Bert Gunnarsson

Elder Bert Gunnarsson is a doctor living in the Aerotech Office Park in 2281.

Background
A Mormon priest from Utah, Bert is a relatively new arrival in the Mojave wasteland, having come to the area only six months earlier. He followed the trail his old friend, Nephi, in an attempt to turn him back to the Church, away from drugs and the Fiends. To do so, Bert trained under the Followers of the Apocalypse to learn medicine and other forms of care. However, after following him to New Vegas, he soon realized that it is a lost cause, that Nephi allowed himself to be consumed by drugs and hate.

Bert, despite losing his friend, chose to move on. He saw an opportunity to help Vegas at the Aerotech Office Park that the NCR repurposed into a refugee camp. Much to the chagrin of the Followers, he chose to focus his efforts in guiding through ministry and as a doctor, helping the beleaguered Captain Parker. He accepts the fact that Nephi will one day be killed and hopes his soul will find peace.

Effects of player's actions
Bert will comment on the death of Driver Nephi if the player character speaks to him after killing Nephi, stating that he hopes Nephi's soul is at peace. No explanation is made as to how he knows Nephi, though cut dialogue exists which elaborates on this point (see behind the scenes).

Other interactions
If asked who he is, Bert will mention that within the Church he is known as "Elder Gunnarsson", making Bert one of the few residents of New Vegas to identify themselves as belonging to a specific religion; in this case, Mormonism.

Appearances
Bert Gunnarsson appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes
According to cut dialogue, Bert was at one point friends with Driver Nephi prior to his arrival in New Vegas, presumably when both lived in Utah. Nephi "fell in with a bad crowd," and when he and his gang moved to the West, Bert followed in the hopes of redeeming his friend. Bert states that he thought he "could turn [Nephi] back to the Church," indicating that Nephi at one point may have been a Mormon as well.