Sydney Berde

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Berde Beloved Sydney Berde passed away on December 20, 2004 at his home in St. Paul, surrounded by his loving family. His remarkable life was an inspiration to all who knew him. Sydney Berde was born in St. Paul on July 6, 1916 to Solomon Berde and Jennie (Lisowsky) Berde. He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Melvin Berde and Archie Berde, and by his first wife, Marcia (Gorchoff) Berde. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Constance; by their five children, Joan Berde and her partner Frank Reckard, Charles Berde and his wife Evelyn Berde, Bradley Hove and his wife Anita Hove, David Hove and his wife Nancy Hove, and Noni Threinen and her partner Peggy Cuddy; by their grandchildren, Jordan Hove, Aaron Hove, Colin Threinen, Alexander Threinen, Kevin Hove, Chris Hove, Alyssa Hove, David Berde, and Anna Berde; by his sister, Irene Hauser; by his sister-in-law, Doris Berde; and by many cousins, nieces, and nephews. Mr. Berde graduated from Central High School in 1934 and received Bachelor and Master of Science Degrees in Physiological Chemistry from the University of Minnesota in 1940 and 1942, respectively. After Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Navy's Midshipman's Academy and served at the rank of lieutenant commander and as captain of a landing ship tanker in the Pacific, serving in Guam, New Guinea & Okinawa. After World War II, he returned to St. Paul and worked in a family wholesale food and meat packing business. He returned to the University of Minnesota and received his law degree in 1957. He began his legal career in the Minnesota State Attorney General's office, first as Special Assistant Attorney General, and then as Chief Deputy Attorney General, serving under Walter F. Mondale, who was Attorney General prior to his appointment to the U.S. Senate. Mr. Berde was active in Democratic political campaigns, and contributed to speeches for Hubert Humphrey, Mr. Mondale and other political figures. Mr. Mondale said of him, "Sydney Berde was a brilliant, caring lawyer, father and citizen. As a new attorney general, I asked Sydney to be my deputy attorney general. He helped me shape my office, handled some of the most difficult cases, and was always a strong and supportive presence. I will never forget his help to me at an early and critical point in my career. He was a wonderful human being with a wonderful family. For people interested in the milk business, Sydney Berde was the nation's leading legal expert in the complex and challenging federal milk marketing, legal and regulatory system. Everybody, including the Department of Agri- culture, turned to him. There are thousands of dairy farmers who have never heard his name who have benefited by his knowledge and lifetime leadership in the dairy business." After his career in the Attorney General's office, Mr. Berde began in private practice of law. His area of specialization was in administrative law related to the dairy industry. He was regarded as a national expert in this area of law, and practiced until 2 months before his death. In addition to his passion for the law and for his family, Mr. Berde was also passionate about music. He had studied voice under Ms. Agnes Lisowski during his high school and college years. In 1949, at the invitation of Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut, he began singing as part-time cantorial soloist at Mount Zion Temple, a position he held for over 50 years. He continued to sing on the High Holidays until the age of 85, and was particularly remembered by generations of members of the congregation for his singing of "Avinu Malkeinu" with a new melody composed by Max Janowski. He also sang in a number of community opera productions. He was active in Mount Zion Temple, serving on its board, and was a generous contributor to Hadassah and many community and Jewish philanthropies. Funeral service WED- NESDAY, 11 AM at MT. ZION TEMPLE, 1300 Summit Ave., St. Paul. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Mount Zion Temple Cantorial Fund, the Twin City Opera Guild, the St. Paul Jewish Community Center, or a charity of your choice. SHIVA at The Rivers Condominiums, 2221 Youngman Ave., St. Paul (Wed- Thurs, 7 PM in the Community Room). Arr. Hodroff-Epstein 612-871-1234

Published on December 21, 2004