Connie Berter

Connie Berter, 76, of Quincy, died Monday (June 10, 2013) in Sunset Home.
She was born Mary Raymond in Lafayette, Ind., on April 26, 1937, and adopted by Carl and Lillian Maas Berter from Quincy. She was given the name Mary Constance Elizabeth Berter. Both sets of Connie's birth grandparents emigrated from Ireland, and she was very proud of her Irish heritage.
She loved acting and was in her first show at the age of 4. Connie was involved in the theater all of her life, and that included a total of 36 shows at the Quincy Community Theatre, where she performed many jobs, from set painter to prop crew, stage manager, make-up person and, for three years, costumer. She was a two-time QUILTA winner: 1984 for Rosemary in "Picnic" and 1998 for Ida in "Cemetery Club" opposite James Callahan from California, who was guest artist.
She was happiest working with children or with the elderly. She often said, "I love the beginning and the end, but the middle is a problem for me. Too much emphasis on money and not enough care for the future and the preservation of the past. Way too material, and way too lacking in true spirituality.
"I've been 'rich' and I've been poor and the greatest, most unbelievably beautiful moments in my life, and there have been a lot of those, had nothing to do with money. Those moments came because of love and caring, and that cannot be bought."
She is survived by a daughter, DD Bartley; a son, C.J. Blickhan III; a son, James Maas Blickhan; grandchildren, Carl John Blickhan IV, Zach Blickhan, Synimin Blickhan, Makenzy Blickhan, Solee Scarlet, Kai Scarlet, Keira Scarlet, Deanna Rose; great-grandchildren, Parker Elizabeth Shoemaker and Trenton Logan Shoemaker; a beloved sister, Patti Berter Greenwell, and her husband Hiram, of Shelbina, Mo.; four nephews, Patrick and his wife, Laura, Hillary and Sondra, Mike and his wife, Marsha, Mallory, Mitch and Mason, and Bert and Curt Greenwell.
SERVICES: noon to 5 p.m. Saturday in Eagles Nest Hotel, 300 S. Third St. in Quincy.
Flowers may be sent to 409 Mistletoe, Payson, IL 62360.
Condolences may be expressed online at www.whig.com