John P. Reberger

John Philip Reberger, Jr., passed away on Feb. 8, 2014, in Los Angeles, California.

John was born in Tripler Army Hospital, Honolulu, Hawaii, on Aug. 25, 1969, the son of Nancy and Phil Reberger. And while he only spent eight short months in Hawaii, he always maintained a special affinity for his birthplace. After a few years in northern Virginia, John's family settled in Boise, Idaho, where school, sports and countless activities with friends formed a full and happy childhood.

He achieved his 15 minutes of fame at the ripe age of seven, when he and a handful of childhood friends in Boise were cast in the Clint Eastwood film "Bronco Billy." While his screen time was brief, John's acting prowess can still be seen from time to time on cable television during the late night/early morning hours.

For college, he returned to the East Coast to attend the University of Virginia (UVA). Called "Berger" by his Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity brothers and many college friends, John balanced his studies with bringing his Bogus Basin moves to the UVA ski team -- and cheering on the Wahoos.

During his first job after college with Gallo Wines in New Hampshire, John developed a passion for wine that always served his friends and family well, both at restaurants with long wine lists and gatherings at his home.

Work opportunities took John to Boise, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe and Los Angeles. While living in San Francisco, John met his wife, Jennifer, a successful human resources executive. He adored Jen, and together they made Los Angeles the place where they have built careers, pursued graduate degrees (John earned his MBA from Pepperdine last April), started a family and raised two precocious, loving boys.

He is survived by his namesakes -- father "Phil" and oldest son "Jack" -- his wife Jennifer, youngest son Henry ("Hank"), mother Nancy, sister Diane, nephews, cousins and numerous great friends.

He is preceded in death by his grandparents; Ike, his friend and legendary bartender at SAE; and his beloved dog Fletcher P. Fletcher ("Fletch").

John's wish to be an organ donor was honored. It is a great comfort to his family to know he is one of the thousands of people each year who save or help someone else's life through organ and tissue donation.

Services to celebrate John's life will be held on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 10 a.m. PST, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Following the services, a memorial reception will be held at noon in the Glendale Hilton Hotel Brand Ballroom, 110 West Glenoaks Blvd.

A memorial gathering for family and friends is being planned in Boise at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial tribute gifts may be given to Children's Hospital Los Angeles by visiting chla.org or to the charity or cause of your choice.