Julie Hedges Rohrer, 81, beloved wife of Stephen Berg, passed away peacefully on October 28, 2019, at their home in Andes, N.Y., after a long illness.
Born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, on July 7, 1938, Julie grew up in Montclair and was the youngest daughter of Robert and Frances Hedges. She attended The Kimberley School in Montclair and was graduated from Wheaton College (MA) in 1960 with a BA in philosophy. After Wheaton, Julie moved to Manhattan and began a successful career as a financial journalist. She got her start at "Business Week," went onto "Forbes Magazine" and finally landed at "Institutional Investor Magazine" where she worked for almost 20 years. There she rose to the position of senior editor. She wrote articles and an industry “must-read” column covering top professional from money management firms and pension funds.
After retiring from journalism and moving to Andes, N.Y., Julie pursued her lifelong passion for horses. Her keen interest in competing with Morgan horses resulted in numerous national titles and seven World Championships at the annual Grand National and World Championship Morgan Horse Show held in Oklahoma City. Julie was and remains the first and only person ever to win three consecutive Open Classic Pleasure Driving Championships. She won the Masters Classic Pleasure Driving Championships three times with two different horses and won the Ladies Classic Pleasure Driving Championship once.
Julie loved baseball, especially the St. Louis Cardinals. Sam Breadon, Julie’s maternal grandfather owned and was president of the St. Louis Cardinals from 1920 until 1947. Under his reign, the Redbirds won six world series titles: 1926, 1931, 1934, 1942, 1944, and 1946. In August of 2016, Julie was invited to speak at the induction of her grandfather into the Cardinals Hall of Fame. It was a weekend full of Cardinal accolades and extended family. Along with fellow 2016 inductees Joe Torre, Chris Carpenter, and Ron Moore on behalf of Terry Moore, and in front of several thousand Redbirds fans in the heart of Cardinal Nation, Julie paid tribute to Sam Breadon and the team that brought her a lifetime of both heartache and joy.
Julie was an avid reader and enjoyed traveling. In addition to her passion for horses, Julie was a lifelong dog lover. She possessed a wicked sense of humor that will be missed by all who loved her. Julie was predeceased by her siblings, Catherine Barker, Ann Egbert and Frances Parsons. In addition to her loving husband Steve Berg, Julie is survived by her nieces, Ann Egbert, Susan Egbert Gilroy, and Catherine Livingston; and her nephews, Robert Barker, Jamie Egbert, John Parsons, and Peter Parsons. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, November 16, 2019, at the Hynes Funeral Home in Margaretville. Family and friends are invited to celebrate Julie’s life at 11 a.m. Contributions in her memory may be made to Big East Akita Rescue in Toms River, N.J. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Hynes Funeral Home, Margaretville, NY.