Jude Oberg

Jude Oberg, born May 12, 1934, to John and Florence (MacCormack) Oberg at St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth, Minnesota, passed away on October 9, 2026.

He received his early education at the Duluth State Teachers College Lab School, Holy Rosary Grade School, Duluth East Junior High School, Palm Beach High School, and St. Ann's High School in West Palm Beach, before graduating from Duluth East High School in 1951 as part of its first graduating class. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 1955, followed by postgraduate studies at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, specialized coursework at various United States Army schools at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and numerous professional seminars, including several at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

After spending several years serving in various capacities within the consumer finance industry for the Providence Finance Corporation, Mr. Oberg spent 20 years as the Purchasing and Inventory Control Manager for the W.P. & R.S. Mars Company, a large regional industrial supply firm. He followed this with a 12-year tenure as Senior Buyer and Product Merchandise Manager for the Beckley-Cardy Company, a subsidiary of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich and, at the time, the largest school supply company in the world. On October 31, 1996, after spending the final 32 years of his career in purchasing and merchandise management, he retired.

He and his loving wife, Virginia (Laven)—whom he married on August 30, 1958, in Mankato, Minnesota—split their time between their Duluth home and their winter residence in Scottsdale, Arizona. Jude was an avid tennis player who took great pleasure in organizing and coordinating men's doubles groups in both Duluth and Scottsdale.

Mr. Oberg belonged to and served on the boards of many business, civic, charitable, and athletic organizations. He was a past president of the Duluth Retail Credit Association, the Duluth Association of Consumer Finance Companies, the Duluth Accounting Bureau, the Duluth Breakfast Optimist Club, the St. John's Grade School Home and School Association, and the Lake Superior Chapter of the National Association of Purchasing Management. He also served as vice president of the Woodland Boys' Hockey Association and the Woodland Community Club.

An enthusiastic outdoorsman and sportsman, Jude was an avid golfer, trap and skeet shooter, and snowmobiler. He served as league captain for several golf, trapshooting, and skeet teams, and led many long-distance snowmobile trips with his wife, family, and friends. In his youth, he was active in the Boy Scouts of America, attaining the rank of Eagle Scout and earning the Ad Altare Dei award from the National Catholic Committee on Scouting.

Mr. Oberg is survived by his best friend and the love of his life, his wife, Virginia Oberg; his son Donald (Sharon) Oberg and grandson Bjorn Oberg of Maple Grove, MN; his son Roger Oberg of Phoenix, AZ; his daughter Patricia (Scott) McGaffey of Duluth, MN, grandchildren Sarah (Edward) Delorme and Daniel McGaffey (Chloe Strand), and great-grandchildren Connor Delorme, Mason Delorme, and Lilith McGaffey-Strand; and his son Neal (Stacy) Oberg of Madison, WI, grandchildren Brett (Hayli) Oberg, Cassandra Oberg, and Brooklyn Oberg, and great-grandchild Baker Oberg.

Mass of Christian burial will be held at 11am on Wednesday, October 28, 2026 at St. Johns Catholic Church, 4230 St Johns Ave, Duluth with a Visitation beginning at 10am. Burial at Calvary Cemetery. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.