Ida Marie Berg

Ida Marie Berg was born on June 15, 1916 in Calio, North Dakota (Sievert Township, Cavalier County). She was the 2nd of 13 children born to Mathias and Catherine (Zimmer) Berg. Ida attended local schools and was Valedictorian of her high school class. Ida helped her father by working in the fields and taking care of the animals on the family farm. She also worked in the local store owned by the Pung family. After graduation she worked in the county courthouse in Pembina, North Dakota (a small town near the Canadian border). In 1942 she moved to Oregon joining her cousins Terri Hanson and Florence Pung. She worked in the shipyards and a few other jobs before finding her niche in the title insurance business. Ida had many FIRSTS in her career in the land title field which totaled more than three decades. In 1970 she was elected vice president of Title Insurance of Oregon. At that time she was the only woman serving in that capacity in the title insurance industry in the state of Oregon. In July 1979 Oregon Title changed its name to First American Title Insurance Company of Oregon and by this time Ida had become a senior vice president. In June 1976 Ida was elected president of the Oregon Land Title Association. She was the first woman to be elected to the presidency of OLTA in 40 years. She was a member of OLTA for many years and did a lot of committee work as well as the presidency. She also served as treasurer of Executive Women International Portland Chapter. She was a member of this organization for many years. Ida bought a time share in Kauai, Hawaii and spent many vacations there as well as visiting her parents and other family members in North Dakota. After retiring in 1981 she purchased a condo in Portland and then started traveling. Her visits included China, Hong Kong, Europe, Canada, Mexico, Panama Canal, Suez Canal, Japan, Alaska and Hawaii. Besides traveling Ida loved to entertain, play bridge and she was an excellent cook. She was a member of a small group of 8 women who loved to golf. Each year they would meet at a different course and spend several days golfing and getting caught up on the latest happenings in their families. It was a time of fun, laughter and relaxation. She was a registered Republican and loved to discuss politics and had strong opinions about life in general. She was a member of St. Mary’s Cathedral for many years. In December 2006 Ida sold her condo and moved to Terwilliger Plaza. She spent her time going to movies, concerts, reading, watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune and visiting with her neighbors. She was an avid Blazer fan and would get a little huffy if she was interrupted while watching a game. Her goal was to live to be 100 and she almost made it. Ida was preceded in death by her parents, brothers George (Alma), Omar (Geraldine), Herman( Audrey), and sisters Inez Berg, Mary Ann Nosbusch, Helen Brown, Hilda (Math) Michels, Lenore (Clem) Huettl, and Emma (George) Meagher, Baby Margaret, and sister in law Delores Berg. Ida is survived by brothers Harold Berg and Richard (Rosalie) Berg of Devils Lake, North Dakota, brothers in law Ralph Nosbusch of Devils Lake, North Dakota, Art Brown of Spokane, Washington, and sister in law Betty Berg of Colorado, 3 godchildren, Susie Miller of Woodburn, Oregon, Rita Stumvoll of Cole Harbor, North Dakota, sister Phillip Zimmer of St. Joseph, Minnesota and many nieces and nephews. Service Information