Fritz Berger

Julius Max Fritz Berger was born May 25, 1913, the son of Max and Emma Sprenger Berger. He passed away at the Denison Care Center in Denison, Iowa, on Saturday, December 17, 2011, at the age of 98.
Fritz was born in Sebnitz, Germany, and attended the public grammar school. Then he went to a vocational school to become a machinist. Because there were no jobs available during the Great Depression in 1929, Fritz joined the German Navy. At the beginning of World War II Fritz received orders to join the German Air Force and become a pilot. He was a fighter pilot, a transport pilot, and a flight instructor, training pilots on land and sea. In post-war Germany Fritz was a woodworker, a coal miner, and a milk inspector, providing the sole support for his wife, son, mother, sister, and mother-in-law. It was important to him to take care of his family. He was united in marriage to Anni Kuchlenz on February 26, 1938, in Germany, and to this union was born one son, Swen. With the help of Mr. & Mrs. Johannes Gosch, Fritz was able to bring his family to America, immigrating to Schleswig, Iowa, on May 8, 1950. He worked as a carpenter in the area and later became a partner in Petersen Heating and Plumbing.
Fritz was an avid skier in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany. He was also an accomplished athlete in swimming, track, and gymnastics. He loved to golf, play chess, go fishing, and build and fly radio-controlled model airplanes in his spare time. He was also an amateur radio operator. He was a member of the United Church of Christ in Schleswig. He fought a valiant battle with Parkinsons disease from 2000 through the present.
Fritz was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Anni; and two sisters, Elfriede and Gertrude. He is survived by one son, Swen; and one sister, Elizabeth and her husband, Armin; other relatives and friends.