Karl H. B. Berend died on Sunday, Feb. 18 at Mount Vernon Hospital due to complications of an ulcer. Mr. Berend, 87, was born in Berlin, Germany on Feb. 6, 1920. After the passing of his father Alfred Berend, a naturalized U.S. citizen, young Karl was placed in an orphanage at the age of 4 where he remained until the age of 18, at which time he learned of his American citizenship. At that time, Mr. Berend, determined to come to the United States, found work on a ship and entered the United States in 1938. After several years working factory jobs and learning the English language, Mr. Berend served in the U.S. Army from 1942-1946. In 1943 he married Natalie Coster Berend who predeceased him in 1990. Mr. Berend received a degree in business management at the University of Baltimore in 1949 after which he worked as a statistician for the US Department of the Air Force until he retired in 1979. He last worked at Andrews Air Force Base as a Cost Analyst. Mr. Berend lived in the Mount Vernon area of Alexandria for 53 years. He was a charter member of the Washington Farm United Methodist Church which he regularly attended.
As an avid historian and critical thinker, Mr. Berend was known by his family and friends as an outspoken advocate of world peace. After his retirement, he was an active member of many international organizations until his death including the American Goethe Society, the World Affairs Council, and the German American National Congress, known by the German-American community as D.A.N.K. where he served as president for Washington DC chapter in the early 1990s. Mr. Berend was most proud of his efforts garnering support for the recognition of German American Day and for his efforts relative to the construction of the German-American Friendship Garden in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Berend is survived by his three daughters, Linda Berend, Janet Calvin and Barbara Berend all of Northern Virginia, one granddaughter and two great-grandchildren.