Mourning Another Community Leader - Honoring George Bergleitner

STAMFORD –  The community recently lost someone who did a great deal for his small upstate community, even though he never really lost his Brooklyn accent. George Bergleitner, passed recently, leaving community members mourning his loss and remembering his great spirit and sense of community.

There will be a service for him in May, in the meantime, the community has been providing remembrances of what he has done and how much he will be missed.

Bergleitner was a local real estate broker and appraiser, starting Delaware County Real Estate in Stamford with his wife, Betty, in 1973. Prior to that he was on Wall Street. 

He grew up in Brooklyn and many recall how that was revealed when he wasn't mincing his words to make a point. He was a stock broker which served him well when he was working to raise money or get a donation for a particular cause.

I remember he often referred to his strict upbringing with the sisters at St. Thomas Apostle School and Our Lady of Lourdes in Brooklyn. Later on he attended St. Francis Prep School. He played football and basketball at St. Francis College where he earned his Bachelors degree in Business Administration and served on its Board of Regents for 50 years. This made him an avid sports fan.  He went on to receive his masters at the City College of New York.

He married a local girl, Betty VanBuren, in 1966, which is how he found Stamford. She grew up in Hobart and they had three sons, George C. Bergleitner III, Michael John and Stephen William. They gave them four grandchildren. 

Bergleitner served in the 11th Airborne Division as a Ranger before returning to civilian life and beginning his career on Wall Street where he rose to be a senior partner at M.J. Manchester & Company. In 1973, he and Betty started Delaware County Real Estate in Stamford. He was also a member of the Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington Stock Exchange, the Commodity Exchange and the New York Mercantile Exchange. 

Upon leaving Wall Street, Bergleitner became the chief executive officer of Delhi Chemicals, a public company. 

Also in 1973, he started Stamford Financial. 

Bergleitner was named the Colonel Harper Grange Citizen of the Year in 1999, mostly due to his work with the Christmas Feeling Fund, which he founded and has grown into a community oriented, ecumenical endeavor that helps as many as 200 families each Christmas, and received the Stamford Foundation Award in 2009. He was a member of the Delaware County Industrial Development Agency Board of Directors, on the board for 21 years. 

A member of the Stamford Rotary Club for more than 55 years, he served as its president three times and for many years had perfect attendance. He was honored by Rotary as a Paul Harris Fellow. In 2024 he also received the Rotary Service Award for "a lifetime engaged in public service to the community and to Delaware County". He was also a 55-year member of the Knights of Columbus and was honored as its Grand Knight in 2009 and is a Knight of Malta for 25 years. He was also honored by the Knights of Columbus in 2024 for his community service and commitment. He was a member of the American Legion for more than 35 years and served on the board of directors. That he was a Republican was no secret and he served the Delaware County Republican Committee for 31 years was a third vice chair and chairman of the Town of Stamford Republican Committee. He was honored as Delaware County Republican of the Year in 2019.

He was active on the Delaware-Otsego Board of Realtors and worked to lobby for laws related to real estate. He served as Grand Marshal of the Stamford Flag Day Parade and has served as president of Catholic Charities of Delaware and Otsego Counties and on its finance committee. 

Many of us knew him for the Christmas Feeling Fund, which he founded more than 50 years ago to help those less fortunate with food, warm clothing and presents for the holidays. It all started when a friend suggested that rather than give gifts to them, he might better spend his money to get gifts for those who truly needed it. The first year he took his dad to a couple of homes with food and clothing. It opened his eyes and his heart and thereafter he worked diligently each year to raise money to provide Christmas feeling for those less fortunate.

I can still hear his gravely voice and smell his cologne. He was truly dedicated to the community and we will miss him dearly.