Dr. Raoul Ben Berke 80, of Ventura, California, passed away July 15, 2020 at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. Two of his children were by his side at the time of his passing. Dr. Berke was born in Chicago, Illinois to Meyer (Mike) and Molly Berke on April 2, 1940. The family relocated to Detroit, Michigan shorty thereafter. Eventually, the Berke family settled in El Paso, Texas. He graduated from the University of Texas, El Paso and completed his medical education at UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas in 1965. Dr. Berke finished his
residency in psychiatry at UCSF Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and furthered his training at the CG Jung Institute. He became a certified Jungian analyst in 1978. Dr. Berke worked in both the public and private sector in New Mexico with a two-year interval in New Zealand. In 2008, he hit the road in a motor home and did locum work coast–to-coast for 3 years. He finally landed in
Southern California where he decided to stay and work up until his passing. For the last 8 years, Dr. Berke worked for Ventura County Behavioral Health, taking care of the needs of the clients of Casa de Esperanza and other clinics as well. He was still seeing clients via tele-health during the Covid-19 pandemic before he started to feel the affects of his illness. Dr. Berke was extremely dedicated to the health and well being of his clients, and they, along with his team-members and colleagues at Casa will miss him greatly.
In addition to being a devoted psychiatrist, Dr. Berke was a talented blues guitarist/singer and gourd artist. The members at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Ventura often enjoyed Raoul’s musical talent when he would play and sing on Sunday mornings. His beautiful and detailed gourd art can still be seen
on his website: www.maranka.com, as well as in the homes of his friends and family. He also loved and pampered his three constant feline companions, Puffy, Sadie and Precious who were born on the roof of his house in Santa Fe, NM 13 years ago.
Dr. Berke is survived by his daughter, Aviva Rose-Dwyer (John), sons Nathan Berke and Adam Berke, granddaughters Carra and Grace Dwyer, sisters Bonnie Gay and Karen Taylor-Good and nieces Wendy and Rachael.
A celebration of life is not possible due to the pandemic, however there are plans in the making for a digital video/musical montage of his life put together by his best friend and fellow UUVC member Tony Porter.
The family wishes to extend their gratitude to the doctors and nurses at St. John’s Regional Medical Center who treated Dr. Berke with such dignity and grace in his final days.