Howard "Jack" Berg

JACK BERG (November 23, 1930 - September 19, 2019) Howard “Jack” Berg, 88, of Cedar Falls, Iowa passed away peacefully on Thursday, September 19, 2019 at NewAldaya Lifescapes, in Cedar Falls. Jack was born and raised in Marshalltown, Iowa, where he graduated from Marshalltown High School and Marshalltown Community College. Jack left Marshalltown during the August 1951 draft to serve in the Korean War and arrived in Japan in April of that year. While awaiting assignment, Corporal Berg was in three scenes of the movie Back at the Front. He enjoyed telling others that he was a “movie star”. Jack was proud to have served his country. He will be honored with Military Honors by the Cedar Falls AMVETS Post 49 Honor Guard and the Iowa Army National Guard. Jack met the love of his life on a blind date back in the 50’s. Jack and Leah V. Clark were married on March 4, 1956. Jack expressed his love to Leah on each anniversary with a handwritten letter or homemade card highlighting special events that happened throughout the year. During their 63 years of marriage they had three children: two daughters, LeAnn and Becky; and one son, William “Bill”. At the time of his death, Jack had six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. After serving in the U.S. Army, Jack opened a Davis Paint store on 4th and Main Streets in Cedar Falls. Jack ran the business from the late 1950’s into the 1970’s. The family has many fond memories of the Davis Paint store. His daughters enjoyed helping out with annual sidewalk sales, dusting paint cans, and various other tasks. They were always “paid” with treats from the local bakery, the Maid-Rite, or other local shops. After the closure of the store, Jack went on to work as a social worker for the Department of Human Services until his retirement. Jack was a loyal Iowa Hawkeyes and Chicago Cubs fan. If anyone needed to know the score or what channel a game was on, you could count on him. Jack was able to travel to games in Phoenix, AZ while visiting his daughter and attended a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field on a family vacation. Jack enjoyed fishing for catfish along the Cedar River, with his favorite spots being Island Park and off the First Street bridge. One big catch was documented and pictured in the Cedar Falls Record newspaper. Fishing helped Jack through many tough health issues as he always looked forward to going down to the river or sharing fishing stories. Jack even put an ad in the Waterloo Courier when he lost a favorite pole while trying to reel in a big one, in hopes that someone would return it to him. He taught his grandchildren and great-grandchildren how to embellish the size of their catch. Jack will be remembered most for his sense of humor, jokes, and the ability to make others laugh. He is survived by three children: Becky Poe (Dallas) of Waterloo, IA, LeAnn Courbat (Tim Blau) of Phoenix, AZ, and Bill Berg (Carrie) of Des Moines, IA; granddaughters, Michelle Smith (Mark) of Basehor, KS, Jamie Blau of Phoenix, Holly Thompson (Jake) of Shell Rock, IA, Jill Bigelow (Ben) of Phoenix, Claire and Allison Berg of Des Moines; and great-grandchildren, Cole and Emma Thompson, Avery and Olivia Bigelow. A combined memorial service will be held for Jack and and his wife, Leah at 11:00 a.m. Friday, September 27th at Richardson Funeral Service with visitation one hour prior to the service. Military honors will be conducted by Cedar Falls AMVETS Post 49 Honor Guard and the Iowa Army National Guard. A luncheon will follow in Scott Hall at First United Methodist Church, Cedar Falls. Memorials may be directed to the family to be directed to Cedar Falls AMVETS Post 49.