Ida Mae Berg
10/1/35 - 7/20/20
On July 20, 2020, Ida Mae (Hunt) Berg passed peacefully at her home in Tiburon, California, at the age of 84. Ida Mae was born to Flossie E. (Horen) and Glenn W. Hunt on October 1, 1935, in Wesley, South Dakota. In 1940, her family moved near Sacramento, California. Ida Mae graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1957 and had a successful ca
reer with Bank of America in San Francisco. On July 19, 1959, Ida Mae married Peter Hoyt Berg, and in 1962 they moved to Tiburon where they lived long, full lives.
Ida Mae began her life on a family farm, where she lived with her parents and older brother, Roswell. At the beginning of World War II, her family moved to Rio Linda where her father became a local insurance agent. While the girl left the farm, the farm didn’t leave the girl. Ida Mae spent the weekends working outdoors in her garden and preferred her bed linens line-dried in the sunlight. Her strong work ethic undoubtedly was rooted to the farm.
In 1949, Ida Mae lost her father to a lengthy illness. She would go on and excel as a student, achieving academic recognition and joining various clubs. Ida Mae attended Sacramento Junior College before moving to Los Angeles. At UCLA, she joined the Apparel Club, beginning a lifelong love of fashion. Ida Mae also became a sister of the Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women. Following graduation, Ida Mae moved to San Francisco.
She met the man who would become her husband on a blind date. Peter was so smitten with her that he returned the next evening with a bottle of wine for more conversation of art and culture. In 1958, Ida Mae was seriously injured in a car accident in San Francisco and hospitalized. When told only family could visit Ida Mae, Peter proclaimed he was her fiancé, and that is how they became engaged. The following year, they were married.
In 1962, they built their forever home in Tiburon, California. Peter, an architect, designed a mid-century home with sweeping views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, and downtown Tiburon. There, they shared their growing knowledge of California wines and international cuisine with family and friends. The couple were members of the San Francisco Yacht Club. Around town, she often was seen stylishly dressed in shades of purple. When away from the office or kitchen, Ida Mae could be found running. She began running in the 1980s and competed in many races, including the Bay to Breakers and Race for the Cure.
Ida Mae is survived by her nephew, Steve Beckett of Grosse Point, Michigan; niece Cynthia Quirk of Ennis, Montana; sister-in-law Barbara Beckett of Bozeman, Montana; and sister-in-law Bobby Lou Hunt of Carmichael, California. She was preceded in death by her husband, Peter Hoyt Berg; parents Flossie and Glenn Hunt; brother Roswell B. Hunt; and infant sister Dorothy G. Hunt.
Due to Covid-19, a private funeral service was held.