Karl Gustav Bergman

Karl Gustav Bergman was born on March 1, 1930 and died on July 8, 2018, as he wished in his home at Bishop Gadsden in Charleston.
He is beloved by his surviving spouse of more than 35 years, Ellen Shong Bergman and five children: Leslie B. Savage (Robert) of Redmond, WA, Karl Lewis Bergman of Hilton Head, Jill Ellen Bergman of Beaufort, SC, Teri L. Bergman (Marcos Martinez) of Henderson, NV and Alan M. Bergman, Pa. He was the adored “PopPop” to six grandchildren: Ryan (Jessica), Erik Karl (Amy) and Gordon Savage, all from the Seattle area and Marc, Karl Alexander and Nicole K. Martinez-Bergman, all near Las Vegas, NV, who were the source of great pride and love. He also had the joy of three great-grands: Duncan and Kiera (Erik and Amy) and Riley (Ryan and Jess).
An only child himself he was delighted to share Ellen’s sister and brother-in-law, Lorrie and Jim Hupka of Olathe, KS. His nieces and nephews by marriage treasured him: Jeffrey (Carey) and Joshua (Erica) Hupka and their children: Claire, Isabelle, Sam (Jeff) and Alice (Josh); also, Alan, Jarrett, and Alicia Helm of Maryland, Alabama, and Virginia. Ergys Subashi is an “adopted nephew” living in Durham, NC with his wife, Darlena.
Karl grew up on the North Jersey shore where he loved fishing, crabbing and knew the stats of every Yankee ball player. In high school in the Little Silver/Red Bank, NJ area he acquired the nickname, “Boogie Bergman” for his love of dancing. After graduating early (his father thought kindergarten a waste of time so he started first grade at age 5) he worked at Prudential before enlisting in the U.S. Army. Selected for Officer Candidate School he graduated second in his class and was commissioned a Lieutenant in 1951. Karl served in Korea, earning early rotation home because of his assignment as a Forward Observer and Battery Commander. With the GI Bill now providing the means for college he applied to and was accepted at Princeton which accepted him – but for the next fall. Not interested in “wasting any more time”, Karl headed down the road to Rutgers who accepted him on the spot for the academic year that had just begun. He pledged Alpha Sigma Phi and was President of the Interfraternity Council. A member of the class of 1957, he graduated in 1956 with a degree in Economics.
He married, started a family and began his career with AMAX Inc., a multi-national natural resource company in their Management Training Program. Karl continued his military service in the Army Reserves for the next decade. His career at AMAX continued to thrive. Sponsored by his employer, Karl attended the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School, an intense six months in Cambridge completed in December of 1967. He first became an officer in 1971 and, in 1976, was elected President of AMAX Copper Inc. Karl became Executive VP of the Copper Division in 1981 and traveled extensively internationally, especially in Japan, Chile, and in Africa. It was on an early trip to Africa that he made a lasting memory – tiger fishing on the Zambezi River between Zimbabwe and Karl became President of AMAX’s Pacific Basic Division in 1983, retiring early after 30 years with the company.
Karl was an avid and talented tennis player (he and his doubles partner were nationally ranked 70s), a double black diamond skier and, especially after health problems limited those events, a very competitive bridge player. In all these endeavors he had the reputation of being a great sport and always a gentleman.
In retirement Ellen and Karl loved their home and life at Seabrook Island where they lived for 20 years. They moved to Bishop Gadsden in 2012 and were particularly grateful for the care and support of this community as Karl’s health began to fail. He persevered gallantly as he had all his life. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, July 14, 2018 at the Bishop Gadsden Chapel, 1 Bishop Gadsden Way, Charleston, S