Charlotte Scott Berkshire

She was born July 29, 1944 in Pensacola, FL, the daughter of Bleecker and Elizabeth Born. Charlotte and her older brother, Tom (surviving) grew up in Gulf Breeze, FL. She married Tom Berkshire in Pensacola, FL in 1965. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her three daughters: Jennifer Berkshire (Russ) of Gloucester, MA, Gretchen Conley (Patrick) of Mt. Vernon, IL and Sarah Berkshire-Kincaid (Kurt) of Chicago, and five grand children: Clayton, Aaron, Ryan and Camryn Conley and Elizabeth Kincaid.

Charlotte received her degree in library science from Florida State University in 1965 and was the first librarian in Middleton, Wisconsin. The family would live in Manchester, CT, London, England, and San Diego, CA before moving to Springfield in 1976. In 1983, Charlotte began a 20 year career as a pre-school teacher at the Congregational Nursery School and other early childhood programs in Springfield. She was a much-loved preschool teacher in her community who touched the lives of many families over generations of students. She was especially fond of teaching young children with special needs, Charlotte was a talented pianist who played entirely by ear. She loved cooking, collecting and selling antiques, and traveling. Charlotte will be remembered as a classy woman of unique character built of remarkable resilience and a quiet compassion for other people.

A celebration of Charlotte’s life is being planned for February 2012 in Springfield. For details, please visit www.charlotteberkshire.com. In lieu of flowers a donation to the Illinois chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association is suggested, http://www.alz.org/illinois.

The family is being served by Boardman-Smith Funeral Chapel. www.boardman-smith.net