Andrew T. "Andy" Berta

Andrew T. "Andy" Berta

October 31, 1928 - December 16, 2025

Andrew T. "Andy" Berta of Newark, DE, passed peacefully beyond his earthly life on December 16, 2025, after 97 well-lived years.

Andy was born on October 31, 1928 in Freeland PA, the third child of seven born to Andrew J. Berta and Helen V. Berta (nee Gasper). His siblings Mary Hanusek, Joseph Berta, John Berta, Helen Rogusky, Colonel Thomas Berta, Anna Marie Durange, and Joseph Skvasik, a cousin raised with them, were devout Catholics. The siblings remained close throughout their lives, and they were all kind, thoughtful, resourceful people, playing music, sports, and bridge together. Anna Marie is the lone surviving sibling.

At age 23, Andy bravely served his country as a small arms instructor, a Browning Automatic Rifleman, and a Battalion Sergeant in the U.S. Army 2 nd Division, 38 th Infantry Regiment. He spent the entire year of 1951 in Korea battling on the front lines, earning a Purple Heart Medal and a Combat Infantryman's Badge among other service awards.

Upon his return from Korea, Andy moved to Delaware to work for E.I. duPont de Nemours Co., his employer for nearly 50 years, as a chemical technician and later as a safety supervisor. Here he met the love of his life, Betty Phillips. In 1955 they married and Andy adopted Betty's son, N. Paul Slaughter. The couple had two sons of their own, Mark D. Berta in 1958 and A. Thomas Berta "Tom" in 1960. He loved his sons and was a great Dad to all of them. Paul and his wife Marianna were tragically killed in an auto accident in 1971.

Andy and his family joined St. John's/Holy Angels Church in 1966, where Andy was a member of the choir until 2020. He served as usher and cantor there as well.

After God and family, Andy's next great love was bridge. Bridge and pool parties were a big part of life in the 70s and 80s for the Bertas. He ran the duplicate bridge at the Newark Senior Center for many years and continued to play there twice per week through November 2025. He was an excellent player to the end, earning a maximum point-scoring grand slam on the last hand he ever played.

Andy loved music and painting. He played guitar, piano, and trumpet and was in a band with his cousins and siblings called the Corn Squeezers. He painted many beautiful scenes while his sons watched in awe from over his shoulder.

Andy was resourceful and could fix anything: cars, appliances, pool equipment, plumbing, electrical fixtures. His mantras of "mind over matter" and "where there is a will, there is a way" served him well in this department.

Sports played a big part in Andy's life. He played baseball, golfed, and bowled. His golfing continued with his friends, the self-proclaimed Old Fogeys, until he was 92. Bowling with the Newark Seniors on Tuesdays was not to be missed. He bowled regularly with his brothers, sometimes driving long hours to do so. He followed football at Penn State, the college he attended at the Hazelton campus. He loved all the Philadelphia sports teams and fueled his sons' love for them by taking them to see many games. The few championships the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, and Flyers have won over the years were always enjoyed together as a family.

Andy was a gentle, kind, caring person who was quick with a joke and a smile. He took Betty's mother and aunts into his home when they needed assistance, and he took wonderful care of Betty when her health deteriorated due to rheumatoid arthritis. To this end, he lived at home in Newark as independently as possible until the day he died.

Andy dearly loved his daughter-in-law, Jackie, who married Tom in 1989, and his grandsons, Brett and Troy. Granddad swelled with pride at the accomplishments of "the boys". Andy became a welcome addition to the holiday gatherings of Jackie's parents, Conrad and Angie, after Betty's passing in 2002. He will be missed by all who knew him.

A visitation for family and friends will be held from 10 am until 11 am on Friday, January 9, 2026, at Holy Angels R.C. Church, 82 Possum Park Road, Newark, DE, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 11 am. Interment will follow in All Saints Cemetery, 6001 Kirkwood Highway, Wilmington, DE.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Andy's memory to the Newark Senior Center, 200 White Chapel Drive, Newark, DE 19713 or online by clicking here or to Catholic Charities, 2050 Ballenger Avenue, Suite 400, Alexandria, VA 22314 or online by clicking here.