Michael Berger

Michael Berger, an electrical engineer, devoted and cherished husband and father, and enthusiastic member of the Corinthian Yacht Club, passed away unexpectedly August 2, 2025. Michael was 71 years old and is survived by his loving wife, Teresa Berger and two loving daughters, Shannon and Chelsea. He is survived by his siblings, Barbara Bumgarner and Tom Berger. He is predeceased by his parents, Ernest and Bette Berger; and his brother, Bruce Berger.A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Ridge, Maryland on August 13, 2025 at 11am. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the St. Michael’s Catholic School, 16560 Three Notch Rd, in Ridge, Maryland 20680, Phone 301-872-5454.

Michael Berger was a devoted husband, father, brother, friend, mariner, computer geek, engineer, and guitarist. Michael was born to Ernest and Bette Berger in Tampa, Florida in 1954.

Michael had big, innocent eyes and a charming smile that he used to his advantage as a sweet and mischievous child. His childhood was spent as a United States Air Force brat, traveling the world with his family. This included living in Paris, learning to swim in Lake Como in the Italian Alps and learning to snow ski in Switzerland. Legend suggests that Michael was even smuggled in and out of Germany during the Cold War, in the trunk of a car, under a piece of artwork, due to a forgotten passport. Eventually Tallahassee, Florida became his home where boating became embedded in Michael’s life. He happily spent many days tramping around Dog Island and made frequent stops in the Pump House. Michael once skied over the back of an alligator and another time skied the 3.5 miles from Carrabelle River to Dog Island.

Michael was in the USAF ROTC, completing Basic Training and Jump School. Deciding not to pursue a career in the military, he loved serving his country nonetheless. He spent his entire career working in military aviation navigation, ensuring that combat pilots have safe and trustworthy navigation equipment. Michael loved all things aviation and played flight simulators as a hobby. Michael loved watching the military aircraft take off from Pax River during his lunch break.

In 1981, he married the love of his life, Teresa, at St. Thomas More in Tallahassee, Florida. Michael’s life was already happy, full, successful, and joyful, but it was made even better after marrying Teresa and welcoming their two daughters into the family. Michael loved all three women unconditionally and protected them fiercely.
In 1987, Michael graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and was immensely proud of this accomplishment. He was so proud, in fact, that he named his first boat “DoubleE”.

Michael and Teresa worked hard their entire lives to build the life of their dreams. In April 2025, they finally finished building their dream home, complete with a dock and beautiful view over the water. Michael was so excited that he could visit his boat every night. His desk was set up to perfectly overlook the water – a view that brought him great happiness. Michael set up every light switch in their home to be connected to Bluetooth, and would flirt with his wife, Teresa, by turning the lights on and off while he was at work. Michael was the Measurer at the Corinthian Yacht Club and derived much joy from his relationships there.

Michael was incredibly proud of his daughters. He enthusiastically celebrated all of their wins, big or small, and smiled and hugged them through the hard times. He made sure to pass on his nerdiness to his daughters. He had such a passion for aviation, that he inspired his daughter, Shannon, to pursue a career in a related field and loved flying with her after she got her pilot’s license. Once, Michael and his daughter, Shannon, stayed up late building a toolbox and to celebrate their success, they made a midnight run to Dunkin Donuts. When his daughter, Chelsea, decided to switch her major to Computer Science, a field closely aligned to Michael’s career, he couldn’t contain his excitement and oscillated between, “I don’t want to pressure you,” and “This is a great idea!” He supported everything his daughters did, even braving his fear of heights to ride the zipline Chelsea worked at (though some witnesses suggest Chelsea pushed him off the platform).

Michael loved music, in particular playing his acoustic guitar and singing along. He would play music for his daughters every night and was proud of his daughter, Chelsea, for following in his musical footsteps. Michael and Chelsea played together in the church choir at St. John’s Catholic Church and would practice music together at night. Music was an important connection for him, and he would set up remote sessions to play with his nephew, Billy. Michael particularly loved playing John Denver, “Puff the Magic Dragon”, “Leaving on a Jet Plane”, “Amazing Grace”, and “On Eagle’s Wings”. Michael would wake up early to practice “Frosty the Snowman” and “Rocky Mountain High” – much to the chagrin of his sleep-loving teenagers.

He loved learning, computers, and technology and was always on the cutting edge of technology. He was so excited when a 250 MB zip drive was released, excitedly explaining to little Shannon that it held so much more than a floppy drive! He had a family webpage long before social media, proudly posting and showing off his family. He loved going fishing with his father and boating was one of their many shared joys. Michael had a dry sense of humor and loved it when he caught people off balance.

Michael went out of his way to tell his family that he loved his life and that he had more than everything he wanted out of life. Michael ended every phone call with an emphatic and sincere “I love you”.

The last time the family was together was a few weeks ago at an ice cream shop in Colorado, while visiting his two daughters. Michael was disappointed in his sorbet so Chelsea traded her chocolate ice cream with him, and he was thrilled. There was giggling, teasing, and laughing all around.

Michael was much loved and will be very much missed.