Roger Dale Berglund, M.D.

Roger Dale Berglund, M.D., age 77 of Lake Vermilion-Soudan and Mountain Iron died Monday, September 23, 2019 in his Mountain Iron home. He was born August 17, 1942 in St. Paul, MN the son of Dale E. and Edythe (Newman) Berglund. Roger graduated from Washburn High School, Minneapolis in June 1960 and enrolled in the Institute of Technology at the University of Minnesota majoring in Chemical Engineering. In 1964 he changed his field of study to Zoology and graduated in March of 1965 with a degree in Zoology.  In September of 1965 Roger enrolled in the Medical School at the University of Minnesota and graduated with a Medical Degree in 1969. In his second year of medical school he was selected a member of the National Honorary Medical Fraternity, Alpha, Omega, Alpha. Admittance to this fraternity was given to students in medical school having an outstanding scholastic and academic record. Upon graduation, he received the Borden Foundation, Inc. award which is the undergraduate research award in medicine at the University Of Minnesota School Of Medicine.  Up to this time, only 23 other students had received this award for proficiency in research.

His internship was at the San Francisco General Hospital. During the Vietnam War, Roger enlisted in the Public Health Service as a military surgeon. From 1970 to 1972 he worked at the Public Health Hospital in Anchorage. Roger enrolled at the U of MN in 1972 for his residency in Ophthalmology, graduating in 1975. In August of 1975, he became employed by the East Range Clinics, Ltd. In Virginia as one of the Ophthalmologists.

In February of 1991 Roger was awarded Board Certification in the sub-specialty field of cataract/implant surgery from the American Board of Eye Surgery. This certification ensures the ophthalmologist maintains a high level of surgical excellence as measured by his peers.

In July of 1993 Roger terminated his employment with the East Range Clinic. In February of 1994 Roger entered into his own practice headquartered in Virginia. He also maintained offices in International Falls, Ely and Duluth.  He established the Northern Refractory Surgery Center and went on to hire partners: Dr. Jeff Weis and Dr. Bridget Sundell. At age 77, Roger was still practicing Medicine at the Essentia Clinic in Virginia and with Dr. Weis in Hermantown.

Roger was was very hardworking and honest. His ethics and talents as a surgeon were beyond compare. He was an innovative surgeon and had performed surgery on thousands of patients, yet he remained humble. He was a carpenter, a landscape designer and an electrician. He built many projects, did finishing work on his homes, and designed and built two ponds with waterfalls and Koi fish at his lake home. He liked to garden, do woodworking, and liked to be intellectually challenged. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather.

Roger is survived by his wife: Amy Berglund; children: David (Jami) Berglund of Big Lake, MN, and Christina “Nina” (Gus Chung) Berglund of Sacramento, CA; stepson: Charles Crayne of Soudan, MN; siblings: Richard (Pat) Berglund of Wyoming, MN and Judy Listberger of Minneapolis, MN; grandchildren: Avi, Lily, Juliet, and Jonah; nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

The Memorial Service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 29, 2019 in Bauman’s Vermilion Funeral Home in Tower. A gathering time for family and friends will begin one hour prior to the service. Inurnment will take place in the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Duluth.

Family services provided by Bauman – Vermilion, A Bauman Family Funeral Home in Tower. To share condolences online, please see: www.baumanfuneralhome.com .

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