Maurice Louis Berthon, 97, of Vestavia Hills, AL passed away on March 10, 2018. He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Martha McLane Berthon; sister Maxine Pearson of Tucson, AZ; children Laura Berthon Smith (Allen) of Birmingham and Maurice Jr. (Beth) of Mandeville, LA; grandchildren Julie Smith Wade (Kevin) of Vestavia Hills, Karen Smith McAlpin (Jeff) of Vestavia Hills, Jeremy Berthon (Jennifer) of Baton Rouge, LA, Katie Berthon Klumpp (Mike) of Mandeville, LA and Noel Berthon (Jessica) of Madisonville, LA; 10 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. Maurice grew up in Pratt City, graduated from Ensley High School and enlisted in the Navy in 1942. He came home from World War II and went to work in the family business, Berthon's Dry Cleaners. In 1947 he married Martha and settled in West End. He joined the Ensley Rotary Club where he served faithfully for 45 years. He hosted several international exchange participants, visited Miami and Zurich on club business and was club president in 1974. He later moved to the Vestavia Rotary Club and was a Rotarian for a total of 64 years with many years of perfect attendance. He, his sister and brother opened the Berthon's Cleaners' flagship Southside location. Berthon's was a Birmingham institution known for its wedding gown preservation, leather care and fur cleaning/storage. After moving to Homewood in 1952 Maurice and Martha joined Dawson Memorial Baptist Church where they are still members, as are the next three generations of their family. Maurice served on building mission trips, was ordained as a deacon and served as chairman, taught Sunday School for many years, and served Wednesday night supper. He also served at special events like the Over the Mountain Egg Hunt and on the disaster relief team. In the early 1970's, he and Martha purchased a second home between Cashiers and Highlands, NC. They hosted supper clubs, friends, pastors and church staff, and family over the years. Visitors to "The Mountains" enjoyed fishing, golfing and spending time in Highlands, especially once he retired in 1982 and they spent half of each year there. As a retiree, he and Martha were active in the Vestavia Hills Senior Citizens group and at Vestavia Country Club. He joined the Vestavia Hills Men's Garden Club which kept up the entrance to the city on Highway 31. Maurice was an avid fan of the Crimson Tide and watched the Atlanta Braves religiously every summer. The family would like to thank the dedicated staff of the Rocky Ridge Retirement Home and the Angels of Mercy, with special thanks to Ver'Chelle Stevenson, Keenoah Stevenson and April Brown his faithful caregivers. Visitation with the family will be Monday, March 12 at 1 p.m. in the Sanctuary at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Homewood followed by a Memorial Service at 2 p.m.
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