FAMILY MOURNS MAN SHORTLY AFTER SECOND WEDDING.

Byline: Sonia Giordani Daily News Staff Writer

Jerry Berger met his future bride on the Internet nearly two years ago.

Corresponding by e-mail and by old-fashioned post, the self-employed general contractor from Newbury Park fell in love with a woman who lived and worked in the Philippines, halfway around the world.

In February, Berger, 52, flew to meet Maria Fe, the 27-year-old woman who had captured his heart. In March, they married in her native town of Katipunan in Zamboanga del Norte and began planning for their future together in the United States.

Maria Fe stayed behind, waiting for her American visa. And the newlyweds spent the next three months exchanging love letters and phone calls over the thousands of miles between them.

``He was happy in a way I had never seen him before. Maria Fe was like an angel to him,'' said Randy Berger, Jerry's son.

Then four weeks ago, just as the Immigration and Naturalization Service was processing Maria Fe's visa application, Jerry Berger's doctor diagnosed him with terminal lung and liver cancer.

Berger made a final trip to visit his wife before beginning radiation therapy, which he thought would debilitate him too much to make the trip later on.

``He probably should not have left to go in his condition, but he wanted to tell her in person so badly,'' the younger Berger said.

Berger died in Maria Fe's home July 16 of cardiorespiratory arrest and other complications of his cancer.

A memorial service will be held Friday in Los Angeles.

His friends and family say Jerry Berger's life stands in testament to the power of determination over hardship and to the power of reaching others with a gentle hand.

``In our lives, it is very rare to know people we consider our kindred spirits,'' said John Wittig, Berger's physician and a close friend for more than 10 years. ``So many people found a friend in Jerry. He was a man who had a heart of gold.''

Berger was born in the town of Bad Nauheim, Germany, near the end of World War II. At the age of 9, his family moved to Montreal, Canada, where he lived for nine years.

As the Vietnam War escalated, Berger crossed into the United States and enlisted in the Marine Corps at the age of 18, serving two years as a helicopter pilot. On his last flight, Berger was evacuating wounded soldiers when his helicopter was hit. The explosion left him with second- and third-degree burns over 40 percent of his body.

In December 1964, Berger was honorably discharged with three medals and a badge for his service in addition to a Purple Heart.

After the war, Berger married his childhood sweetheart, Shirley Bubis, and together the couple had two children. They divorced after nearly 10 years of marriage.

Determined to fight his addiction to drugs and alcohol, Berger joined Alcoholics Anonymous. For more than 10 years, he had helped others as a counselor in addition to working with the Cabrito Foundation in Canoga Park, a sober-living home for men.

``He had a hard life, but he learned from his mistakes and wanted to help keep others from making the same kinds of mistakes,'' said David French of Thousand Oaks, a close friend of Berger's.

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Photo: In March, Maria Fe sits with her new husband, Jerry Berger, who died July 16 of cancer complications.