August 8, 2022
David “Dave” Kenneth Bergen, 72, of Kelowna, British Columbia passed away on August 8, 2022. He passed peacefully at Kelowna General Hospital with Connie, his wife of 50 years, at his side.
Dave was born in New Westminster BC, to Abe and Betty Bergen, where he grew up with brothers Keith and Kerry. Mechanically inclined, eager to explore and work, Dave entered the trucking industry at an early age, starting with dump trucks at the ripe age of 16. At the age of 20, he moved on to long-haul work. He was the true professional truck driver.
While visiting family in Kelowna on a short driving break in 1970 he met a local, Connie Popoff. Soon inseparable, they married on St. Patrick’s Day in 1972 and following a couple of free-spirited years around the province, Dave and Connie settled in Kelowna BC where they built a home and raised a family.
The open road and great outdoors called to Dave. Over the course of his career he drove tractor trailers across the entirety of North America, visiting every province, territory and state with the lone exception of Nunavut.
Family vacations inevitably revolved around road trips; with a camper on the pick-up truck and fishing boat in tow, the Bergen family explored back roads and lakes throughout British Columbia, Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii with the occasional longer trip down the Washington, Oregon and California coasts.
Over the years, the pick-up and camper were replaced by a series of ever larger RVs. In retirement, Dave and Connie enjoyed extended RV trips around the Pacific Northwest with a highlight trip being a multi-month adventure to the Yukon and Alaska.
As the years passed, the relaxed comfort of “RV Home Base” at Shuswap Falls became a second home and gathering place for friends and family.
Never one to sit still at any time in his life, Dave’s “down time” consisted primarily of home improvement projects, garage tinkering, and related trips to the local building supply store. Dave was never able to not work, and he enjoyed helping friends and family with their projects and errands.
He was the neighborhood weirdo that would shovel his driveway, your driveway, and then the road so you could go get groceries (or better yet, he’d then drive you to get groceries).
Dave is survived by his loving wife, Connie; sons, Graydon and Terry (Grace); granddaughters, Mia and Shae; granddog, London; brother Kerry (Jackie) and a network of old school trucking buddies, innumerable neighborhood and “river people” friends and family.
An Open House Celebration of Life will be held at Everden Rust Funeral Services (1910 Windsor Road, Kelowna) on Friday, September 30, 2022 from 1:00-3:00pm. All are welcome to this casual event to enjoy light refreshments and share memories of Dave with his family and friends.
Please rsvp to bergenmemorial@gmail.com if you plan to attend.
The family thanks the ICU Team at Kelowna General Hospital for their exceptional care and kindness.
In lieu of flowers, Dave’s family would kindly request consideration of a small donation to the Alzheimer Society of BC.
“Take care in your travels”
