Joel was born in Bakersfield and grew up in Shafter on Lee Bergman Farms were he farmed for many years. Joel was preceded in death by his mother, Alvina; step-mom, Norma; wife, Frankie; and son Jason. He is survived by his three sons, Elijah, Dylan, and Amos; one daughter, Callie Penney; and ten grandchildren who loved their Papa Joe very much - not to mention the many people he loved and was loved by like family. Joe loved a lot of things hunting, fishing, cooking but nothing more than his family; which included many strays that he took in with no question. If you measure a man by the size of his heart there was none bigger. He lived his life his way but always took care of friends and family. He will be missed by many. His memorial will be Friday August 3, 2012 at 10am at the Shafter Mennonite Brethren, 400 Kern St., Shafter. Eulogy Joel Dennis Bergman was born on May 10, 1951 to parents Lee and Alvina Bergman, and then joined his sister Kathy. The family lived on a small farm outside Shafter where Joel grew up and learned all about farming from his dad. The Bergman family attended the Shafter Mennonite Brethren and at age eleven Joel was baptized and joined the church. He loved the outdoors. He could be caught fishing, hunting, building rockets, hot rods, motorcycles and even cannons on a regular basis. He loved building things and going fast. He also loved animals of every kind, he even tried to tame a baby coyote. If this man put his mind to it there wasn't anything he couldn't master. In 1970 Joel introduced himself to widow Frankie Hider and her little one year old boy Jason. Shortly after they married, Joel adopted Jason. The new family moved to Northern Oregon where Joel worked with his Uncle Jim on a construction project. While Joel was there he honed his survival skills as such canning, pickling and preserving foods. They lived with little modern comforts while they were in Oregon and even though it was different or tough Joel loved the challenge. In 1972 Frankie became pregnant with their second child and her health began to fail. With the harsh Oregon winter around the corner, they decided to move back to Shafter where they would be close to family. On February 14th 1973 their second son, Amos Joel, was born. Frankie's health continued to decline and she passed away in 1975, leaving Joel a widower with two small children. He began to work on the farm that Frankie's sister, Danny, ran. He then partnered with his parents, sister Kathy, and brother-in-law Lawrence Handel to form Lee Bergman Farms. He worked hard and enjoyed his family but was very lonely. In the summer of 1976, Joel was introduced to Kim Roskam by mutual friends. After meeting Jason and Amos's approval the couple was soon married. They began to build Joel's dream home on the family farm. Shortly after the family moved in, on August 9th 1978 they welcomed their third son, Dylan Christopher. A short eighteen months later they welcomed another baby boy, Elijah Lee, on February 17th 1980. Finally, on March 31st 1983, Callie Jo was born. Joel was a proud papa and loved his family. The family attended the South Shafter Mennonite Church where the children were dedicated and came to know the Lord. Always active in his children's life, Joel wanted to take part in Jason and Amos' soccer so although he didn't know much about the game, he studied it until he understood the fundamentals, and then began coaching. He coached for many years. The family had a tent trailer that they took whenever it was possible. The children accompanied their papa on many adventures: fishing, hunting, frogging, crawdading, high country camping, and going on drives to test how fast his Plymouth Satellite with a Hemi engine could go. Joel lost his mother Alvina in 1980 after a battle with cancer. With her passing many changes came to the farm. Joel had a hard time dealing with his loss and began to slip away. His life on the farm began to fall apart and he moved away to Santa Cruz in hopes to make some changes, and although it worked for a while, it eventually took its toll. In the early 1990's Joe returned to Shafter. Where he could be found doing one of any of hobbies. Like cooking, gardening, carving chairs with chain saw, or making bottle rockets. Most of all he liked people in general and made a practice of helping his friends anyway he could. Some of the meals he prepared for his friends are still legendary. He my have done things his way but he would do anything for a friend. No one could ever doubt the size of his heart. In 2003 after losing his eldest son Jason, Joel began to feel the need to reconnect with his family. He spent the last years of his life with his children, getting to know his twelve grandchildren, and at the end, taking care of his father and finding his way back to the Lord. May he rest in peace