved rummage sales and always managed to find a treasure or two to share with his family and friends. And his grandkids will never forget Grandpa's candy stash, which always included Necco's, spice drops and chocolate.

Steve loved visiting in person or over the phone, driving around drinking mountain dew or sugar with some coffee and smoking cigarettes, making people laugh, supporting people in time of need, watching his kids and grandkids (as well as Underwood kids) play sports, listening to music such as Alan Jackson, Josh Turner, and Andrea Bocelli and spending time with his family. He was especially proud of his grandchildren, always checking in to see what was going on in their lives.  We can still hear his words, "I love you with my whole heart" or "I just called to tell you I love you and I'm proud of you." This was the essence of Steve. A heart of Gold.

He is survived by his wife, Ellen of Underwood, ND; his daughters, Stephanie (Cody) Neff of Crawford CO and Jennifer (Jens) Spendrup of Grand Junction, CO; his grandchildren, Jayden and Jewell Berg, Carter, Sidney and Emerson Neff and Ashlyn Spendrup; his sisters, Kathy (Leo) Anderson and Marcia Blotske; his brothers-in-law, Allet Opsal, Ervin (Sue) Opsal, and Claire (Cyndy) Opsal and numerous nieces and nephews.

Steve was preceded in death by his son, Sheldon Berg; his parents Emil & Marion Berg; his brother, Wayne Berg; his sister and brother-in-law, Julie and Eugene Love; his brother and sister-in-law, Mike and Denise Berg; his brother-in-law, Dale Blotske and sister-in-law, Evie Opsal.