Douglas Walter Berk, 74, a longtime resident of Glastonbury, CT, passed away peacefully at home in Pensacola, FL on the morning of June 3, 2023, after an extended illness. His death came at the exact moment his entire family was gathered in Connecticut for his mother's funeral. The call of his passing came during his sister's eulogy.

Douglas grew up in Hebron, CT on the family farm and more than once could be remembered saying how he "milked 40 cows at 4 am before the start of school." This wasn't untrue. The family worked hard and instilled both industriousness and education into all their children. Douglas went on to graduate from RHAM High School in 1966 where he was RHAM High School's first ever All-State Boys Basketball Player and held the school scoring record for over 25 years. He continued playing basketball in college at UCONN and after college married his college sweetheart, Judy Hall of Houston, TX, in 1970. They have one daughter, Carla, who followed in her father's footsteps playing basketball from age 8 as he coached her all the way to high school. When Carla reached high school Doug suggested she "take up volleyball to help with basketball jumping," and Carla did, leading her team to a 14-0 record and into the state championship in 1993, garnering All-State honors in the process. She went on to play volleyball in college, all because of Doug's suggestion.

While Carla was in middle school, the family purchased a 4-acre lot of land on rural Hebron Avenue in Glastonbury. Doug would finish work for the day then head to the property to single-handedly clear the 600-foot driveway and put his heart into building their family home. Carla remembers adding boards to the cedar ceiling while sitting on the beams. Doug completed the electrical and sheet-rocking of the home himself and took great pride in the finished product. He enjoyed spending time at home gardening (especially asparagus and other vegetables - the family always had fresh vegetables from the garden for dinner) and watching UCONN basketball. He built a basketball court in the yard and would often play HORSE with his daughter and her friends, showing them the wrist flick and follow through that made him such a keen shooter. The family had season tickets to the UCONN women's basketball games starting back in 1990 and would watch the team play in the field house on the Storrs campus with a front row view.

Doug greatly enjoyed watching his daughter and 3 grandsons play sports - he never missed a game of hers and was so proud of their successes. When he wasn't at home or golfing, Doug could be found fishing the Rhode Island waters on his boat or going out to fish with friends or family. He especially liked the waters off Misquamicut where the family had a beach home and spent many summer weekends together. He knew the waters off the Rhode Island shore like the back of his hand and many a dinner at the cottage would be fresh fluke from the day's catch and corn on the cob from his garden.

After Carla and her family moved to Pensacola, FL in 2012, Judy and Doug followed. He continued to enjoy fishing and golf and watching his grandsons play soccer at high school in his retirement. The family also enjoyed traveling to Alaska, Italy, Spain, and the Caribbean together. The family will greatly miss Doug's wisdom and knowledge that he offered them whenever they were together.

Doug is preceded in death by his mother, Elaine Audrey Anderson Berk and father, Walter Albert Berk.

Survivors include his daughter, Carla (Steve); former wife, Judy; his brother, Walter (Trish); and sisters, Karen and Laurie (Brian); 3 grandchildren, Clayton, Cooper, and Chase; his nieces, Sarah (Joe), Adrian (Charlie), and Jamie; nephew, Jason (Hilary); and their children, Annabelle, Wesley, Natalie, and Leland.

The family would like to express their sincere thanks to VITAS Hospice of Pensacola and Doug's end of life doula, Christi Colvin.

A private service is being held. A memorial garden will be planted in Doug's name to remember his many gifts to the family and allow his memory to live on.