Berget leaves lasting legacy in Libby

There is a house on Rustic Avenue in Libby that is covered in painted flowers. The house hasn’t always been painted this way, but following a bit of neighborly teasing almost a decade ago, it has sat untouched, adorned in all of its floral glory.

It is owned by a friend of Todd Berget, a compatriot who lives in Alaska, and who did not mind letting the former teacher and his students borrow it for a canvas.

At first, neighbor and work colleague Linda Day thought it looked cool, but after a while the design became too busy. There were paintings all over the house.

“Great paintings,” she said. “Just too many.”

Day wasn’t afraid to tell Berget what she thought. She recalls jokingly asking him, “don’t they have any tan paint over there?”

Berget gave as good as he got. Day recalled busting him hanging a metal flower on the top of her carport, “so my house too, could become a flower house.”

Berget, longtime teacher, artist, coach, mentor and friendly neighborhood prankster, died Oct. 29* at the age of 54. He suffered health complications while driving.

Condolences and memories poured out as word of his death spread through the community. A familiar face, helping hand and extraordinary artist, Berget left an indelible mark on Libby, his life and work reverberating beyond Lincoln County.

His playful nature is enshrined in the sasquatches he made and scattered throughout the community. If you look high above Flathead Electric, for example, you will see a Sasquatch lineman hard at work.

At one point, Berget even had to remove one of his Sasquatch tributes in the Yaak for scaring the wildlife.

Dirty Shame Saloon owner John Runkle said Berget was the driving force behind the Sasquatch Festival in the Yaak.

“In all the time I knew Todd, he was constantly trying to improve business relations as well as continually moving people to engage and get involved in business and social events in Lincoln County,” Runkle said.

Berget was declared Person of the Year in 2016. He accepted the honorific, but said he was only doing so on behalf of all of the community’s volunteers.

“In respect to all the volunteers in this town, I will accept Person of the Year for them,” Berget said at the time. “There are so many projects that Libby has come together and built — it’s one of the reasons Libby is what it is.”

A teacher at Libby Central School, Berget spent countless hours mentoring and teaching students. He also served as a passionate wrestling and football coach.

“I have had numerous previous students of his attend our establishment [Dirty Shame] and all of them always spoke very highly of Todd,” said Runkle.

When Berget wasn’t shaping young minds or volunteering in the community, he made art. An exceptional metal worker, Todd has adorned Libby with more than 40 unique eagle sculptures, with wingspans ranging from 8 to 40 feet and weighing upwards of 150 pounds.

In 2007, Libby became known as the “City of Eagles,” in no small part because of Berget’s artistry. When motorists turn onto Mineral Avenue from U.S. Highway 2, they see first the arch of the soaring eagle. The iron raptor welcoming travelers to Libby is Berget’s handiwork.

A street over, on California Avenue, Libby Sports Center showcases Berget’s artwork. The murals visible on the outside of the building were a joint effort between Berget and David Larimer, a former student and mentee.

Berget often supervised students as they worked on murals around Libby.

Residents might also recall the fishing pole and fish hanging over flower creek by Rosauers Supermarkets — Berget erected that as well.

Friends said he often had a marker or artist’s tool on hand, should inspiration hit. Berget saw the beauty in people and things that others often missed, they said.

Yvonne Moe Resch recalls tromping around with Berget — dressed as Sasquatch — at Ross Creek Cedars a few weeks ago. A man approached them, saying he didn’t have his wallet and needed cash.

“Todd gave him some money, no questions,” Resch said. “He was a giver of himself, his talent and his time.”

Berget often tramped through the forest bedecked as Sasquatch. Resch remembers him regularly stopping for photo ops and putting smiles on the faces of those that caught him.

“Todd was the real Sasquatch—bigger than life and a heart even larger.”

When Berget retired in 2018, he told The Western News that he was “so thankful for the parents that share their kids with me.”

“I’m going to miss being a teacher, but I’m also ready to go out and create art,” he added.

A family man, Berget met his wife, Donna, while attending college in Dillon where he started his career as an artist. The two were married for more than 30 years. Together, they have three children: Trista, Kody and Kacie.

Trista and her husband, Joshua, welcomed their first child — Todd and Donna’s first grandchild — in May.

A property owner in the Yaak, Todd had a beautiful cabin where friends and family convalesce and spend time together.

Justin Graham said his family was close with the Bergets. Graham said he cherishes the wedding present Todd crafted out of metal for him and is thankful for all the time together spent off the grid in the Yaak.

“If you ever need to talk something out, he was there and helped you through it,” Graham said. “He was like a grandfather to my daughter.”

In the days since Berget’s death, tributes have flowed as steadily as the Kootenai River.

“There is only one Todd Berget.” Resch said. “You will be missed beyond words.”

As for Day and the painted house, she has come around on the artistic project. It’s a tribute to Berget, she said.

“Now I don’t want it painted,” Day said.

Funeral services for Todd are tentatively scheduled for Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. at the Memorial Center in Libby.

*An earlier version of this story reported that Berget died on Oct. 28.