Perla Bertha Levy Berez

Perla Bertha Levy Berez, age 86, beloved wife of David Berez, mother and mother-in-law to Hank and Donna and Morrie and Beckie, grandmother to five and great-grandmother to two, was taken by God Sunday evening, March 16, 2003.

"Everything will be OK" were the last comforting words which Bertha said were spoken directly to her heart from her beloved husband, David, who had preceded her in death by 18 months.

Bertha had a heart the cared so much that her life could barely contain the expansive love and generosity she gave to her family, friends and strangers. Throughout her life she gave to others what was needed, be it food, clothes, a smile, a hug, a kiss, to listen, or to offer kind words of welcome in one of six languages she spoke fluently.

Born Perla Levy in Istanbul, Turkey in 1916, her family moved to Ales, France in 1932. It was in Ales that she met and married David Berezowicz in 1938. Then in June 1942, during the depths of the German occupation and in an effort to escape the Holocaust, Bertha and her husband and young son, Henry abandoned all of their worldly possessions and fled to Morocco where they boarded a Portuguese ship to America. The family settled in Portland, Oregon where Bertha, now pregnant with her second child, Morrie, contributed to the war effort by helping to construct "Liberty Ships" at the Kaiser shipyards in Portland.

In 1948, the Berezowicz's became U.S. citizens, changing the family name to Berez. Bertha and David were forever grateful for the opportunity and freedom afforded them in the United States.

Bertha and her husband retired to San Antonio in 1974. In her last 18 months of life, Bertha was tenderly cared for by the staff of Golden Manor Nursing Home for whose loving care the family is most grateful. The family further thanks Dr. Marvin Moszkowicz and Dr. Victor Ostrower for their sensitive and professional care.