Tom Berger

Tom Berger of Arvada, formally of Lakewood died September 25 of complications from a fall. Born in Johnsonburg Pa on July 13, 1922 he was 95 years old. He was the first of three sons of Lester and Maude (Koneskie) Berger. He grew up in Salem, Ohio and proudly served during WWII, part of America's Greatest Generation spending over a year on a 30 square mile volcanic rock called Ascension Island in the middle of the southern Atlantic Ocean half way between Brazil and Africa with the US Army Air Corps. Tom and Olymbia Steve were married in Pittsburgh Pa on June 21, 1945 and had two children Karen and Thomas. Stevie purchased a pair of "Drug Store" black and turquoise cowboy boots for Tom as a Christmas gift in 1955 and it sparked Tom to move the family to Denver in 1956.
Tom spent most of his career as a graphic designer for Chevron Oil/Standard Oil of Ohio working on print media and architectural design. Later he was an art teacher, and was the editorial cartoonist for the National Register newspaper for nine years.
Tom as a painter focused most of his creative energies on watercolor and tempera resist paintings. He was known throughout the Rocky Mountain region for his depictions of the west, painting the Colorado of years past, mining towns, old buildings, decaying railroad stations, deserted mines, ghost towns and lonely miner shacks. At the zenith of his career he was in 20 different art galleries and over the years had 39 one or two man shows. In 2012, he was recognized for being a charter participant in the 50 year Glenwood Springs Fall Art Festival. Tom was a member of the "Whiskey Painters of America" a group of artists that exhibit internationally. A Whiskey painting is a small painting, sometimes as small as a postage stamp, but usually 5 inches by 7 inches so they are easily exchanged and shipped. Tom spent many a late night hunched over his painting table with a small paint brush and a magnifying glass doing his watercolors.
Tom was most proud of his efforts to get the Foothills Art Center of Golden, Colorado established by donating all of the profits from a Tempera Resist painting demonstration workshop to the center for seed money for the purchase of the building. The Foothills Art Center 50 year celebration will be in October of 2018.
His exhibition resume includes the Royal Society of Miniature Painters international show in London, England, Watercolor Society International Show Exhibit in New Orleans, The Famous Artists Schools traveling exhibit, the Rocky Mountain National Watercolor show, The Barn, the Vanishing American Landmark, Springfield, Missouri, and the Sports in Art Madison Square Garden.
His awards and honors include: The Hartford Insurance Co Calendar Art Competition; 3-M National Water Color Competition; Cheyenne Regional Purchase; Cody Western Heritage Bronze medal: Colorado State Fair Merit Award; New Mexico National Small Painting Exhibition champion; New Jersey Miniature Art Society 1st; Washington DC National Miniature Minor S. Jamison Award; Academic of Italy Gold Medal plus awards in Florida and La Luz , New Mexico.
Tom illustrated articles in the Ford Times magazine three times and was featured in the French magazine, La Revue Moderne, Artists of Renoun and is listed in the Who's Who of American Artists.
He is survived by his son TS Berger of Fort Collins. Tom is predeceased by his parents, his daughter Karen Berger Croy and his wife of 72 years Olymbia Stevie Berger. He loved his wife Stevie so much that he died six weeks after her passing.
Tom has six grandchildren and 16 great grand children. Burial will be at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver. In lieu of flowers, he requested that a donation be made to the Foothills Art Center 809 15th St Golden, Co 80401.