Alice Marie Berg Van Vleet

Alice Marie Berg Van Vleet

December 17, 1938 – December 26, 2023

Alice Marie Berg Van Vleet was born December 17, 1938, in Paonia, Colorado to Paul and Arvella Berg. She passed at her home, with family at her side on December 26, 2023.

Alice and her two sisters, Betty Lou, and Pauline were raised in Paonia at the edge of town, on a small fruit farm. One of Alice’s favorite things, living on the farm, was riding on the tractor with her father.

After graduating from high school in 1956, she moved to Grand Junction, Colorado to attend Mesa State College, where she received an associate degree as an art major. During her first year at Mesa, Alice met Dean Van Vleet, a handsome young man attending Mesa on a sports scholarship. They dated for two years before getting married October 4, 1958. They moved to Gunnison, Colorado, where Dean graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education. From Gunnison, they moved to Ridgway, Colorado, where Dean began his career as a teacher, and they started their family. In 1961, Alice gave birth to their first of five sons. From Ridgway, they moved back to Paonia, Colorado living with her mother for a time, after her father passed until they were able to purchase their first and only home. They spent many years remodeling and adding on to this home and their family. Alice had an amazing ability to find deals on building materials for their home, finding and restoring furniture, and eventually learning how to etch glass (remember she was raising five rowdy boys!). All these talents she put to good use to make a beautiful home for her family.

Alice was an incredible mother, not only to her children, but most summers she had several nieces and nephews who stayed through the summer. During those summer months, Alice and Dean shared a love for rock hounding, and collected an assortment of rocks, fossils, and minerals becoming quite knowledgeable with all things concerning them. They loved taking their camper, loading up their family, and finding a place to explore and dig for the rocks and minerals that they collected. During the winter months when they weren’t hunting rocks, they were buffing, polishing, and cutting the rocks and minerals they found. Eventually they built a rock room, where they could work on a display the many samples of their collection.

Alice also had quite the green thumb and loved to spend time tending her gorgeous outdoor gardens and yard during the spring, summer, and fall months. She was quite knowledgeable with different plants, flowers, and trees, and loved to take visitors on a tour of her yard sharing the name and other details of each plant.

As if they weren’t busy enough with work, home, and yard, their rocks and mineral hobby, Alice and Dean were staunch supporters of their children and eventually their grand children’s sports, attending as many of their games or events as possible.

Alice was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and was often heard humming one of the church hymns as she busied herself with whatever task was at hand. She shared her love for her Savior, Jesus Christ, and her love of the gospel, witnessing to family, friends, and even strangers whenever she had the opportunity to do so.

She was also a firm believer in staying busy and was often heard telling others that “you have to keep using it, or you’re going to lose it!”, referring to staying active. Alice didn’t just say it, she lived it every day to the very end, having a shovel in hand as she passed from this life! She was such a great example, not only to her family, but others in her community that witnessed her hard work and determination.

Alice was preceded in death by her dear husband of 52 years, Dean, her father, Paul, and mother, Arvella. She is survived by her sons, Paul (Kathy) of Dolores, Colorado, Michael (Kimie) of Redlands, California, Stephen (Sherri) of Colfax, Washinton, David (Tracy) of Pocatello, Idaho, and Matthew (Tenille) of Paonia, Colorado, as well as two sisters, Betty Lou Mueller of Paonia, Colorado, and Pauline Klahre of Pleasant Grove, Utah, and 14 grandchildren, 7 (soon to be 9!) great grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.