Catherine Berberet

Mary Catherine Berberet (96) passed away in her home on Friday, June 10, 2022. Born Decemeber 8, 1925 in Pilot Grove, Missouri to parents Lawrence Wittman and Christine Schuster Wittman, she was the 6th of 10 children and the last to survive. She grew up on the family farm until about the age of 8 when The Depression caused them to move to the town of Marshall. There she attended school and graduated from Mercy Academy H.S. After graduation, she attended a Navy Nursing Corp School in Kansas City for a year and a half. Upon returning to Marshall, she met the love of her life - Clem Virgil Berberet - while he was in the V-12 Program for Officer Training at Missouri Valley College. After finishing his time in the Navy he returned home to Long Beach and invited Catherine to come out for a summer vacation. She loved SoCal (and Virgil) so much, she never left, and they married in 1946 in Long Beach. In 1950 they purchased a newly built home, and they moved in one week before Glen was born. That house served them well, and she remained there for the next 72 years!

Mom was the consummate mother and housewife, the career of choice in the 50's. She cooked, baked, corralled 4 kids, cheered at baseball games, attended school performances, sewed Gail's clothes, managed a tight budget, kept a beautiful garden, actively participated in the PTA - all with a sense of fun. Family meant everything to her, and she modeled good parenting everyday.

Together, she and Virgil enjoyed raising their family, participating in water sports - including boating, skiing and catching waves at the beach - camping, dancing, and spending time at their cabin in Rimforest. Their boat ownership progressed from their first Sabot Sailboat to a series of larger motorized boats until they had their dream Cabin Cruiser on which they could take long cruises. They were active members of the Marina Yacht Club with a full calendar of events and a boatload of friends.

As their children grew into adults and had children of their own, they enjoyed spending time with their grandchildren, sharing their experiences and teaching them many life skills. As cousins, all of the grandchildren have common experiences of spending time with Grandma and Grandpa in fun and meaningful ways. Probably the most memorable of them all are the trips over to Catalina on their Bayliner, The Time Out , which included fishing, snorkeling, eating in the galley, and sleeping on the rocking boat. Grandma was a master of managing a lot of people in a very small space!

Catherine loved to read and continued to listen to Audible Books after she lost her sight. She enjoyed following the Lakers and professional tennis. Traveling continued with her children until she was into her 90's. She lived a full and interesting life, and she was dearly loved.

Catherine is survived by:

Children: Glen, Gail, Mike, Gary and their spouses

Grandchildren: Cassie, Ryan, Nicole, Parker, Dylan, Vaughn and Reese

Great-Grandchildren: Mason, Camille, Adley, Autumn and Everett

Luyben Dilday Mortuary (562) 425-6401