Jerry Vernon Bergren, 77, of Ames passed away July 1st, 2013, at home, after a lingering struggle with cancer. Jerry loved life, his family, and Ames.

Jerry was born June 13, 1936 to Vernon and Lucy (Spangenberg) Bergren in Elliott, Iowa. He grew up on the family farm, and enjoyed the farming lifestyle working along side his Dad. He was active in school, the FFA and 4H.

He attended his beloved ISU, graduating in 1958 with a degree in civil engineering. After graduating, he fulfilled his ROTC commitment graduating from Officer Training School at Fort Belvore, Va.
After the military, he began his career at the Indiana Department of Transportation, and then moved back to Atlantic, Iowa in 1959 after joining the Iowa DOT. In 1966 he was promoted to Maintenance Engineer and moved to Waterloo, Iowa. In 1973, he was promoted to the central office of the Iowa DOT in Ames, Ia, where he held several positions in the Materials Lab until his retirement in 1998.

On Feb 28, 1960, he was married to Leona Mace. They were blessed with three children. Lee and Jerry enjoyed golfing and traveling, especially to see their grandchildren. He enjoyed many winters in Florida and South Texas. He was a member of Collegiate United Methodist Church in Ames, Ia. Jerry was a 50 year member of the Masonic Grand Lodge of Griswold, Iowa. He also was a member of the Des Moines Shriners and of the Ames Elks Club.

Jerry is survived by his wife, Leona, son Brad and his wife Sherri of Brookfield, Wisc. and daughter Dee Ann of Tampa, Fla. His grandchildren include Joey Bergren of New York City, NY, and Coley Bergren of Brookfield. He is also survived by a brother Dennis Bergren of Madison, Wisc., and sister Trudy (Warren) Hersher of Fergus Falls, Minn, and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was preceeded in death by his parents, a daughter Darcy Joan Bergren and a granddaughter, Darcy Lee Bergren.

A gathering of friends and family will be 3-7:00 p.m. Friday with the family present 5-7:00 p.m. at Grandon Funeral and Cremation Care 414 Lincoln Way with a 2:00 p.m. Celebration of life funeral service on Saturday at Collegiate United Methodist Church with a hour of visitation before the service.

Memorials may be directed to Collegiate United Methodist Church or The Bliss Cancer Center at Mary Greeley Medical Center.

On line condolences may be sent to www.grandonfuneralandcremationcare.com.