Obituary of Dana Berntson

Dana Martin Berntson, 92, a long-time resident of Valatie, New York, passed away peacefully and with family by his side on April 20, 2023 in East Lansing, Michigan. Dana was born in Lowell, Massachusetts on August 19, 1930 to Robert Berntson and Elsa Anderson. He graduated from Lowell High School in 1948, and received his degree in Economics from Tufts University in 1952. Dana was a Major in the United States Army, and was stationed in Fulda, Germany in the early 1950's. He then returned to Schenectady, and began a long career in Sales and Marketing with General Electric. His "GE" years enabled him to travel throughout the United States, Europe, the Caribbean, and South America. When Dana became the General Manager for the McGuire Company in Hudson, NY, Dana and his family settled in Valatie and would put down deep roots over the next 45 years. In his retirement, Dana volunteered with the Friends of Lindenwald, the Scandinavian Forum, and at St. Luke's Church and the Ghent Playhouse. He appeared in numerous productions at the Ghent, and also enjoyed being an extra and a stand-in for movies being filmed in the Capital Region. He loved the Red Sox and was grateful to live to see them win four World Series Championships. And since 1953, Dana enjoyed summers at Lake George at the family's "Brook Cottage." Dana is survived by his three children, Karla (Chuck) Dulic of East Lansing MI, Neal Berntson of Diamond Point, NY and Rex (Kay) Berntson of Bean Station TN. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Laura Dulic of Anchorage AK, Melissa (Michael) Masnyj of East Lansing MI, and Kevin Dulic of Atlanta GA; by his great-grandson Arthur Masnyj of East Lansing MI; and by his sister Marcia Anderson of Falmouth, Maine. Dana was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 50 years, Marion Finke Berntson. Family will receive visitors on June 29, 2023 from 5pm -7pm at the Raymond Bond Funeral Home (1015 Kinderhook Street, Valatie). A Celebration of Life will be held at St Luke's Lutheran Church (1010 Kinderhook Street, Valatie) on June 30 at 10:00 a.m. The Burial of Ashes will be at the Saratoga National Cemetery (200 Duell Rd, Schuylerville) on June 30 at 2:15 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Friends of Lindenwald (www.friendsoflindenwald.org) to their Scholarship Fund. The family would like to express their gratitude to the wonderful staff of Burcham Hills Resident Center and to Elara Caring Hospice, both of East Lansing, Michigan.