Betty Jeanne Bergerac

She was incredibly funny; possessed of a sharp and hilarious wit. She loved words, ideas, reading, writing, books, houses, traveling and ice cream. And she loved to walk everywhere until Parkinson’s stole it from her. She was a fabulous, energetic, grounded mother, but a zany one too…hence the Checker cab she bought in which to drive her four kids around. She flirted with many roles: housewife, barefoot beatnik, restaurant owner, real estate maven and Rubel Award-winning registered nurse. She worked at the Student Health Center at UCLA before moving to the Monterey Peninsula in 1971. For many years, she and our late father, Raymond, owned and operated the Maison Bergerac French restaurant in Pacific Grove. She was crazy about Raymond, whom she married when she was just 17. Theirs was an enduring love story; La Vie en Rose. After Raymond died in 2007 she created a new life for herself and was tickled by her independence.

She loved her grandchildren and great grandchildren and encouraged them to pursue their dreams. Our sister, Lucie, cared for her with unfailing love and devotion.

Betty experienced a lot of tragedy and upheaval in her childhood, yet came through it with remarkable resilience, good humor and grace. Her glass was not just half full, it was overflowing.

We will miss profoundly her sparkling personality, her unique way of framing every situation through a positive, funny, upbeat lens and we will miss her love.

Betty is survived by three daughters, Suzanne Bergerac Roth (Mark) of Upper Montclair, New Jersey, Janine Bergerac Fromm, MD (Michael) of Lincoln, Nebraska and Luci Campos (Jimmy) of Pacific Grove and one son, Daniel Bergerac (Eddie Lundeen) of San Francisco, as well as seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. No funeral is being held but a memorial service is being planned for a later date.

Carpe diem.

For those who wish to make a donation in Betty’s name:

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research

Grand Central Station

P.O. Box 4777, NY NY 10163-4777

Or

www.michaeljfox.org