Clarence R. Bergeron, 77

On Wednesday, July 1, 2020, Clarence Richard Bergeron Jr., also known to most as "Berge" or "Bergie," passed away peacefully in his sleep to be with our Lord in Heaven. He was 77 years old.

Clarence was born on April 20, 1943, in Surry, New Hampshire. He was the first born son of Clarence Sr. and Grace Bergeron, who have both predeceased him.

He was a mischievous young child, who beginning at the age of 3 would sneak daily phone calls to his grandmother when he was supposed to be napping. This went on for many months until he finally got caught by his mother. Clarence was a member of the Civil Air Patrol as a teenager well into his 20s, and who was once part of a search-and-rescue operation helping to locate a young person who had gotten lost up on a mountain. At the age of 16, Clarence went camping alone, and while looking for firewood, he fell 10 feet off of a ledge and broke his leg. He dragged himself down the mountain that he was on, in the dark, and crawled back to his home. It ended up taking him several hours, but he got himself home in the early hours of the morning, going through the bulkhead, up the stairs, through the entire first floor of his house and up another flight of stairs to where the bedrooms were so he could wake his mother up. He never quit at anything. He was a fighter.

Clarence had a love of piloting small planes, taking flying lessons in 1959 and taking his first solo flight on June 8, 1960, at the age of 17, on a Piper J-3. He worked at Dillant Hopkins Airport in Swanzey, New Hampshire, to raise money for his flying lessons. He was a recreational pilot flying small planes his whole life, as recently as 2017. His dream was to join the Air Force and become a military pilot. Unfortunately, his dreams were shattered when he was denied entry due to a heart murmur.

Clarence attended Keene High School, where he was a member of the cross country team, and went on to graduate in 1961 and proceeded to go to college at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1966, which led him to become a teacher. He also attended ROTC while in Miami. He then went on to teach 6th grade science at Pelham Middle School, in Pelham, NH, for 3 years. He was a very well-liked and highly respected teacher and was very well known to not wear his jacket in the middle of the winter while on bus duty. In 1966 he founded and led a Civil Air Patrol Squadron, which met weekly at Monadnock Regional High School in Swanzey, N.H. He worked for his father in Keene, N.H., at the family business, Bergeron Machine Company, for several years.

In 1978, Mr. Bergeron started teaching 7th grade social studies at Memorial Middle School, now known as Laconia Middle School, in Laconia, NH, for the next 19 years. He was very much loved by all of his colleagues and students. Mr. Bergeron taught all of his classes with fun and zest. He was very well known for his orange Ford Pinto, his boneless chicken dance, his sense of humor, and "Eggbert." Mr. Bergeron cared very much for each and every student that he taught. He never forgot a student or their names even as the years passed. Mr. Bergeron was always extra attentive to the kids who had a rough home life and he and his family even took in some children over the years to help them. He was an incredibly smart man who always knew how to mentor kids and had mentored hundreds of them over the years. Mr. Bergeron went on to get his Master's Degree in 1982 from Keene State College and he finished the Master's program in 9 short months, all while still working full-time teaching.

He had a love for all animals, especially dogs. His favorite dog, named "Fritz," meant everything to him. He even talked his landlord into "allowing" him to keep Fritz when he got caught sneaking him into his apartment building one day. By the time he got done "sweet talking" her, she "didn't see a thing." He loved his sweets and junk food and it was not uncommon for him to eat an entire bag of chips or candy or a pound or two of fudge in one day. It was not uncommon to see him pulled over or stopped in the middle of the road, to get debris out of the road, so that nobody got hurt. He always had a joke, he loved reminiscing, and he especially loved his music, preferably music from the 50s and 60s. As a child, he was a member of the 4-H club, and he even won an award for one of his animals, at the Cheshire Fair.

Clarence was predeceased by both of his parents. He is survived by his two daughters, Carrie "Bergeron" Lennon and Stacey "Bergeron" Harrison; his two grandsons, Ricky Lennon and Joey Lennon; his sister and brother-in-law Linda and David Perry; his brothers Ted Bergeron and Kevin Bergeron and his wife Bonnie; his ex-wife, Donna Bergeron; many nieces and nephews; and too many friends to count.

If you wish to honor him, the family suggests a donation in his name be made to Granite State Dog Recovery, PO Box 4581, Manchester, NH 03108.

Per his wishes, there will be no calling hours or services. The family will have a private gathering at a later date.