(KAIR)--A local Atchison community and business leader has died.

A.C. Robert “Bob” Berger died Sunday at the age of 88 at the Atchison home where he was born.

Commonly known as “Bob,” Berger, in 1973, founded the Berger Company, where he served as chairman of the board of directors until his retirement.

Prior to the founding of his company, an international supplier of leather and textiles, he owned and operated Atchison Leather Products, which his father began in 1908. It later became a division of Berger’s company.

According to his obituary from the Becker-Dyer-Stanton Funeral Home, Berger spent many decades serving in leadership roles in Atchison organizations, groups, and projects. Those included the Atchison Family YMCA, the Atchison Area Chamber of Commerce, the Santa Fe Depot Trustees, the Atchison Area United Way, the Courtney S. Turner Charitable Trust Advisory Committee, and the Boy Scouts of America. Berger was an Eagle Scout.

Serving as a member of such organizations as the Atchison Rotary Club, the Elks, and the American Legion, Berger was also well known for his political involvement, active in the Republican Party at the local, state, and national levels.

In August of 2018, Berger, and his family, were honored with the Cray-Seaberg Vision of Excellence Award which was established in 2014 by the Santa Fe Depot Board of Trustees to honor individuals and families who demonstrate extraordinary foresight and commitment in helping create progressive opportunities for the betterment of the overall Atchison community.

Berger will be laid to rest June 4th at Atchison’s Mount Vernon Cemetery, where graveside services will be held that morning at 11:00.

Among his survivors are his daughter, Carla Berger Blattner, and his son, Rick.