DOROTHY BERTELE

BERTELE DOROTHY V. McLAIR BERTELE Dorothy V. (McLair) Bertele, age 97, died October 27, 2018, at her home in Ocean View, DE. She was born Dorothy Virginia McLair on August 25, 1921 in Bayonne, N.J. to Mary (CIrbus) and Joseph McLair. Dorothy married Edward Anton Bertele on April 25, 1943, and soon after her new husband shipped off to Europe for military service in the U.S. Army. Dorothy ran a family business for many years, and later worked as an administrative assistant to psychiatric facilities in N.J. She raised three children, Edward Bertele, Esq. of Charleston, S.C.; Terence (Therese) Bertele, MD., of Washington, D.C.; and Donna (Rick) Distasio of Ocean View, DE. She later moved to Las Cruces, N.M., where she returned to a life-long passion for oil painting for which she received numerous awards. Many of her over 100 paintings centered around either Southwest landscapes or the ocean and beaches. Dorothy was so touched by the losses of 9-11 that she painted a large canvas of the haunting remains of the World Trade Center Steel and donated it to the national fire academy in Emittsburg, MD. Dorothy was a parishioner of St. Ann's in Bethany Beach, DE, where she donated art every year for the annual fund drive. She was preceded in death by her husband Edward in 2011; a sister, Florence Madas; and her beloved grandson, Matthew J. Distasio in 2018. She is survived by her three children, four grandchildren, six great grandchildren, and a sister, Theresa Barton of Dallas, TX. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 9 a.m. at Our Lady of Guadalupe, 35318 Church Road, Frankford, DE where friends may call after 8 a.m. Interment will follow in the Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Dagsboro, DE. In lieu of flowers please send contributions to St. Ann Catholic Church, 691 Garfield Parkway, Bethany Beach, Delaware 19930 , in memory of Dorothy Bertele. In lieu of flowers please send contributions to St. Ann Catholic Church, 691 Garfield Parkway, Bethany Beach, Delaware 19930 , in memory of Dorothy Bertele.