Date of death: 2/3/2012
Saint Meinrad Class: PD 2003
Deacon Joseph Brian Bergen was born on January 31, 1938 in New York City, N.Y. He died peacefully Friday, February 3, 2012 in Richmond, Virginia, of natural causes surrounded by his wife and family. He was preceded in death by his parents, Francis D. Bergen and Margaret Galligan Bergen; his sister, Florence Bergen Kelly; and a brother, Richard Bergen. He is survived by his wife, Janis Parrish Bergen; his daughters, Tara Heimbuger of San Jose, Calif. and Graham Lehr of Richmond, Va.; his son, Brian Christopher Bergen of Half Moon Bay, Calif.; his stepsons, Jeffery C. Hudgins of Sulphur, La. and J. Eric Hudgins of Richmond, Va.; his stepdaughter, Rebecca Hudgins Gorra of Staunton, Va.; 12 grandchildren; his first wife, Jeanne Graham Herlihy, whom he married in Port Washington, N.Y. in 1964. His second marriage to Janis P. Hanky was in Richmond, Va. in 1995. He graduated high school from Bellarmine College Preparatory in 1956 and received his BBA from Pace University in New York City in 1968. He served in the U.S. Army from 1959-1962. He made a career in real estate, most recently holding positions with both the City of Richmond and the State of Virginia as a Property Tax Consultant. He was a member of the Appraisal Institute, holding the coveted designation of MAI. He was also a member of the Society of Real Estate Appraisers and the Virginia Association of Assessing Officers. He was ordained a deacon in the Diocese of Richmond in 2003 and accepted assignments to pastoral care at St. Mary’s Hospital and MCV, Catholic chaplain for James River Correctional Center, Knights of Columbus, and most recently with the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond. He was an avid golfer and fan of the New York Giants and the New York Yankees. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 12 noon Tuesday, February 7, at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. Donations in his name can be made to Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, Calif. (www.bcp.org).Published in Richmond Times-Dispatch on February 5, 2012