Michael J. Bergey, 73, of Lewiston, NY, passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 13, 2026.

Born in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, he was the son of the late Dennis Bergey and Catherine (Nixon) Heffler. Raised in Niagara Falls, Michael built a life grounded in faith, hard work, ingenuity, and family. In 1975, he married Barbara (Cram) Bergey, with whom he raised their family in Lewiston until her passing in 2003. He later married Denise Szafran in 2008, who predeceased him in 2021. In the years that followed, he shared his life with his fiancé, Melanie Mitchell.

A builder in every sense, Michael was a skilled carpenter, mechanic, inventor, and businessman. He proudly built his own home and spent his life creating, repairing, improving, and finding solutions to problems others might have considered impossible. Over the years, he acquired and cared for hundreds of multifamily rental properties throughout Niagara Falls, providing homes for generations of families. His work reflected the qualities that defined him: determination, resourcefulness, independence, and a rare ability to see possibility where others saw none.

Michael’s inventive mind reached far beyond construction and real estate. He developed and patented systems addressing sewer infrastructure problems, as well as innovations involving renewable energy generation—all driven by his desire to find better ways of doing things and improve the world around him. Endlessly curious, he possessed an extraordinary breadth of practical knowledge and an instinctive understanding of how things worked. There was little he could not build, fix, or figure out.

Michael was also an avid outdoorsman and skilled marksman who enjoyed hunting with both bow and gun. Generous with his time, knowledge, and talents, he was always willing to lend a hand, share what he knew, or help someone solve a problem. A devout Catholic, he was a longtime parishioner of St. Peter’s Church and Immaculate Conception.

For all that Michael built and accomplished during his life, nothing defined him more than the depth of his love for his family.