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Title
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Bergman, Adolf E.
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•
---------------------------------------------
---Addi tional Bi ogr aphical Exper iences, Epis odes or Further Comment on Back.
•
RE V. AND MRS. ADOLF BERGM AN
!... arrived in Simpsonville, Kentucky, Ju ly
5 where they are serving th e local Methodist ch urch. Mr. Ber g man is a retii·ed
member of the Detroit Conference
where he served f or 19 years. Their
address is Box 57, Simpsonville, Ky.
40067. 'a- o - ~ oREV. AND MRS. ADOLF BERG;M~N
f the Detroit Conference are enJoymg
~etirement in Wheelwr ight, Kentuc~y,
w here they are serving the Com mumty
Methodist Ch urch. It was 20 yea.rs a~o
last month that Mr. Berl?man. arrived Ill
New York on the Swedish lm.er Drot:n ingholm, comi ng to the Detro!t Confele nce f r om the Baltic and Slavic Confere nce. The Wheelwright ~hurch r ecently
obse.rved its golcl~1 . "J/1~7J{J homecommg week.
~
/1
REV. AND MRS. ADOLF BERGMAN,
now retired, are living at 125 North Street,
Bad Axe, Michigan 48413.~ ~ey, ~lferly
resided in H arbor Beach.
7
t..J}L 71
'l/5/,7)
Hazel Bergman Retires From
Teaching-Preaching Ministry
Mrs. Hazel G. McKay Bergman of
Bad Axe will bring to a close her school
teaching career of almost 25 years with
h er r etirement this month.
After graduating with al). A. B. degree
from Asbury College, Wilmore, Ky., in
June 1939, she began her work as a
teacher in September of that same year in
St. Clair County. She taught eight and
one-half years in the Port Huron Public
Schools and several years in the Port
Huron Business College. She continued
further study at Wayne S ta te University.
During her first year of teaching in the
Mt. Clemens Community schools, she was
on the staff at Selfl"idge Air Force school.
In 1939, Mrs . Bergman received a Local
Preacher's license during the ministry of
the la te Dr. Hugh Townley, then pastor
of the Croswell-Buel Charge where she
was a member of the Croswell church .
During the year 1945, she was pastor of
the Mills Memorial Methodist Church,
Port Huron, completing out the conference year for the late Rev. 0. W. Trask.
In the summer months of 1946, she was
pastor of the Avoca Methodist Circuit until
a full-time pastor could be secured.
After her marriage to Rev. Adolf Berg-
Retired Pastor, Leader
In Patriotic Observance
As a climactic feature of the yearly
Huron County Evangelistic Crusade, a
Patriotic-Christian parade was held in
Bad Axe July 4 with Rev. Adolf Bergman,
r etired member of the Detroit Conference,
as grand marshall.
The parade, the largest of its kind held
in Huron County, consisted of the U.S.
Air F orce Base Honor Guard as lead- off
unit; the American and Christian flags
carried by two Baptist youth; uniformed
During patriotic ceremonies July 4 at Bad
Axe, flowers were pL'lced at the War
Memorial Monument by Rev. Adolf
Bergman.
REV. AND MRS. ADOLF BERGMAN of Bad
Axe celebrated thei r 19th wedding anniversary
May 20. Mrs. Bergman, nee Hazel McKay, was
a school teache r in St. Clair County for s1xtee n
years, and also as a licensed local preache r
supplied many pulpits in the Port.Huron D•stri ct. May 5 he ld ma ny memor~ es f?r. Mr.
Be rgman , retired United Meth~d 1st m•mste.r,
who re me mbe rs with deep grat1tud e th e thnll
it was when he and his fami ly drove into freedom in Cope nhagen, Denmark, in 19~5, ~av
ing been a Nazi prisoner four years •.n R1ga,
Latvia, and a p risoner o f the \omm~n•sts one
year in the same city. He and h•s fam1 ly came to
the United States a yea r later.
•
MRS. HAZEL G. BERGMAN, 66, of
Bad Axe, retired minister and school
teacher, died recently at the Huron
County Medical Care Faci lity after a
long illness. She was born in Croswell
June 14, 1916, the daughter of the late
Herbert W. and Iva (Perry) McKay. on
May 20, 1955, she married Adolph
Bergman in Midland . She graduated
from Asbury College, continuing her
studies at Wayne State University , and
taught in Port Huron and Mount
Clemens. Mrs . Bergman received a
Local Preacher's License in 1939 and In
1945 was pastor of Mills Memorial
Methodist Church , Port Huron . The
couple lived in Bad Axe the past 12
years. Survivors inc lude her husband ,
Rev. Adolph Bergman ; one step-son,
Georg e Berg man of Ann Arbor; two
step-grandchildren and one brother, Dr.
Orville McKay, Midland . Services were
at First UMC, Bad Axe, with Rev.
Robert E. Horton, supt. of the Port
Huro n District , and Rev. David A. Stout,
officiating .
ltJ/l'~
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Mrs. Hazel G. Bergman
units of Girl and Boy Scouts; Red Cross
car; an am bulance; the marshall's car
driven by the assistant marshall, Rev.
Wayne Lewis of the Nazarene Church;
decorated church buses; private cars; and
two pony teams. Two city police cars
served as escorts.
The parade paused at the War Memorial
Monument where Mr. Bergman placed
flower s and conducted brief ceremonies,
then proceeded to the Bad Axe High
School where a rally was held with Rev.
Quentin Everest, evangelist, as speaker.
At that time Mr. Be rgman read President
Nixon's proclamation, " Independence in
1971." He also read Governor Milliken's
greetings at an evening service July 3. This
was the 25th Independence Day observ-
man in May 1955, Mrs. Bergman not only ance for Mr. Bergman. Previous to that
became his helper in ministerial work but h e lived in Europe.
At the monthly meeting of th e Huron
also continued her work in the educa,
• · - 1 .1 - • V ~ l ~
11/l;,.,rlon r.itv. Swayze County Historical S ociety on July 8 he
. d M" .
! - .3 j - ?d was authorized to pr oceed with organizing
m1ster Speaks
7 the Huron County bicentennial program of
Ret1re
the National Observance.
At Ecumenical Service
_Rev. Adolf BeQ;.!!lan of Bad Axe, re tired
United Methodi st ministe r, was the mai n
speake r at the 2 p.m . ecumenical service at
Dwight St. Mary's Cathedral Sunday, jan uary
13 . His message cente red around the tex t,
"Called to Be Saints."
Also officiating in the service were the host
minister, Fathe r Stanley Surman ; Father Sanislaus Bur, St. Edwards's Catho lic Ch urch,
Kinde; Father) . Arthu r Allen, retired, Kinde ;
and Rev. Alle n Saeger of Kinde-Chandler Presbyterian churches.
Fo llowing the se rvice , a fellowship hour was
held in the Parish Hall where refres hmen ts
were served by the ladies of the church.
THE COMMISSION ON ARCHIVES AND HISTORY
DETROIT ANNUAL CONFERENCE
THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Archives, Adrian College Library
Adrian, Michigan 49221
Telephone: 517/265-5 161
First Log Church
on the River Rouge
President
Rev. Bruce Brown
13199 Colvin
Riverview, Mi. 48192
Archivist
Rev. Ronald Brunger
Adrian College Library
Adrian, Mi. 49221
Vice-President
Rev. William Cooper
5005 Chicago Rd.
Warren, Mi. 48092
Secretary
James Dodd
Adrian College Library
Adrian, Mi. 49221
Clinton, oldest UMC
edifice in Conference
1837
July 1. .TUly 6 , B. . d Axe
6
Adolf Edua rd Bergman ~~s horn November 1902, in St. Petersburg , Russia,
and di ed at Bad Axe , Mich ., on July 1, 1985, at the age of 82 . He gra duat e~ from a hi r,h s chool in Santi, Russ ia , in 1920 , from a Commo.rcia l
Training Course in Tallinn, Eston i a in 1921, a nd from the Methodi ~t
The olog ica l Se ~ in~ry in Frankfort, Germany, in 1923 . He r ec eived h i s
M. A. from the Uni ver sity of Riga, in Ri ga , Latvi a , in 1 926. He l·ritnesse d
t he Russ i an Revolution in 1917, part ook in the civil war 1917-20 in
s outh Russia , and Has converte d. r ertning the New Test ament in November , 1921.
ADOLF BERGMAN
He fe l t the cal~ tftetRtRW~~~dt fKe i~~fi%~~te~is~f~fircgA s iRnY92~i~R' F~~~kfort.
t...rent off to Sern1nary.
e 'Recame a local preacner 1.n 9~ 1, an a t-ras anadmitted on trial intothe Baltic a nd Slavic Confe r enc e in 1926 at Ri ga,
Latv i a ~isk~xXx and assigned to t he Tallinn Reva l RUssi an Church.
On March 1, 1926 , Adolf >vas marriPd t o I r ma Li zette r.ral dmanis in Tallinn. They had one son George. Sul~sequent appointments Here 1928- 30,
III Lettish Church; 1930-31--Jekabpils; 1931- 32-- Kandava; 1932-36 Ventspils; 1936-40--IV Letti s h Russian Char1;e in Riga. r,Jorl d War II t.ras on
1
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The Bergmmns t-re re invo-tve d in in the swirlin~ f ortunes of tn~m·.·1i~ : arid
-0-~
~~~ by 1944 he t.;as sdl1eving a Church in Danzig , Germany. The next y e '"' r it
_
T4JbA '' was the Bethani e Dani sh Church. Bi shop Raymond J. !r/ade , who h a d come
1o \
from northern Europe, had a gre rtt feeling forthe Metho dist min isters
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t:l Oi , f rom the t hree small Baltic states t-rhich ha d been ove rrun by Soviet Rus '/1_!
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s ia a nd h a.d lost their independence . He brought over several prea chers
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to Michip-an. In 1946 ihe Bermans came over a nd began serving Ironwoo d :
f'-v _, P
Nevrpo rt - Gr a ce. Before comin g he had atte nded the Northlux European Central
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Conf erence of 194 6 a t Gotebnr e , Sweden.
Arr "ve d in the nited s+. ~j,es Adolf Be ~gman_ spoke mi ch 9f hi s experiences and of te n expres s ed
hi/ hatred of co _ ti!"s StiB se~uent apno1.nts 1.n the Det r oJ.t Co nfere}:lce were as fo llOl'lS :
munis m. He fe l t
1949- 50--Sama ria; 1950-53--Carleton; 1Q53-54-- a nchester;l 954- 55--Avoca;
~ ividely that h e ha dl 955-5B--Casevi lle ; 1 ~58- 59--Peck; 19 59-y2--~~+ Yal e; 1962- 64--Ubl y .
b n "saved by the He ret i re d but served t he Port Huron Mi lls Memoria l Church , and Simpson;:ce of Christ out ville and VTheehrright Churches in Kentucky . In 1968 he settl ed at B:1d Axe.
of t he hell of EuropeAdolf lis ted hi s r ecr eat i ons a s chess , t enni s , fo ot ba ll, swimming, a nd
brou ~ht t o U. S . by stamp-coll ecting ~
I n-hi R youth he was a Boy Rc out ; h e wa s ~ soc ial welhi s gr r:tce to help to f1ii¥le worker in Riga; he worked f or tempPrance and church u nion, a nd was a
U.S. "
medi cal assitant at one time. Bnr a time he was a reserve member of the
"Estonian Army . ma hi s e ~ "~'l y minist r"v he •·ras editor of La.t vian Christian
Advoc ate , a mPm er of the Bo<> r c'l of' Hetho i s t Publ i ~ hin,go House in Riga,
Latvia. Truly hi s wa s a life of vari ed experiences.
r;...Vf11 ~ ~ ·-(j
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.
"I si gned the 'MaP,"na Cha rter ~Sf t he Met horii ~t chu•·ch of Latvia, in 1934 , having
helped to tvin out the l aw f or ou r " Ch'1urch i nLatvia . In 1940 Hhen 11 country Latvia
t.ra s ovPrrunry "'" hP. Communists, beside being firs t pastor of o .. r 5 H.iga Le t ish Chur ches,
ass i s tant su erin+.endent, t>~orked in the Un i v ors i v Hosni tal as me cU c a l as sistant •• 1·Ta s del
dest ined Nith f a mily for de porta tion to Si heri a; from 1941-45 in Nazi force l a"bors in
Riga, Latvia, then Toffot ne r1r Dam'.ig, Polish Co rridor; in Anril 19LI5 fl ed -vri th family
to Denma rk. ( "On f4ay 5, 1945 h P. and hi s famil;y Here thrile 1d to drive 2into freedo :n in
Copehhagen, Denmark) whe ~e af t r r end of t>~ar ~ erve d the "Danish filethodist church as
past or(66penha gen: Bethany) a nd evange list at l ar~e; w s ~ ssi gned b~ Bishon Fogles angD?.. gaard o f State church fir st pa s tor of Baltic r e fuge e s, advi s or to Da nish Red Cross &
Brit i sh "Military Mi ssion in Baltic Re f'u gee que - tions. My fa mily &: I vrere bro ught to
u.s . June 17, 19116 by "Risho n 1·1ade a nd the M.C.O.R."
REV. AND MRS . ADOLF BERGMAN Bad
Axe, sponso red the Bible Booth at th-e Huron
~ounty 105th Agricultural Fair in w hich they
di splayed numero us Bibl es and Testamen ts
w hich were in various foreign languages. Mr.
Bergman repre sented the Pocket Testament
l eag ue a~d A m e ri~an Bibl e Soci ety whi ch
had supplied him w ith scr~/ tyes for free d istri bution.
7;'/--3 j 70
- · ···- - ·· · - ·· · ~-·- · ~ ··-·~·· ·
(p ..-5 , 5
REV. AND MRS. ADOLF BERGMAN
Bad
Axe observed their 20th wedding ar;;:;iversary
May 20. A retired member of the Detroit Con·
ference, Mr. Bergman served Methodist
It
churches 26 years in Europe before coming to.
the United States in 1946 where he was pastor
of churches in both the Upper and lower
Peninsulas. Following his retirement in 1965,
he served for two years in the Kentu cky Conference. He is currently active in personal
evangelism in Huron County. Mrs. Bergman,
nee Hazel M cKay, taught school for some 25
years . A native of Croswell , she has served as
a Licensed Local Preacher on the Port Huron
District, and al so as an evangelistic pianist.
REV. ADOLPH BERGMAN. retired
from the Detroit Conference, announces his 23rd wedding anniversary
on May 20 . Rev . Bergman transferred
from the Baltic and Slavic Conference
after World War II. He and Mrs.
Bergman , the former Hazel McKay ,
were married in Midland by the bride's
brother, Dr. Orville McKay . Both Rev .
and Mrs. Bergman have been active inrJ
church and community work . ~- 5' - 7~
MRS. HAZEL G. BERGMAN, 66, of
Bad Axe, retired minister and school
teacher, died recently at the Huron
County Medical Care Facility after a
long illness. She was born In Croswell
June 14, 1916, the daughter of the late
Herbert W. and Iva (Perry) McKay . On
May 20, 1955, she married Adolph
Bergman in Midland . She graduated
from Asbury College, continuing her
studies at Wayne State University, and
taught in Port Huron and Mount
Clemens. Mrs. Bergman received a
Local Preacher's License in 1939 and in
1945 was pastor of Mills Memorial
Methodist Church, Port Huron. The
couple lived in Bad Axe the past 12
years. Survivors include her husband,
Rev. Adolph Bergman; one step-son,
George Bergman of Ann Arbor; two
step-grandchildren and one brother, Dr.
Orville McKay, Midland. Services were
at First UMC, Bad Axe, with Rev.
Robert E. Horton, supt. of the Port
Huron District, and Rev. David A. Stout,
officiating .
~/ / O/
lf/C.N .
f-.3
1588
DETROIT AN!'o:UAL CO NFERE!'o:CE
RETIRED
[1986
JI!INI STERS
Rev. Adolf Bergman
Adolf Eduard Bergman was born November 6, 1902 in St. Pete:-s:.-t:rg,
Russia, and died at Bad Axe, ~ich., on July 1, 198;, at the age of 82 .
He graduated from & high school in Sonti, Russia, in 1920, !~m a Commercial ~raining Course in Tallinn, Estonia in 1921, and !~c the
Methodi s t Theological Seminary in PTankfort, Germany, in 1923. He received his M.A. from the University of Riga in 1926. He ~tne s eed the
Russian Revolution in 1917, partook in the civ il war 1917-20 in eoutb
Russia, and was converted reading the l'!ew Testament in l'!o~en~er 1921.
Adolf felt the call to the ministry immedi ately aft e r his co~versioR,
and went off to seminary in ~rmany. Thus he was enabled t o attend
the Central Mission Conference of 1922 in Prankfort. He became a
local preacher in 1921; in 1926 he was admitted on trial into the Baltic and Slavic Conference at Riga, Latvia, and assigned to the ~llinn
Reval Russia n Churoh.
On Ma r ch 1, 1926, Adolf was married to Irma Lizette Waldmanis in Tallinn . Subsequent appointments were III Lettish Church 1923-30; Jekabpils 1930-31; ~andava 1931-32; Ventepils 1932-36; IV Lettie~ Ruasian
Charge in Riga, 1936-40. In 1936 Bergman was the first nati~e delegate from his country to the Methodist General Conference.
World War II was on vhen in 1940 Adolf was assistant District Superintendent of Latvia, pastor of five Riga tettieh Churches , ~ vorking
in the University Hospital as aedical assistant. The Russ ians overran
the country and the Bergmans were destined for deporlation to Siberia.
The NaEis came, and Adolf did forced labor. In 1944 he was se~n g a
Church near Dansig, Polish Oorridor. In April 194~ Adol~ ~!ed with
bis wit's and son to Denmark. There he s erved n Jllethodist Church,
~openbagen : Bethany, and as evangelist at large.
Soon be ~ assigned
by Bishop Poglesang-Dagaard of the etate church as first pastor of
Baltio refugees, and advisor to the Danish Red Crose and Rritieh '- i lit a ry Mission on Baltic refugee questions.
Blshop Haymond Wade who bad come from northern Europe, had a great
concern for the Methodist ministers from the Raltic countries which
had lost the ir independence to the Soviet Union. He brought over
several of them to Michigan. The Rergmans were brought to the Detroit
Conference in 1946 and appointed to Ironwood: Wewport-Grace. ~fore
coming he had attended the Worth European Centr~l Conference of 1946
at Goteborg, Sweden. Bere,for some ye ars, Bergman was often called
upon to speak of hie experiences and he often expressed his hatred of
communism. He felt vividly that he had been "saved by the grace of
Chri s t out of the hell of Europe"; he became a patriotic American and
rejoiced in 4th of July celebrations.
Later appointments for Bergman werea Samaria 1949-50; Carleton 1950-53;
Ranchester 1953-54; Avoca 1954-55; Caseville 1955-56; Peck 1958-591
Tale 1959-62; Ubly }962-64. His firs t wife having died, Adolf married
Hazel McKay, Way 20, 1965 in Midland. She preceded him in death,
Feb. 19, 1983. Adolf retired, but served the Port Huron Mills Memorial Church, and Simpsonville and Wheelwright Churches in Kentucky.
In 1968 h e settled at Rad Axe.
Adolf listed his recreations as chess, tennis, football, evimming,
and stamp-collecting. Adolf Bergman was survived b,r a son George of
Toledo, four grandchildren, one step-grandchild; one brother, Robert
(Bergman) Tormet of Greenwich, Conn. Dervioes were held on July 6,
at First United Methodist Church, Bad Axe with ftev. David !tout officiating. Burial was in Colfax Cemetery.
'a 1.:<./ b{
More on Sex Education
To the Editor:
How can you say so bluntly that "with
few exceptions the opposition to sex education in the schools is coming from
RIGHT - WING, FUNDAMENTALIST
GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS!" I
belong to several organizations, fundamental, if you want it, that oppose sex education in schools. Personally, as a minister
and substitute teacher, father and grandfa ther, I oppose sex education in schools.
Then, according to you, I am a right-winger?! I r esent this and strongly obj ect to
tha t kind of writing in the Advocate! Sex
education belongs in the family and is the
task of the pa rents to tell their children
all they need to know about sex! And those
parents who for whatever the reason are
unable to do it, should be taught and
trained how to explain sex-life to their
children!
For quite some time I have been observing this sad, deplorable thing: the
moment some people do not agree with you
and your views, they label you as "conservative," or "fundamen ta list." Times
are too dangerous and we should discard
all the labels, adjectives, etc., and all unite
and take a united stand against worldliness, godlessness, unbelief, immora lity or
moral looseness. Christ in His saving,
sanctifying power is the answer to all our
problems! With Christ we shall live, without Christ we shall perish!
You will be interested to know that on
Nov. 13, I will become a 17-year-old teenage American for it was on Nov. 13, 1952
that I became a citizen of the United States!
Next to my conversion and call to the
ministry, this was the most important,
unforgettable experien ce of my life! Adolf Bergman, Bad Axe.
'/7j 71
Methodist Minister
Presents Check to
Police in Appreciation
A Day of Appreciation, honoring fire men and policemen, was observed in Bad
Axe and a special ser vice was conducted
in St. Paul's Episcopal Church for those
who gave their lives in the line of duty.
The Episcopal clergyman, three Roman
Catholic priests, and four Protestan t
ministers participated in the service.
In behalf of the Huron County Youth
Affairs Council, Rev. Adolf Bergman ,
retired United Metfiod1st minister and
chairman of the Council's Youth Problems
Committee, presented a check to Huron
Deputy William Gill, president of the
Huron Lodge No. 131 of the Fraternal
Order of Police. In making the presentation, Mr. Bergman said the money was
intended to help the F.O.P. in its work.
Bad Axe Mayor Edward F. Draves,
Jr., proclaimed the day as Appreciation
Day and Governor William Milliken sent
his personal greetings.
Retired Pastor, l ea der JTj S/71
In Patriotic Observance/ ·
As a climactic feature of the yearly
H uron County Evangelistic Crusade, a
Patriotic-Christian parade was held in
Bad Axe July 4 with Rev. Adolf Bergman,
r etired member of the"'Detroit Coiiference,
as grand marshall.
The parade, the largest of its kind held
in Huron County, consisted of the U.S.
Air Force Base Honor Guard as lead- off
unit; the American and Christian fla gs
carr ied by two Baptist youth; uniformed
Dming patriotic ceremonies July 4 at Bad
Axe, flowers wexe placed at the War
Memorial Monument by Rev. Adolf
Bergman.
units of Girl and Boy Scouts; Red Cross
car; an ambulance; the m arshall's car
driven by the assistant marshall, Rev.
Wayne L ewis of the Nazarene Church ;
decorated church buses; private cars; and
t wo pony teams. Two city police cars
served as escorts.
The parade paused at the War Memorial
Monument where Mr . Bergman placed
flowers and conducted brief ceremonies
then proceeded to the Bad Axe High
School where a rally was held w ith Rev.
Quentin Everest, evangelist, as speak er.
At that time Mr. Bergman read President
Nixon's proclama tion, "Independence in
1971." He also read Governor Milliken's
gr eetings at an evening service July 3. This
was the 25th Independence Day observREV. ADOLF BERGMAN of Bad Axe,
retired minister of the Detroit Conference ,
is a m ember of the Boa rd of Directors of
the Huron County Red Cross and a
recipient of a Red Cross service pin. He
is also an honorary member of the Huron
County Fraternal Order of Polire·. Mr.
Bergman celebrated his 19th year as an
American citizen, November 6. Previous
to his coming to America, he was a
Methodist minister in Latvia. 11j l/
/ '71
ance for Mr. Bergman. Previous to that
he lived in Europe.
At the monthly meeting of the Huron
County Historical Society on July 8 he
was authorized to proceed with organizing
the Huron County bicentennia l program of
the National Observance.
-..5- 14? - 7..Z..
REV. ADOLF BERGMAN, disaster
chairman for the Huron County Red
Cross, has made an appeal to all Huron
County residents to send donations for
the families in Buffalo Creek Valley, W.
Va., where many are homeless from the
recent flood aPid in need of (help) support.
Contributions may be made to Eugene
Weaver of First National Bank, Bad Axe,
or Mrs. Russell Light, treasurer of the
Huron County Red Cross, or to himself.
REV. ADOLF BERGI\1AN of Bad Axe,
re tired, has completed four chapters of his
book "This Is My Life." He also is working
on a~ interfaith observance of Reformation
Day in the form of a Festival of Faith in
October and Thanksgiving Day. Recent
guests in the Bergman h ome have been
Dr. and Mrs. Orville H. McKay of Janesville, Wis., Mr. and Mrs. Ivan R. F erriby
of Dearborn and Georg~ ~- Bergman of
Wayne.
'/jot)/ 1.:2..-
Independence Day
Rites in Bad Axe
, J., 1 3
7;-- v 17
Honoring the 197th birthday o f o ur nation ,
july 4 , a brief patriotic service was he ld a t the
Wa r Memo ri al Mo nu ment ad jacent to th e
Hu ron County Buildi ng, Bad Axe . Rev. Adolf
Berg man was Grand Marsh~ll fo r th e occa·
s 1o n which included readmg of th e 96th
Psalm by Rev. ]ames Wil le tt of Fai th Gospel
Cen te r , Bad Axe, th e Pledge of All egiance ,
s inging of "America," reading of gree tings
t rom Governo r M1 1l1 ken and Congressman
James Harvey, placing of fla gs and flowers at
the mon um e nt and th e playing of Taps by
Rob er t W ild s, Bad Axe Hi g h Sc hoo l
bandmaste r-directo r. Patrio tic speeches with
reli gio us e mphase s were given by Com m issione r Edwin Good, of Gagetown, and Bad
Axe C it y co un cil woman , Mrs. Ele an or
Pete rson .
Aft e r the singing o f "God Bless Ame rica,"
Rev. Stan ley Surm an o f St. Mary's Cath edral
of Dwight prono unced the bened ictio n .
REV. AND MRS. ADOLF BERGMAN of
Biia Axe comme morate d the ir e ightee nth
wedding ann iversary May 20. They also took
part in the Bad Axe Memorial Day parade
in which th ey re prese nted the Pocke t Testam e nt L eague. C urre nt ly Mr. Be rgman is
invo lved in se ttin g u p a Bible Boo th in
wh ich he will display scriptures in vario us
languages as well as an assortment of re ligio us tracts at the Hu ron Cgu9ty Agriculture
Fair Aug ust 5-11.
Y./ .:Zl/ 7 .3
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~x-BA ·mi~ister dies
Misc . .
The Rev. Adolph Bergman, 82, Bad Axe, a retired
Methodist minister, died Monday at Huron Medical
_Care Facility, Bad ~e. after a short illness.
· He was born Nov. 6, 1902 at St. Petersberg, Russia.
He moved to the United States from Denmark in Jwte
}946.
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' He served in the Baltic and Slavic Conference of the Methodist Church ~
from.l926 to 1940 when l:e was appointed assistant district superintendent •
of the District of Latvia. In 1946 he joined the Detroit Conference, serving .•
many cpu_rches throughout upper and l<.'Wer Michigan. He also served a~.l
several churches .i n the Thumb area, including Carrollton! Manchester,, . .
Avoca , Caseville, Peck, Yale, Ubly and P ort Hliro,n. He a so served fo~
two years in Kentucky before retiring in 1968.
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The Rev. Bergman was active \n the Am~rican Red Cr~, b9th in th~.
U.S. a nd Europe. ' .:
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He married Miss Erma Valdmanis in 1926 in Latvia.' S.he preceded him
in death. He then married Hazel McKay May 20, 195.5 in Mi<ijand. She . .
precededhiqlindeathFeb.l9,1983.
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Surviving are one son, George Bergman, Toledo, Ohio; four grand~
children; one step-grandchild; OIJe·brother, Robert <Bergman) Tormet: : · • • • • · • ·
Greenwich, Conn:
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One sister ~receded him in death. ·
Services wtll be 1 p.m . Saturday at First United Methodist Church, Bad
. .
Axe. The Rev. David A. Stout, pastor, will officiate along with otherlagree topaythesamewlthm ..•.•.. .. u ..
ministers. Burial will be in Colfax Cemetery.
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Friends may call a t MacAlpine Funeral Home, Bad Axe, from 2-4 p.m. :ntage rate.. • • • "
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© 1970 J O I-IX F EI N I::;\L\X SA X JOS E, C ALIFUHX IA
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