Everyday People: Charlotte Bergerson: A life remembered, one story at a time 

Published 9:00 am Monday, December 22, 2025

At 88, Charlotte Bergerson has lived a life brimming with stories, memories and quiet wisdom. Her home, tucked away in a corner of Warrenton, is lined with books, mementos and stacks of journals — each page a fragment of a life well observed. She has spent decades recording moments both ordinary and extraordinary, preserving many of them in a book, “I Remember When,”  and in countless personal diaries that stretch back to her childhood.

“I just like to write it (all) down,” Bergerson said, settling into a cozy chair by the window at her home. “It’s giving out part of your heart, and you don’t want to throw it away.”

Bergerson’s book began as a gift for her family. “I thought, that’s what I’ll give the kids for Christmas,” she said. “Then other people wanted them, so we made some more. But it wasn’t like I thought I’d become famous. It was just sharing stories.”

Her love of writing stretches back to her childhood. Even as a child in foster care, she kept a diary, chronicling everything from her feelings to meals to small events of the day. 

“I’d write about things like, ‘today a neighbor girl chased me home from school,’” she said. “Even in second grade, I felt I had to write everything down. If you write it down, it’s a way of keeping it. It’s not just lived and gone.”

Bergerson’s love of writing came naturally. She was a quiet child who moved frequently, often living in foster homes. The practice of recording her thoughts helped her process the world. 

“I didn’t know if I wanted to be a writer,” she said. “I just wanted to write down everything I knew. What do I know? That’s what I wanted to capture.”

High school brought opportunities that nudged her out of the background. A friend encouraged her to try out for cheerleading.

“I was always in the background. She almost pushed me onto the stage to try out,” Bergerson said. She got the cheerleading spot and some extra spunk, to boot.

“I got it, and it really helped me realize you don’t have to just slink around,” she said. “You can be seen. It’s okay.”

An English teacher further fueled her passion for words. 

“She told me I was good, that I could paint pictures with my writing,” Bergerson said. “I liked her class, and I liked writing things. It made me enjoy it. That’s how I first took something to the Columbian Press, and (the editor) liked it.”

Bergerson had walked into the newsroom that day with a story she had written and showed it to then editor Gary Nevan, who hired her on the spot. 

“I wasn’t thinking it would be anything beyond that one day,” Bergerson said. “But (he) liked it and asked me to write once a week. It was exciting, like getting your homework in on time, thinking, ‘Other people might want to know this.’”

Bergerson’s first published work appeared in Columbia Press’s weekly newspaper, The Columbian. 

The newspaper, which ceased publication on its 100-year anniversary in 2022, predominantly covered Warrenton along with Clatsop County. Bergerson said she wrote for the paper for around three or four years. 

“It was a weekly paper, so it was easy to manage,” she said. “If you had a story or something to share, you wrote it down. I liked that structure.”

Her stories are a mix of personal memory and history, offering both a record of her life and the world around her. One of her favorites recounts the first New Year’s Eve she was allowed to stay up to see the new year, in 1947. 

“I was 9, living in Portland,” she said “I liked history where you tell what you feel and where you were. Even with the same circumstances, people see things differently.”

Writing, for Bergerson, has never been about fame. It was about relating her experiences.

“Even when I was little, I’d write, ‘Today we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,’ just so I would remember it,” she said. “I’m kind of obsessive about not forgetting things.”

Amidst her reflections on writing, Bergerson also shares a life-long love story. She and her husband, Chuck Bergerson have been married for nearly 71 years. Asked about her favorite memory from a lifetime together, she laughs softly. “Oh, my whole life. Oh, gosh, there’s way too many,” she said.

However, one memory does stand out. 

“When we got married, we went down the Coast just for one night,” she recalls. “I had to be at school on Monday, and he had to be at work. We got married on a Saturday afternoon and came back the next day. But it was so exciting because he called me ‘Mrs. Bergerson.’ I went, ‘Oh!’ My maiden name was Hail — short and sweet — so Charlotte Hail became Charlotte Bergerson.”

Her reflections stretch beyond marriage and writing into her childhood and the lessons learned along the way. Life in foster homes was never easy, but she remembers her foster parents with affection. She also remembers her  biological mother with love, her “Mama,” who provided stability and warmth. 

“Mama always made sure we knew how poor we were,” Bergerson said. When they barely maneuvered through hard times, Bergerson remembered how her mother would somehow find a way. “She would say, ‘Don’t thank me. Just thank God … .’ It stuck with me.”

Her mother’s wisdom left lasting impressions. “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all,” she said, laughing. And: “Work your fingers to the bone. Look at your hands. Pretty little hands, but they can do a lot.”

Despite her age, Bergerson remains independent and sharp-minded. “I still have a really good brain,” she said. “I’m thankful it still works.” She manages her home, runs errands, and keeps her life orderly, always with an eye toward observation and reflection.

Bergerson’s life reminds us that the ordinary can be extraordinary when seen closely, recorded carefully, and cherished over time. Every detail matters to her, from a hole in a sock patched by a caretaker to the sparkle of water on a winter day.

“Even the little things,” she said. “Are worth remembering. They’re all part of the story.”