Christopher Bergner Obituary

Christopher Eric Bergner, 54, of Waukesha passed away Wednesday, September 27, 2023, at VITAS Ruth House Hospice in West Allis after over a two year courageous battle with stage 4 colorectal and liver cancer Chris was born November 4, 1968, in La Porte, Indiana to Kenneth and Carole (Rosenberger) Bergner He graduated from Sun Prairie High School in Sun Prairie, WI, and Madison Area Technical College with an associate degree in culinary arts He worked at many prestigious Wisconsin hotels including the Heidel House Hotel & Conference Center, The Springs in Spring Green, the Kalahari in the Dells, and the Green Bay Radisson Chris was privileged to cook many pre-game meals for the Green Bay Packers while at the Radisson During his chef career he met several famous people including Brett Farve, Reggie White, Crystal Gale, and Wayne Newton While working as a chef, Chris gave up spending time with his family during the holidays but always made time for them After working as a chef, he decided to take time for himself by fishing As luck would have it, he met a local fisherman who was a car salesperson at Wilde Honda in Waukesha This chance meeting changed Chris's career trajectory to focus on selling new cars for Wilde Honda in Waukesha for almost 20 years Chris was an avid fisherman, who loved trout fishing in streams throughout Madison and the Driftless Regions of Wisconsin His love for fishing began at the age of two when his grandfather, Don gave him first fishing pole He was privileged to go on fishing trips with his friends and family including his beloved uncle, Richard, and his dad He had a great love for animals, which became evident when he and his wife adopted JoJo from Elmbrook Humane Society The first time Chris met JoJo she came running to him as if he were her long lost dad They were forever bonded after that moment, and he was her dad and "person " While a young kid, Chris spent his summers in Michigan visiting his grandma Thelma (known by Chris as Little Red then later as GG) and step-grandfather Merrill fishing, helping in the garden, and playing cards His cousins would visit during his summers in Michigan to create amazing memories fishing He loved sports especially pro and college football and baseball His favorite teams were the Wisconsin Badgers, Green Bay Packers, and the Chicago White Sox Chris had a quiet, positive, loving demeanor and focused his energy on those he loved (family, friends, and pets) Anyone who knew Chris would speak of him as a kind, selfless, sweet man who looked out for others before himself The mold was broken when Chris was born Chris is survived by his wife, Liz of Oak Creek, parents- Kenneth and Carole Bergner of Bailey's Harbor, sisters- Janet (Eric) Hanson of Sun Prairie and Mary Ellen (Dale) Keller of Lakewood; nieces- Erica (Allyson) Keller of Charlottesville, VA, and Meghan (Francis) Keller of Dhaka, Bangladesh; his great nephew and his beloved pets- Gigi, Nairobi, Matty and JoJo He is further survived by his aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends We would like to thank the oncologists, physician assistants (Kristin and Abbey), nurses and palliative doctor (Dr Kelly Cooke) at the UW Cancer center in Pewaukee for supporting and loving Chris during his treatment A special thank you to the late, Dr Hamid Sadati for his honesty, compassion and knowledge while treating Chris's cancer Dr Hamid Sadati's impact forever changed Chris's life by giving him an additional two years with his loved ones and friends Chris's cousin, Carrie played an integral role in his life towards the end She provided comfort, love and shared her medical knowledge to allow Chris to be comfortable during his transition He was very blessed to have such an amazing friend Services will be held Sunday, November 5 th at the Shepherd of the Bay Lutheran Church, 11836 WI-42 Ellison Bay, WI with visitation at noon followed by the service at 1:00 PM An additional celebration of life will occur locally at the Wern Valley Sportsman's Club (S36W29657 Wern Way Waukesha, WI 53189) at a future date to be determined In lieu of flowers, please feel free to donate money in Chris's name to the American Cancer Society https://www cancer org/, VITAS hospice https://vitascommunityconnection org/ , St Jude Children's Research Hospital https://www stjude org/ or your local humane society