Natalie J. Berreth

Born June 10, 1919 in Philadelphia , PA, to Bert and Bessie Jacobs, she spent her childhood in Chicago, IL, and Pittsburgh, PA, but lived most of her adult life in southern California. There she met and married Gideon Frederick Berreth in 1950, and raised four children. The majority of her working career, which she concluded at the age of 81, was spent with Carl Warren & Company as a transcriptionist specializing in claims and litigation management. There were few legal or medical words she could not spell and type on the fly, and in 6 carbons! In 2001 she moved to Olathe, KS, to be closer to extended family.

Natalie was a strong advocate for the wellbeing of our feathered and furry friends, and it seemed every bird and squirrel in Olathe knew how to find the feeders on her back deck. Their antics delighted her every day. She supported the Olathe Animal Control Shelter through a regular donation of small kibble dog food, which she learned was rarely available for the smaller dogs. Her fun-loving Samoyed, Troika, and rescued Corgie-mix, Sandy, were two of the luckiest dogs on the planet, and she mourned their eventual passing to the end of her days.

She loved books and read several a week; really challenging crossword puzzles (at which she was hard to beat); played computer scrabble regularly; and favored a good cowboy western movie. She always appreciated a rich baritone vocal, and in her last days rallied to “conduct” the much beloved 10th Anniversary Les Miserables soundtrack from her hospital bed.

Natalie received a bit of teasing from her children about her uncanny ability to find socks that exactly matched every pair of trousers, and she only chose colors “with life to them.” She was also known to precede most activities with a clap of enthusiasm and the phrase, “Okay. Here we go.”

In 1993 she was preceded in death by her husband of 43 years. Surviving are her sister and brother-in-law, Vivian and Dell Myers, of Apex, NC; her sister Carol Lippincott, Olathe, KS; children Jennifer Winchester, Olathe, Lorraine Berreth-Brazier, Topeka, Timothy Berreth, Pasadena, CA, and Sarah Henning, Geinsheim, Germany; four grandchildren, Jason Kemnitz, Shawnee, KS, Emily Blackmer, Wellsville, KS, Morgan Brazier, Kansas City, MO, and Hayley Brazier, Fort Collins, CO; and two great grandchildren, Kasha and Kali Kemnitz.

Memorial services will be held at 2:00pm, Sunday, February 24th at McGilley & Frye Funeral Home, Olathe, KS. She will be interred at Eternal Valley Memorial Park in Newhall, CA. In lieu of flowers the family suggests a donation of food, or funds to purchase food, to the Olathe Animal Control Shelter, 505 E. Sunvale Drive, Olathe, KS 66061.