Erma V. Berkley

November 18, 1922 - January 21, 2013

Erma V. Berkley died peacefully of pneumonia on January 21, 2013, finally defeating Alzheimer's disease, which had troubled her final years.

She was born November 18, 1922, near Thayer, Kansas, but moved to a fruit ranch in Zillah, Washington, in 1924. She graduated as valedictorian of Zillah High School and attended business college in Yakima.

Her first job was with the Horticultural Union in Yakima, where she promptly became the first woman promoted to bookkeeper. But soon, the office manager, Donald W. Berkley, managed to win her heart, and they were married May 28, 1944.

Immediately, they moved to Seattle, Washington, to train as aircraft communicators. By January 1945, they were serving with the Civil Aeronautics Administration on Woody Island, near Kodiak, Alaska. They returned to Yakima in 1947.

Their daughter, Ann, was born in 1948 and a son, James, in 1950. Erma worked as a full-time skilled mother.

She also pursued stamp collecting, focusing on lighthouses, the Arctic and Alaska.

In 1963, Erma returned to college, where she was soon joined by Don. The family moved to Bellingham, Washington, where Erma and Don graduated from Western Washington University in 1965. Erma graduated magna cum laude, one of the top four graduates. She later earned a Master of Arts in librarianship from the University of Washington.

The family moved to Port Angeles in 1965 for Erma and Don to teach. Erma began as librarian and business-education teacher at Joyce High School. In 1966, she joined Don at Port Angeles High School, where she retired as head librarian in the mid-1980s.

Erma was gregarious and loving at heart, unpretentious and fun-loving. She was active in the community, joining the American Association of University Women, PEO and Retired Teachers, as well as presenting travelogues at various clubs following her world travels.

Throughout her life, Erma's Christian faith was central. She was ordained an elder in First Presbyterian Church of Port Angeles, and she consistently acted upon her Christian beliefs.

Erma's husband, Don, died in 1980, she is predeceased by her parents, George and Lizzie Van Meter of Yakima, and her sisters, Lois Hill and Glenna Meade.

Erma is survived by her daughter, Ann Hutchison of Redmond, Washington; and her son and daughter-in-law, James and Deborah Berkley of Bellevue, Washington. Her grandson, Peter Berkley, lives in Tacoma, Washington, with his wife, Sarah, and their children, Elliot and Alex. Her granddaughter, Mary Shadley, lives with her husband, Karson, in Oakland, California.

A memorial service is planned for 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 9, at First Presbyterian Church, 139 West Eighth Street, Port Angeles, WA 98362.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to Ghormley Meadow Christian Camp, 640 Lost Lake Road, Naches, WA 98937; First Presbyterian Church of Port Angeles; or the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, www.nationalmssociety.org.