Eric Bergeson of Fertile, Minnesota, the former owner of the Bergeson Nursery who was also a legendary and talented author/horticulturist of various award-winning books related to earth, soil, and germination, sadly and unexpectedly passed away Tuesday evening, April 5, 2022, leaving his entire family, close relatives and a group of friends in complete devastation and sadness.
Eric reportedly committed suicide at his home late Tuesday night after a long and courageous battle with depression. He was the author of several books such as Let’s Grow on the Northern Prairie, Successful Gardening on the Northern Prairie, Off the Farm, Pirates on the Prairie, Treasury of Old Souls, and many more.
This sad news was published in a Bergeson kennel post on their Facebook page, where they wrote, “We are very sorry to share the news that, after a three-year battle with severe depression, Eric Bergeson took his own life last night in his home. He meant so much to so many. We will miss him greatly, and I know many of you will too.”
Eric Bergeson Death, Obituary, News
Eric worked his entire life at the Bergeson Nursery, which his grandfather Melvin Bergeson founded in 1936 in Fertile, Minnesota. The Bergeson Nursery was owned by Eric for seventeen years. He lives in Fertile, Minnesota with his partner Lance Thorne. He has recently been working on new writing projects, including a book about his years with his great-aunt Olive, a colorful character who passed away at the age of 103 in February 2015.
Eric has lectured hundreds of groups on the delights and challenges of northern prairie gardening over the past two decades. More than 15,000 copies of his book Successful Gardening on the Northern Prairies have been sold. Eric’s ninth book Let’s Grow is Eric’s second book on landscape design and gardening.
Eric Bergeson Death
Eric attended Fertile-Beltrami High School and graduated in 1982. He attended Northwestern College in Roseville, Minnesota, and in 1986, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of North Dakota. He returned to UND to earn a master’s degree in history after receiving a bachelor’s degree in social science from Moorhead State University in 1988.
Eric attended the University of Cambridge in England, taught in Wellington, New Zealand, and studied in Warsaw, Poland during his undergraduate studies. Eric has been a regular lecturer and performer in Northeast Minnesota for many years. Eric taught American history classes at the University of Minnesota at Crookston as needed.
Eric has just completed a five-year term as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Northwest Minnesota Foundation. He is the Acting Chairman of the Fertile-Beltrami Public Foundation. Eric received the prestigious two-year Bush Fellowship to study aged care in 2011. During his fellowship, he returned to New Zealand to research the country’s elderly care system. He also worked on the creation of a new nursing home in Fertile, his hometown.
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