Our History
Around the turn of the century, Ole H. Berg, the patriarch of the Berg family, traded 18 acres of land, where he cultivated alfalfa (the present upper campus of BYU), for a 32-feet property at 40 East Center Street. There, he and his son, Wyman, constructed the first mortuary building in the area, named O.H. Berg and Son Undertaking. The building included a partial basement, a small chapel, an office, and a casket display room.
The "dead wagon," as it was known, served for initial calls when someone passed away or to transport individuals from various hospitals. Ole and Wyman used a one-seated buggy for death calls, carrying a small satchel and cooling boards to the location of the deceased. In those times, bodies were placed on cooling boards, surrounded by ice to preserve them until the funeral. Subsequently, embalming shifted from homes to the mortuary.
In Ole's later years, Wyman assumed more responsibilities, managing the business. In 1914, Ole spent six months in Norway for genealogy during the outbreak of World War I. In 1918, O.H. Berg and Son mortuary was incorporated, establishing Berg Mortuary, Inc. The funeral services expanded, with an embalming room, a chapel, and rented space to the Western Union Company.
Ole passed away in 1919, and Wyman continued running the mortuary on Center Street until 1935 when the facilities became insufficient. The mortuary relocated to the former Jesse Knight home at 185 East Center Street, becoming a charter member of the National Selected Morticians in 1935.
In 1947, Wyman and Max expanded the mortuary, adding a new building to accommodate the growing operation. Completed in 1948, this addition made the facility seven times larger, featuring complete embalming/operation rooms, a casket display room, a chapel, and living quarters. An Open House was held on June 27, 1948, to dedicate the Mortuary.
In 1957, Berg Mortuary of Orem was established to meet the needs of the growing area. Both the Provo and Orem locations have undergone extensive remodeling, including an updated chapel with seating for 300 people and an adjacent parking lot.
Carl Berg, the fourth generation of the Berg family, now owns and operates Berg Mortuary with continued dedication to serving the families of Utah Valley. For over 150 years and spanning four generations, Berg Mortuary in Provo and Orem has been committed to providing compassionate and professional funeral services to the community.