Olive (Ollie) Bergen Tate died on December 5, 2011. She was born on October 23, 1914 in Richmond, Maine, the daughter of Emory R. and Abbie T. Bowden. Along with Allen Tate her husband, she lived in Bethel for over 30 years.
Tate was a gracious advocate of senior rights and served as president of the local AARP for six years. She was an avid animal lover, her favorite pet being cats. She was committed to cultural events through out the Danbury area. She joined the Brookfield Theater one year and starred as “Gypsy” in a rendition of the Broadway play “Gypsy”.
On a serious note, she was involved in helping her neighbors. When most retirees were retiring to Florida, she was driving cancer patients to their doctor’s appointments and continued to do so for over 20 years. She also had 30 years of volunteer service with the Red Cross. She joined the local AARP Chapter 2449 after retiring from Goodfellow- Ashmore in 1979. In 1995, she was the recipient of a Special Citation for Outstanding Community Service from the AARP.
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Coming from a teaching family, both of her parents and her loving aunt were teachers in Maine. Her father later became a school superintendent.
She is survived by a son Thomas Bergen who is a retired professor of the University of Wisconsin, a grandson, Mark Bergen, an economic professor at the University of Milwaukee and David Bergen, a grandson who also resides in Wisconsin.
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Her indomitable spirit will be lovingly remembered by friends and family. If friends of Olive Tate would like to make a contribution, please do so to the Red Cross.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. Mary’s Church, Bethel, CT on Friday, December 9 at 11 am. Burial will be in Eastern Cemetery, Gorham, Maine on Saturday at 11 am.
Family will receive friends at the Bethel Funeral, 215 Greenwood Avenue, Bethel, CT on Thursday evening from 4 pm to 7 pm.
