Obituary for Peter Calvin Berg
Peter Calvin Berg of Westport, MA, formerly of Weston, MA, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family on August 22, 2020 after a brave battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 75 years old.
Born in Chelsea, MA on March 29, 1945 and raised in Arlington, MA, Peter attended Arlington High School, Phillips Exeter Academy ‘64 and Harvard University ‘68. While at Exeter, Peter was a three sport athlete in football, hockey and baseball. At Harvard, his athleticism and leadership were honed in his role as quarterback for the Harvard Crimson. FIfty years later, Peter would bring this gift of leadership back to Harvard by playing a major role in organizing his 50th reunion.
Following college and some travel, Peter coached football and baseball for a year at the University of Rochester. Drawn back to his hometown of Boston, Peter became involved in the political arena for several years, working at the State House and on political campaigns. In 1975, feeling the entrepreneurial lure, Peter became co-owner of The Old Cambridge Company, a small picture framing shop that grew into a highly respected business providing framing for galleries, art consultants and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. During this time, his political interest also saw him back on the campaign trail, this time co-chairing the gubernatorial campaign of Frank Hatch in 1978. Although his candidate was not victorious, Peter came away a winner having met his future wife, Mary Glavin, a volunteer on the campaign.
Mary and Peter married in September, 1979 and shortly thereafter moved to Weston, MA, with the first of their four sons. After the move to Weston, Peter sold the framing business and entered the real estate development world, where he spent seven years with The Chiofaro Company playing an instrumental role in the building and marketing of the iconic Boston skyscraper, International Place. In 1990, Peter joined Copley Real Estate Advisors (later merged with AEW Capital Management), where he was a Principal. After almost 20 years in Boston real estate, Peter was recruited in 2004 by New York-based Tishman Speyer as Managing Director, Equity Capital Markets. He remained in that role for 13 years until his retirement, travelling the world extensively, raising capital for Tishman’s global portfolio that spanned over 100 properties in 29 countries. Upon retiring in 2015 and until his death, Peter was a consultant to and Board member of P/E Investments in Boston, MA, and Western National Group of Irvine, CA.
Throughout his professional life, Peter earned enormous respect and trust from colleagues and clients alike. As he had been on the sports field, he was a natural leader and the consummate team player. Peter was viewed as a person who could solve problems creatively, and always listened before talking. He was a master of the unexpected probing question, which often led his subject to a deep discussion he or she had not anticipated. His reputation for even-handedness and integrity were valued by all who worked with him.
In addition to his professional achievements, Peter was a strong contributor to the community of Weston during the 38 years that he and Mary raised their sons there. He oversaw the enormous project of renovating Weston High School in 1998. In addition, he spent countless hours coaching little league and ice hockey and serving as the town baseball commissioner. But, his real Weston legacy was leading the successful establishment of ice hockey as a varsity high school sport.
When not coaching or supporting one of his sons’ sports events, Peter loved sharing outdoor activities and adventures with Mary and the boys, biking, playing golf, skiing, hiking or traveling the country. He was a former member of The Country Club in Brookline and current member of The Acoaxet Club in Westport, as well as former member of the Boston and New York Harvard Clubs.
Peter loved working outdoors, especially if accompanied by a good piece of machinery. When not outside, Peter was usually found immersed in reading books and newspapers or deep in conversation with friends on the phone. He loved a dramatic snowstorm or thunderstorm and on the evening of his passing, there was a grand one.
Peter had a keen interest in people and analyzing situations; there was no better person to run thoughts by before a job interview, a big presentation or a major decision. The same could be said for a thorough analysis of the current state of the Patriots, Bruins, Celtics or Red Sox.
Peter lived a life of purpose and balance. His moral compass was unwavering. He had incredible energy and thirst for knowledge. Above all, Peter was a relationship person, valuing human connection at its very best whether with family, friends, colleagues or a new acquaintance. His genuine interest in others was evident to all who knew or met him and led Peter to be a mentor to many. Humble, thoughtful, witty, honest and solid to the core; he will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Peter is survived by his wife of 41 years, Mary Glavin Berg, four sons, Charles (wife, Katherine), Alex, Harry and Thomas, and grandsons Jason, Caden and Hayden. He was predeceased by his father, Warren S. Berg of Sanbornville, NH, formerly of Winchester, MA. Peter also leaves his mother Marjorie C. Berg, his sister Carolyn Berg Spengler (husband, Jack), brother Dana S. Berg (partner, Rob Minturn) and an extensive, adoring family of cousins, in-laws, nephews and nieces.
A private gathering and celebration of Peter’s life will be held at 1pm on Saturday, September 5, 2020. Individuals wanting to virtually attend via Zoom may do so by clicking the following link on the day of the service: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86397457871. To allow for setup and troubleshooting, it is recommended parties log in 10 minutes in advance of the 1pm Eastern start time."
Donations in Peter’s honor may be made to “The Peter Berg Fund” at Our Sisters’ School, 145 Brownell Ave, New Bedford, MA 02740: https://www.oursistersschool.org/support-our-girls
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Born in Chelsea, MA on March 29, 1945 and raised in Arlington, MA, Peter attended Arlington High School, Phillips Exeter Academy ‘64 and Harvard University ‘68. While at Exeter, Peter was a three sport athlete in football, hockey and baseball. At Harvard, his athleticism and leadership were honed in his role as quarterback for the Harvard Crimson. FIfty years later, Peter would bring this gift of leadership back to Harvard by playing a major role in organizing his 50th reunion.
Following college and some travel, Peter coached football and baseball for a year at the University of Rochester. Drawn back to his hometown of Boston, Peter became involved in the political arena for several years, working at the State House and on political campaigns. In 1975, feeling the entrepreneurial lure, Peter became co-owner of The Old Cambridge Company, a small picture framing shop that grew into a highly respected business providing framing for galleries, art consultants and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. During this time, his political interest also saw him back on the campaign trail, this time co-chairing the gubernatorial campaign of Frank Hatch in 1978. Although his candidate was not victorious, Peter came away a winner having met his future wife, Mary Glavin, a volunteer on the campaign.
Mary and Peter married in September, 1979 and shortly thereafter moved to Weston, MA, with the first of their four sons. After the move to Weston, Peter sold the framing business and entered the real estate development world, where he spent seven years with The Chiofaro Company playing an instrumental role in the building and marketing of the iconic Boston skyscraper, International Place. In 1990, Peter joined Copley Real Estate Advisors (later merged with AEW Capital Management), where he was a Principal. After almost 20 years in Boston real estate, Peter was recruited in 2004 by New York-based Tishman Speyer as Managing Director, Equity Capital Markets. He remained in that role for 13 years until his retirement, travelling the world extensively, raising capital for Tishman’s global portfolio that spanned over 100 properties in 29 countries. Upon retiring in 2015 and until his death, Peter was a consultant to and Board member of P/E Investments in Boston, MA, and Western National Group of Irvine, CA.
Throughout his professional life, Peter earned enormous respect and trust from colleagues and clients alike. As he had been on the sports field, he was a natural leader and the consummate team player. Peter was viewed as a person who could solve problems creatively, and always listened before talking. He was a master of the unexpected probing question, which often led his subject to a deep discussion he or she had not anticipated. His reputation for even-handedness and integrity were valued by all who worked with him.
In addition to his professional achievements, Peter was a strong contributor to the community of Weston during the 38 years that he and Mary raised their sons there. He oversaw the enormous project of renovating Weston High School in 1998. In addition, he spent countless hours coaching little league and ice hockey and serving as the town baseball commissioner. But, his real Weston legacy was leading the successful establishment of ice hockey as a varsity high school sport.
When not coaching or supporting one of his sons’ sports events, Peter loved sharing outdoor activities and adventures with Mary and the boys, biking, playing golf, skiing, hiking or traveling the country. He was a former member of The Country Club in Brookline and current member of The Acoaxet Club in Westport, as well as former member of the Boston and New York Harvard Clubs.
Peter loved working outdoors, especially if accompanied by a good piece of machinery. When not outside, Peter was usually found immersed in reading books and newspapers or deep in conversation with friends on the phone. He loved a dramatic snowstorm or thunderstorm and on the evening of his passing, there was a grand one.
Peter had a keen interest in people and analyzing situations; there was no better person to run thoughts by before a job interview, a big presentation or a major decision. The same could be said for a thorough analysis of the current state of the Patriots, Bruins, Celtics or Red Sox.
Peter lived a life of purpose and balance. His moral compass was unwavering. He had incredible energy and thirst for knowledge. Above all, Peter was a relationship person, valuing human connection at its very best whether with family, friends, colleagues or a new acquaintance. His genuine interest in others was evident to all who knew or met him and led Peter to be a mentor to many. Humble, thoughtful, witty, honest and solid to the core; he will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
Peter is survived by his wife of 41 years, Mary Glavin Berg, four sons, Charles (wife, Katherine), Alex, Harry and Thomas, and grandsons Jason, Caden and Hayden. He was predeceased by his father, Warren S. Berg of Sanbornville, NH, formerly of Winchester, MA. Peter also leaves his mother Marjorie C. Berg, his sister Carolyn Berg Spengler (husband, Jack), brother Dana S. Berg (partner, Rob Minturn) and an extensive, adoring family of cousins, in-laws, nephews and nieces.
A private gathering and celebration of Peter’s life will be held at 1pm on Saturday, September 5, 2020. Individuals wanting to virtually attend via Zoom may do so by clicking the following link on the day of the service: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86397457871. To allow for setup and troubleshooting, it is recommended parties log in 10 minutes in advance of the 1pm Eastern start time."
Donations in Peter’s honor may be made to “The Peter Berg Fund” at Our Sisters’ School, 145 Brownell Ave, New Bedford, MA 02740: https://www.oursistersschool.org/support-our-girls
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