Obituaries

Memorial Service for Martha Burke Bertolette Scheduled for April

A memorial service will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 14.

 

Martha Burke Bertolette, 87, died on December 25, 2011, at Waterbury Hospital. She had been living at the .

A memorial service will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 14, at , United Church of Christ in Woodbury, according to the First Congregational Church Facebook page.

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Obituary:

Martha "Mops" Burke Bertolette was a great lover of books. She worked at Rosenbach’s, a rare bookseller in New York City, and volunteered for the Woodbury Public Library.

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Bertolette was known as "Mops" by many. She was born in Plainfield, N.J. on August 17, 1924, the daughter of Charles Clinton Burke Jr. and Ruth Chipman Segur Burke, of Waterbury.

Bertolette is survived by Reed Bertolette, her husband of 60 years; her sister Ruth Burke Fraser; her three children: daughter Katharine Hess and sons Reed Bertolette Jr. and Russell Edward Bertolette; and two grandsons: Alek and Russell Hess.

Reed and Mops were married on September 8, 1951, and lived in North Carolina, Illinois, and California before settling in Woodbury in 1962.

Bertolette graduated from The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., after which she attended Smith College. During World War II, she trained in nursing and later held various positions in New York City.

Bertolette was a great lover of books and reading was her love and pastime all her life. After attending Smith College, she worked at Rosenbach’s, a rare bookseller in New York City.

Later, she volunteered many hours for the , for which she served on the board. She was known as a kind, considerate person, teaching Sunday school in each community in which she resided.

Bertolette had a life love of tennis and golf. She also loved modern art and enjoyed painting as a pastime. She was a true artist as a knitter and was known among her friends and family as a talented and prolific creator of custom sweaters.

Bertolette was involved in her community and active in politics. She was a longtime member in the Woodbury Democratic Town Committee, served as town selectman in Woodbury, and was nominated to run for Connecticut State Assembly. If there were any advice she would pass on, it would be to avoid or quit smoking.

 Funeral Home: Munson-Lovetere Funeral Home of Southbury

Donations: Donations may be made in Martha "Mops" Bertolette's name to the , 269 Main St South, Woodbury, CT 06798; or to the American Lung Association, 45 Ash St., East Hartford, CT 06108.


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