Trevor John Berger

Trevor J. Berger, age 43, of Atwater, passed away Thursday morning, March 10, at his residence following a courageous battle against cancer.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 19, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Atwater.  Interment with military honors will be at Union Cemetery.  Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. on Friday, March 18, at Immanuel Lutheran Church and will continue for one hour prior to the service.  The funeral service will  be live-streamed at:  https://youtu.be/0x2F_mCdQyQ

Arrangements are entrusted to the Peterson Brothers Atwater Funeral home.  www.petersonbrothers.com

Trevor John Berger was born on February 20, 1979, in Willmar, Minnesota, the son of Marvin and Nancy (Mormann) Berger.  He grew up in Atwater, was baptized and confirmed at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, and graduated from ACGC High School in 1998.  From 1998 to 2001, Trevor served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Nassau.  Following his honorable discharge, he attended Alexandria Technical College and earned a degree in law enforcement.  On June 22, 2002, Trevor was united in marriage to his high school sweetheart, Kate Marie Nelson.  Kate and Trevor were blessed with 3 children, Kendell, Micah, and Ryan. While Trevor and Kate finished their schooling, they lived in Alexandria and Morris. Upon graduation, they moved to Willmar and settled in Litchfield between Kate’s job at ACGC and Trevor’s first law enforcement jobs at McLeod County jail and Silver Lake PD. Trevor expanded his police experience by working part time for Eden Valley PD and Atwater PD where he finished his career. He had achieved his dream of serving his hometown! This position brought Trevor, Kate, Kendell and Micah to their home in Atwater where Ryan completed their family. He retired in 2021 due to ill health as the Police Chief of Atwater.  Trevor was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church and the Samstad-Jensen American Legion Post #375 of Atwater.

He loved making people laugh. He always had a story or joke ready to share. He was quick witted and fit into many different social groups. He had a knack for making all people around him feel as though they were the most important part of his life. When he wasn’t working, he enjoyed spending time with his kids watching movies, going to amusement and water parks, and celebrating the holidays with his family, especially at Halloween and Christmas.  He was also a huge fan of NASCAR, football, and Disney World.

He is survived by his wife, Kate; his three children, Kendell, Micah, and Ryan, all of Atwater; his parents, Marvin and Nancy Berger of Atwater and one sister, Kimberly Berger (and Bryan Lechner) of Richfield; his in-laws, Bruce and Linda Nelson of Grove City; brothers-in-law, Lance (Jolene) Nelson and Eric (Chelsey) Nelson; nephews and nieces, Logan Nelson, Brooklyn Nelson, Kaiden Nelson, Jackson Nelson, and Lily Jo Nelson; as well as other family members.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents and an uncle, Duane Berger.