Bertha H. Berliner

BERTHA H. BERLINER 85, of Ocala, Florida, a resident of Greenwich for over 40 years, died September 10, 2008 at The Legacy House/Hospice of Marion County, Florida. Mrs. Berliner, born in Bronx, New York on November 28, 1922, was the fifth of six children born to Richard and Elizabeth Hagedorn. The family later settled in Pelham Manor, New York. Mrs. Berliner's father, Richard Hagedorn, owned a thriving coal and ice business in Manhattan and was also a principal of the Yorkville Bank, which was located on the Upper East Side. In 1940, Bertha Berliner graduated from the Kendall Hall School of Peterborough, New Hampshire and later studied at the Traphagen School of Design in Manhattan. Bertha and William M. Berliner, Ph.D., were married in April 1946. Dr. Berliner had a distinguished career as Professor of Management at New York University's Stern School of Business and for many years was a board member of Manufacturers Hanover Bank. Dr. and Mrs. Berliner settled in Greenwich in the early 1950's, where they continued to reside until 1995, when they moved to the Buffalo, New York area to be closer to Mrs. Berliner's family. During her more than 40 years as a Greenwich resident, Mrs. Berliner worked with local community organizations and, in 1961, joined The Woman's Club of Greenwich, where she was active on several committees. During her 30-year membership with the Woman's Club, Mrs. Berliner worked tirelessly with the Meal-on-Wheels committee. She was later Director of the "Utilize Senior Energy" committee. She was also very active with The Woman's Club Gardeners. Mrs. Berliner was renowned for her expert needlework, creating numerous hooked rugs and needlepoint projects for her many nieces and nephews and for many of their children. Mrs. Berliner is survived by one sister, Elizabeth Hagedorn Frodsham, of Ocala, Florida, and 14 nieces and nephews, several grandnieces and nephews, and seven great-grandnieces and nephews. A Burial Service for Bertha Berliner will take place at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, October 11, 2008, at the Church of the Holy Communion, 5381 Old Lake Shore Road, Lake View, New York 14085. Interment will follow at Eden Evergreen Cemetery, Eden, New York. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to Meals-on-Wheels of Greenwich, Inc., 89 Maple Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830-5652.