Funerals set for Lake in the Hills couple killed in Florida
Matt Berg's favorite childhood memory is going on yearly family vacations to Clearwater Beach, Florida.
Tragically, it also became the place of his father's death last weekend.
"That was his favorite place to visit in the world," said Berg, 33, of Crystal Lake, a captain with the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District. "He was looking to get away for a week."
John Berg, of Lake in the Hills, and his live-in girlfriend, Viola Flores, were killed Sunday night in a hit-and-run accident crossing the road while vacationing there. They died of their injuries at an area hospital.
"They were just leaving dinner when the accident happened," Berg said.
Though the driver fled the scene and has not been caught, Clearwater police later found and seized a silver 2002 Mercedes-Benz sport utility vehicle suspected in the hit-and-run sitting in a driveway of a home near Tampa. Forensic investigators are processing the vehicle, according to media reports.
John Berg, 62, a retired auto technician, was born and lived for 58 years in Algonquin before moving to Lake in the Hills four years ago. A 1971 graduate of Irving Crown High School, he became an Automotive Service Excellence-certified master technician for Denver Automotive.
He loved fishing, antique cars, going to car shows and still worked on cars on the side, Berg said.
"He has touched the lives of so many people over the years," Berg said. "He truly loved this town and all the friends in the area. I think that's what people will remember most about him."
The accident has generated overwhelming media attention for the family, yet Berg said he wants to honor his father's memory by speaking publicly in their time of grieving.
"A lot of people have difficulty losing somebody this close," he said. "People have shown my family so much support and comfort in this time. The support that they (the community, friends, co-workers) have given us has been incredible. And the support from the fire department and police department in Clearwater was unimaginable."
Flores, 51, formerly of Aurora, was a graduate of East Aurora High School and studied at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove. She was a sales representative for an Elmhurst restoration construction company.
"She had the biggest heart," said her daughter, Adriana Muñoz, 34, of Naperville. "The most generous, loving person that anybody knew. She always taught us to take care of each other and to love each other because one day she would not be here ... so we are doing exactly that."
"She was a very caring individual who put everyone before herself," added son Robert Flores III, 31, of Chicago. "She had a loud laugh, a beautiful smile ... she was so full of joy all the time."
Flores' passions were her children and her 20-month-old granddaughter, Olivia. She started traveling more only recently, "living it up and enjoying her life," Muñoz said.
The couple took good care of each other. "They were each other's support," Robert Flores said.
Visitation for Flores is set for 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Beidelman-Kunsch Funeral Homes & Crematory, 516 S. Washington St. A Mass is set for 10:30 a.m. Monday at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic -Church, 1500 Brookdale Road, Naperville. Washington St., Naperville.
Visitation for Berg is 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 7 immediately followed by the service at Willow Funeral Home & Cremation Care, 1415 W. Algonquin Road, Algonquin. Survivors include his ex-wife, Lois (Smith) Berg; and his sisters, Marcy Wright of Lake in the Hills and Marge Heinke of Algonquin. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Firefighters Association.