Colleen Berger

Colleen C. Berger, age 63, of Traverse City, Michigan, passed away on Monday, February 17, 2025, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. She passed at her home, where dear friends and family members supported her during her time in hospice.

Colleen was born on September 30, 1961, in Madison Heights, MI, to the late Ron and Sharon Carlsen, the eldest of their five children, and grew up in Grosse Pointe Woods, MI. She graduated from Grosse Pointe North High School and received a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lawrence Technological University.

She married Dwayne Berger (a fixer-upper) on October 27, 1984, and was still making improvements more than 40 years later. They would go on to have three children and make homes in Grosse Pointe Woods, Dexter, and Traverse City.

Colleen was an avid socializer and loved shopping and spending time with her friends and family, hosting and planning many holidays, parties, and gatherings throughout her life. She was a celebrated crafter and curator of clothing, furniture, and home decor for herself and many of those close to her. She enjoyed traveling and went on many exciting and memorable trips, especially her many European adventures while living there, ski trips in Michigan and abroad, beach vacations with family and friends, and her annual camping trips to the UP with her husband, Dwayne.

Those who knew Colleen knew of her passion and skill for thrifting and her ability to find a treasure in a sea of junk. She thoroughly enjoyed working at EB2 in Traverse City and the community of friends she made there. She also found joy in spoiling her grandson, JD, with entire wardrobes of thrifted baby clothes. She found fulfillment in breathing new life into old things and finding creative ways to reuse rather than buy new.

Colleen was an active member of her community and was involved in numerous charitable efforts in her life. When her kids were younger, she served many years on PTO boards at Monteith and Mason elementary schools in Grosse Pointe and was also heavily involved in supporting the special needs programming there. More recently, she served on the board of Arts for All and dedicated time to supporting programming for people with special needs in the Traverse City area.

Colleen is survived by her loving husband of 40 years Dwayne G. Berger, children George D. Berger II (Patrick), Claire B. Kerk (Sam), Melanie G. Berger, grandson Jamie D. Kerk, sister Lorna Fletcher (Garry), brothers Tim Carlsen, and Pat Carlsen (Jill), her mother-in-law, Yvonne L. Berger, and many brothers- and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Ron and Sharon Carlsen, and her brother, Danny Carlsen.

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the team at the Cowell Cancer Center and Munson Hospice for their compassionate care for Colleen.

A memorial service honoring Colleen will take place on Saturday, March 15, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. with a visitation starting at 2:00 p.m. at the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home, 305 Sixth Street, Traverse City, MI 49684. A wake will follow at the Silver Spruce Brewery located at 439 8th Street, Traverse City, MI, 49684.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy may wish to consider a memorial donation to Grand Traverse Industries (GTI), 2170 Traversefield Dr., Traverse City, MI 49686. GTI is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in May 1974, for the purpose of developing and providing comprehensive services for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities residing in Grand Traverse and Leelanau Counties. Colleen's daughter Melanie has been employed by GTI since 2022.

Here is the donation link for GTI: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=BA384RG9MQUQW

Please feel free to share your thoughts and memories with Colleen's family at her tribute page at www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com .