Rev. Richard L Bergman Obituary
Rev. Richard L. Bergman
Johnston
Reverend Richard L. Bergman, 82, died January 28 at the Bishop Drumm Care Center in Johnston, Iowa. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Des Moines on Wednesday, February 1 at 10 a.m. The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Holy Trinity Church with a Rosary at 7 p.m. Father Bergman attended Dowling High School, Loras College and Mount Saint Bernard Seminary and was ordained to the priesthood on June 9, 1955, at St. Ambrose Cathedral in Des Moines.
After studies in Canon Law in Rome he served as Assistant Pastor at St. Anthony’s in Des Moines and then as Administrator. He then moved as Assistant Pastor in Panama to Assistant in Harlan, Earling and Visitation in Des Moines. In 1966 he was made the head of the Matrimonial Tribunal of the Diocese of Des Moines, a post he held until 1978. While serving in this position he was made Pastor in Elkhart and Holy Cross. Next he served at Irish Settlement and then was named Pastor at Churchville. From there he was made Pastor of the church in Bayard and Jamaica. In 1986 he was named the Pastor of Lacona and also served the parishes in Milo and Rosemount. His last pastorate was in Stuart where the Church was tragically destroyed by fire. He retired in 1997. In declining health he spent the last six years of his life in the Bishop Drumm Care Center.
Father Bergman will be remembered as a priest who was very dedicated to the Church and to the families in the parishes where he served as well as to his own family, especially his nieces and nephews. He had a fine sense of humor and would let you know where he stood on the issues of the day.
Father Bergman is survived by his sisters, Dorothy Heimgartner of San Jose, California and Margaret (Jim) Durbala of Des Moines; brother, James (Bernice) Bergman of Des Moines, his brother-in-law, Thomas J. Pilmaier, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Mary Pilmaier, Oklahoma and his brother-in-law, Franklin L. Heimgartner. Special thanks to the staff of the Bishop Drumm Care Center who took such wonderful care of Father Bergman. Memorials may be made to the Priest Pension Fund Society, c/o the Diocese of Des Moines, 601 Grand Avenue in Des Moines, 50309.