Family Log-In

Click Here

LIFE STORY

Carl Bergmann (1926-2018)

Carl Alfred Bergmann passed away March 9, 2018 at the age of 91, at home in the company of his loving family. Carl, also known to his family and old friends as Bud or Buddy, was born November 4, 1926 in Brooklyn, NY. He married Betsy Seaver on September 11, 1948, and Carl and Betsy came to Minnesota from Sturbridge, Massachusetts in 1977 when Carl took a position at Buckbee-Mears in Saint Paul.

Carl was warm, outgoing, and competitive but consummately patient and generous. He believed in positive thinking, and acted on his beliefs. He never complained. He brought people together and was good at having fun—whether teaching generations to water ski behind the Boston Whaler on his beloved Piseco Lake or gathering with friends and family. His smile was contagious. He loved to sing and was a great dancer. He also loved to travel, as he and his wife Betsy did around the world. With his VHS camcorder attached to his shoulder, he was a habitual recorder of the lives of those around him, including countless hours of family dinners that only the most patient can enjoy in one sitting. His place of worship was really the outdoors. He loved to be in the mountains skiing, in the woods hiking or fishing, on the water paddling and sailing, or on the court slamming the tennis ball. He was competitive in the best way—in business, on the tennis court, at the ping pong table and bridge tables, on the slopes. He played to win and he loved to win, and he brought forward the best in his opponents. But he also took his losses with grace and respect for his opponent, a game well played, and the luck of the draw.

One of his most remembered sayings was “Who has more fun than we do?!” Answer, from the chorus of grandchildren assembled: “NOBODY!!!”

Carl was also an inveterate imaginer and maker of things. He loved working wood, and designed interiors and/or exteriors of the houses he had built in Sturbridge, MA; North Oaks and White Bear Township, MN; and Piseco, NY. He built bars, cabinets and furnishings for all of his houses—and his children’s—as well as toys for his grandchildren—some of it from trees taken from his own property.

An Eagle Scout, and veteran of World War II (Army PFC), Carl was organized and dedicated. He graduated from Montclair High School and went on to earn a BS in Business and Engineering in 1949 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloane School. He began his career working at Necco and went on to work at Sperry Gyroscope and Curtis Wright. In 1959, he moved to Massachusetts to work for American Optical (AO) where he served in various management and leadership positions for 18 years. When AO was purchase by Warner Lambert in the mid ‘70s, Carl was President of AO Canada. In 1977, he left AO to become Vice President of Buckbee-Mears Corporation (BMC) and President of Vision-Ease, their Opthalmics division. During this period, Carl served for 12 years on the board of the Optical Manufacturers Association, and served as its president in 1982-83, where he was instrumental in establishing the Vision Council of America. Carl retired in 1992.

Carl was an active member of his community. He was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity of MIT, and organized several reunions of Sigma Chi, including their 50th. He serve on the Tantasqua Regional High School Board; and was a member of Rotary Club and on Community Chest. From 1955-1990, he was Treasurer of the Piseco Company, and served as President from 1990-1995.

Carl was preceded in death by his Father Carl Alfred Oscar Bergmann, Mother Mabel Wagner Bergmann, and Sister Annette Burnet. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth (Betsy); sister Charlotte Russell; daughter Elizabeth (Beth) and husband William Loizeaux and their daughter Emma; son Fritz and his wife Kate Nobbe and their sons Hardt and Colin; son Bill and his wife Beth Lewis and their sons Henry, Mose and Ezra; and daughter Ann and her husband Dan Ewing and their daughter Libby, son Will, and great-grandson Ryder Ewing.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to the Piseco Company, a family organization founded in 1892, dedicated to preserving a tract of the Adirondack wilderness. Donations can be sent to:

The Piseco Company
PO Box 54
Piseco, NY 12139

A memorial service will be held at St. John in the Wilderness Episcopal Church, 2175 1st St., White Bear Lake on Saturday, May 5. Visitation 1:00 P.M. Service at 2:00. Reception and remembrances following the service.


OBITUARY NOTICE

Carl Alfred “Bud” Bergmann

Age 91 - Passed away March 9, 2018
at home in the company of his family.

He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandpa. Former Vice President of BMC of St. Paul (formerly Buckbee Mears Co.) and President of their Optical Division, Vision-Ease. He was a board member and President of the Optical Manufacturers Association. He worked for American Optical Company in Southbridge, MA for 17 years and left for St. Paul as the President of their Canadian Division. For many years, he was Treasurer and the President of the Piseco Co., a small company founded in 1892, dedicated to preserving the Irondequoit Inn and a tract of the Adirondack Wilderness. He was also a talented woodworker, an Eagle Scout, a WWII Army Veteran, a Sigma Chi Member at MIT, and a Rotary and Community Chest member. Preceded in death by parents, Mabel and Carl; and sister, Annette Burnet. Survived by wife, Elizabeth “Betsy”; sister, Charlotte Russell; daughter, Elizabeth “Beth” (William) Loizeaux and their daughter, Emma; son, Fritz (Kate Nobbe) and their sons, Hardt and Colin; son, Bill (Beth Lewis) and their sons, Henry, Mose, and Ezra; daughter, Ann (Dan) Ewing and their children, Libby and Will; great-grandson, Ryder Ewing; and other family and friends. Memorial Service at 2PM on Saturday, May 5, 2018 at St. John in the Wilderness Episcopal Church, 2175 1st Street, White Bear Lake with visitation from 1-2PM. Reception and remembrances to follow the service. In lieu of flowers, donations are appreciated to the Piseco Company, Visiting Angels, or to HealthPartners Hospice.