Dannette “Danny” Murphy Bergin died on Sept. 1, 2020, at the age of 87 in Lexington, KY. Danny was born in Delta, Colorado, on Sept. 15, 1932, and was adopted by Daniel and Jenny Murphy of Grand Junction, Colorado.
Danny married Ralph Creiger and together they had her daughter, Catherine (Ken) Frame, of Evanston, Wyoming. Later, she married Wally Winfield of Gateway, Colorado, and together they had seven children: Bill Winfield, Moab; Bob (deceased) (Cyndi) Winfield, SLC; Scott Winfield (deceased); Mary (Mick) Graehler, Lexington, Kentucky; Elizabeth Winfield, SLC; John (deceased) (Marianne) Winfield, Evanston, Wyoming; and Jim Winfield, Rawlings, Wyoming. Growing up as an only child, she always desired a large family of her own.
For many years, Danny’s family lived at Pace Ranch on Beaver Mesa and then moved to the uranium claims for a summer before relocating to Moab. While Danny lived on the mountain, she loved to find Native American arrowheads and dinosaur bones; she also collected wildflowers and pressed them to create bookmarks. Danny was an excellent gardener and seamstress, and she crafted many quilts and clothes over her lifetime. She was also an excellent chef, cooking countless meals for her family of 10 and stretching the groceries until their next monthly shopping trip to Moab.
In Moab, the family lived on several acres, where she canned a thousand quarts of fruits and vegetables, and—believe it or not—venison. Later, as a single industrious mother, she purchased a red and white catering truck and was an entrepreneur, creating DanWin Foods to provide for her family. Danny made crafts and her favorite homemade fudge to sell at craft fairs; she also made butter and cottage cheese using the milk from the family cows. Danny worked at First Security Bank, State Farm Insurance, as well as the Adult Probation and Parole Office.
Danny’s community volunteerism included years as a leader in the Girl Scouts and 4-H. She was an active parishioner at St. Pius X Catholic Church and helped with the annual election day dinners and other parish activities. She was also a proud volunteer for the American Heart Association. She supported her children in their various academic and sports endeavors.
Danny met Tom Bergin through a mutual friend, Ruth Parriott, and married him in 1983. Together, they lived in Moab and Big Bend National Park before retiring to Hill City, South Dakota, in 1990, where they resided in their beloved “Bergin’s Black Hills Bungalow.” Danny loved to dress up as a clown for Halloween and enjoyed many fun times square dancing with her husband, Tom. Danny moved to Lexington, Kentucky, after Tom passed away to be near her daughter, Mary.
When Danny was 65, she was reunited with her biological family in Kansas and was overjoyed to discover that she had four brothers. She looked forward to her brother Charlie’s annual visits to her home. Always thankful for her biological mother’s gift of life, Danny sent her mother a yellow rose on the 13th of each month, the day of her mother’s birthday.
When she was 84, she helped make 25 quilts for the Little Angels Children’s Home, an orphanage in Nepal that her son Bill and grandsons Michael and David support.
Danny loved living in her home for several years independently before moving to Sayre Christian Friendship Towers, where she loved the music concerts, numerous communal activities and the many dear friends she made. She enjoyed attending Parkinson’s Support Group activities and worked hard to remain as independent as possible through the progression of the disease.
Danny was extremely proud of her eight children, 25 grandchildren, 45 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild due this December.
In lieu of flowers, a donation in Danny’s name may be made to www.developingnepal.com to support the Little Angels Children’s Home in Nepal.
