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Dr. Norman Leonard Berg of Cincinnati, died Sunday morning, February 11, 2018 (26 Shevat 5778) at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center Hospital, following a cardiac arrest. Born September 21, 1940, in Cincinnati, Norman was the son of Samuel Berg and Phyllis Merl. Samuel, a pharmacist, emigrated in 1921 from Warsaw Poland to Cincinnati; he was the nephew of Julius Payton. Sam graduated from the Cincinnati College of Chemistry and Pharmacy in 1926 and owned and operated Berg’s Pharmacy located in the West End and later in South Avondale. Phyllis Merl emigrated in 1938 from Bamberg, Germany; she was the niece of Rabbi Bernard Kalchman and Esther Merel. Phyllis was a modern dancer and taught “Slimnastics” at the Jewish Community Center. At age 61, she earned a Ph.D. in German Literature from the University of Cincinnati and in 1976 returned to Germany to live. Norman was born premature and his parents were very protective of him. For several months after he was brought home from the hospital, anyone who entered his nursery had to wear a surgical mask. While in high school, Norman helped out at the drug store by delivering medicine to the homes of customers. He graduated from Woodward High School with honors in 1958 and entered the University of Cincinnati where he earned a B.A. in Psychology in 1963. He went on to earn an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Xavier University in 1965 and completed an internship at the Lebanon Correctional Institution. He was then one of only six students selected that year into the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. During his years at Queen’s, Norman worked as a psychologist at the Kingston Penitentiary, a maximum security prison. Upon completing the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Queen’s, Dr. Vytautas J. Bieliauskas, the chairman of the Psychology department at Xavier University, offered Norman a joint appointment – Staff Psychologist at Longview State Mental Hospital (where he retired in 1996) and Assistant Professor of Psychology at Xavier with a reduced teaching load. By the late 1970s, Norman was a full Professor of Psychology; 2018 was his 48th year teaching at Xavier. Over the years he especially enjoyed teaching “Abnormal Psychology” and “Crime and Personality”. Norm was also a consulting clinical psychologist for the Ohio Social Security Administration. For more than thirty-five years he not only saw clients for SSA at his office at Xavier but, also, traveled weekly to the Adams County Regional Hospital to interview clients for whom no other psychologist was available. In August 1965, Rabbi Hyman Cohen married Norman and Sandra Davis. Although they had known of one another since Roselawn Elementary School, they did not date until they were both students at UC. She accompanied him to Kingston where they resided for four years. Norm was a devoted,nurturing and loving son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, uncle and friend. His boundless energy and intellectual curiosity were delightful and he developed expert knowledge of whatever interested him – especially muscle cars, Persian rugs and wrist watches. He also enjoyed being a Commissioned Kentucky Colonel. He is survived by his wife of over fifty-two years, Dr. Sandra Davis Berg; his daughter, Rachel Berg, of Cincinnati; and his son, Aaron Berg (Courtney) of Rocky River, Ohio; and his five grandchildren: Arden, Blaire; Cecelia; Daniel and Dorothy. He was the brother of the late Dr. Daniel Berg of Bloomington, Indiana, and was the brother-in-law of Danny’s widow, Marija Krupoves-Berg of Bloomington and Vilnius, Lithuania. Other survivors include: his sister-in-law, Linda Davis West (William) of Silver Grove, Kentucky, and her daughter, Debra Agnus Partika (Mark) and their children Nathaniel and Amanda; and paternal cousins: Feila Ginsburg Becker of Tampa, Josepha Ginsburg Silverman (Hal) and their children Ryan and Rachel; Eleanor Payton and her children Julie and Richard; Jean Borden and her children Aaron, Barbara and Joel – all of Cincinnati; and Lisa Borden Kamen (David) and their children Eric, Jamie, Allie, and Sari of Bloomington. and maternal cousins: Rav Eliyahu (Yaffa) Merl and Bertha (R’ Yakov) Schonberg of Jerusalem, and Alison (R’ David) Abraham of London England. A private burial service, conducted by Rabbi Gary Walters, took place on Monday, February 12th at the Montgomery United Jewish Cemetery in Montgomery, Ohio. A Memorial Celebration of Norman’s Life will take place on Sunday, February 18th at 1:30 pm in the Schiff Conference Center at Xavier University’s Cintas Center, located at 1624 Herald Avenue (45207). Condolences may be sent to Dr. Sandra Berg, 41 Carpenter’s Run, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45241. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions in Norman’s memory be made to Chabad Jewish Center, 3977 Hunt Road, Blue Ash, 45236 or the School of Psychology, Xavier University, 102 Elet Hall, 3800 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, 45207, or the charity of one’s choice.

Tributes

Dr. Norman Leonard Berg

September 21, 1940 - February 11, 2018