Mary Berner

1938 - 2025

Mary Margaret (Markle) Berner, 87, passed away peacefully at home in Northampton, Massachusetts, on Monday, December 15, 2025.

Born April 24th, 1938 in Elkins, West Virginia, to the late Elmo Markle and Helen Burke, Mary was a 1956 graduate of Elkins High School, and a 1959 graduate of St. Mary's School of Nursing in Huntington, West Virginia. Her adventurous spirit led her to work as a Stewardess-Nurse with the Northern Pacific Railway. She lived in Seattle, WA and Houston, TX where she met and married Dr. Charles Berner. The couple lived in San Francisco before settling in Miami, Florida, where they raised their three children.

After being widowed, Mary moved with her children to Georges Mills, New Hampshire-a place that would become her heart's true home. There, she bought a large old summer home perched on a wooded hill overlooking Otter Pond which she poured herself into restoring and decorating. She continued nursing for a time before embarking on a new chapter as a small business owner, opening a series of gift shops. Mary loved to frequent thrift and antique stores, collecting many meaningful pieces over the years, both for her stores and as part of her own collection. She eventually returned to her home state of West Virginia, where she found community and opened a gift store in Canaan Valley. Mary delighted in meeting new people, swapping stories with customers, and forming the kind of genuine connections that defined her life. She was blessed with many loyal and lasting friendships, and will be remembered for her strong character, her self-reliance, and a spirit that was tough but kind.

In addition to her parents, Mary was preceded in death by her husband Charles, her son Christopher Daniel, and her brother Joseph Markle. She is survived by her sister Elizabeth Armentrout, her son David Charles Berner, his wife Amy, and her granddaughter Hazel; and by her daughter, Laura Elizabeth Berner, and her husband Christopher Gallo.

At Mary's request, there will be no services at this time. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice of the Fisher Home in Amherst, MA: https://www.fisherhome.org/donate.