Berta Knaus

Berta Knaus passed away from stroke complications on December 5, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. She was born to parents Frank and Amelia Knaus on December 27, 1935 in Europe and settled with her family in the town of Mexico, Maine in 1947.

As a teenager Berta and her brother Ernest enjoyed reading comic books which had the added benefit of helping them learn the English language. Berta joined the United States Air Force after graduating from high school in Mexico, Maine serving both in America and Japan. She attended college at Arizona State University, went on to be a teacher which included teaching German, followed by a 30+ year career working for the state of Arizona government Department of Economic Security in Phoenix. Berta's parents moved to Arizona in 1975 after her father's stroke where she lived with and helped care for them until their passing. This included taking her parents to mass and bingo at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Phoenix. Berta was an avid reader, enjoyed watching cowboy movies, and liked going to the casino until her eyesight failed.

Berta is preceded in death by her father, mother, brother Joseph and sister-in-law Betty, and survived by brother Ernest and sister-in-law Ruth, five nieces, four nephews, and caring friend Cookie.

A Mass of the Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, June 5, 2025, at 11 am, at Saint Athanasius & Saint John Catholic Church, 126 Maine Ave. Rumford, ME. After mass she will be buried next to her parents at Saint John Cemetery, in Rumford, Maine.

In her late retirement, Berta resolutely adapted to eyesight loss caused by macular degeneration. Contributions can be made to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation in her memory at https://www.macular.org/want-to-help/donate.