Final Salute

Joseph E. Bersche died of natural causes during the early morning hours of March 29, 2023. He was 91 years old.
Joe was born in Fairmont, West Virginia, on October 17, 1931, to Rev. G.J. Bersche and Jessie Naomi (Darling) Bersche. Joe was the oldest of four boys in the family. He graduated from Pontiac High School as the senior class president and studied at Michigan Eastern University and Nyack College.
Joe served in the United States Navy as a Seabee (Construction Battalions) from 1951-1955, where he was stationed in Guam and Adak, Alaska, and studied construction and engineering at Port Hueneme, California. After the Navy, Joe married Barbara Carol Stegmaier on June 9, 1956, whom he had first met by a water fountain at camp when he was 19 and she was 15. Soon after marriage, they moved to Pontiac, Michigan, where they started a family and Joe created the Bersche Construction Company, building homes, schools, and industrial buildings. In 1967, Joe moved his family of three boys to Hudson, Ohio, where he and Barbara added a daughter to the mix several years later. Joe became executive vice president and COO of the Hannan Companies in Cleveland, working around the country in construction and real estate development. Eventually, he became CEO and president of Inland Construction in Chicago, where he built landmark high-rise buildings, shopping centers, and medical buildings.
A sample of some notable projects Joe developed throughout his career includes Water Tower Place (Chicago), 333 Wacker Drive (Chicago), Copley Square (Boston), Disney’s Epcot Center (Florida), the Bloomingdale’s Building (Chicago), 600+ K-Marts (USA), Energy Center One (Denver), City Center (Minnesota), Logan Square (Philadelphia), and Abbott Laboratories (Illinois).
Joe was happily engaged by his work and his profession and enjoyed an active board life, serving on the Chairman’s Committee of the U.S. Senatorial Business Advisory Board, the Associated General Contractors of America, and the board of directors of the Builders Association of Chicago. He gave back in other ways, as well. Growing up with a father who was a pastor, and with faith being an important part of his person, Joe was on the board of directors of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the Shell Point retirement community in Fort Myers, Florida, as well as a trustee of Nyack College, where he subsequently won the Alumnus of the Year Award.
Joe enjoyed skiing with his family and involving them in sailing adventures when possible. He was known for his dry humor, his love of slapstick, and his unexpectedly good piano playing. In his later years, Joe and Barbara were active in their community in Vermilion, Ohio, settling down within a stone’s throw of the very fountain where they had met. To Joe, the perfect outing was bringing Barbara, friends, and visiting grandchildren to Toft’s Creamery for their giant ice cream cones, sitting outside on their patio in the sun, and eating them before they could melt.
Joe rarely sat still and was always working on a project around the house. While his kids were still living with him, Joe renovated his home over and over again, dramatically transforming the shape and period of the architecture — from classic white ranch style to modern Spanish stucco adobe to Old English Tudor — all in a 10-year span. Even after retiring, Joe continued to build — adding a loft space to his single-story retirement cottage, an extra bathroom, and an outside deck that could fit the extended family when they visited in the summertime — doing all of the work himself. His grandchildren were in awe of the projects he did, and he loved having them around. With Joe, life was always evolving, and he certainly left his mark. He will be missed by those he touched.
Joe is survived by his wife Barbara C. (Stegmaier) Bersche, his son Curtis E. Bersche (Roxann Mehle spouse), and his daughter Barbara J. Bersche (David Katznelson spouse); his six grandchildren: Christie Wallace (Daniel Wallace spouse), Haley de la Rosa (Nico de la Rosa spouse), Carlie Richards (Miranda Monticelli Richards spouse), Graham Bersche, Kaya Katznelson, and Asher Katznelson; his three great-grandchildren: Jackson Wallace, Christopher Wallace, and Rayne Richards; his brothers James Bersche (Linda Bersche spouse) and Paul Bersche (Carolyn Bersche spouse). Joe is preceded in death by three of his children: Kimberly J. Bersche (1), Chris A. Bersche (32), Craig J. Bersche (63), and his youngest brother John Bersche.
The family would like to thank the Beulah Beach community for the support they gave to Joe and their continuing support of Barbara, as well as Stein Hospice and Admiral’s Pointe as they helped make Joe comfortable in his final days. Also, a big thank you to the Cleveland Memorial Society and to the Busch funeral home for being so helpful and kind.
A Memorial of Life celebration is pending. In lieu of flowers, please consider making donations to the camp programs at Beulah Beach at 6101 W. Lake Rd., Vermilion, OH 44089.
To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Joseph, please visit our Tree Store.

Published by Busch Funeral and Crematory Services – Parma on Apr. 2, 2023.