Margaret H. Bertolami

Margaret H. Bertolami passed away on September 27, 2026. She was born on January 2, 1928, in Grand Forks, North Dakota, to Rudolph and Mabel Hendrickson. One of four children, she spent her early years living throughout the upper Midwest before her family settled in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Margaret married Joseph G. Bertolami, and together they had two sons, Robert Bertolami, born in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1953, and Mark Bertolami, born in Miami, Florida, in 1957. Margaret devoted her life to raising her two sons. Among her proudest accomplishments was putting both sons through college.

She enjoyed a lengthy career as an executive secretary at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami. As a non-traditional adult student, she earned an Associate of Arts degree from Miami Dade Community College. Following her retirement, Margaret remained in Miami for approximately ten years, volunteering with several organizations, including Zoo Miami, where she could indulge her love of animals. She later moved to Tallahassee to be closer to Mark, making it her home for approximately 25 years and continuing to volunteer with local community groups and organizations.

Above all, Margaret was a good and generous person and a devoted mother. Even when she had little to spare, she gave generously to others. Raised in the Lutheran faith, she believed in God and passed along to her sons the values and experiences that helped shape the people they became. She had a wonderful sense of humor, and laughter was a familiar part of family life. She had an eye for design, a love of architecture, and a particular pleasure in gardening. Strong-willed and outspoken at times, Margaret was very much her own person.

Margaret was preceded in death by her parents, Rudolph and Mabel Hendrickson, and her son, Robert Bertolami. She is survived by her son, Mark, and his wife, Elizabeth Swiman; her daughter-in-law, Michele Bertolami; and her grandsons, Lorenzo “Enzo” Bertolami of Austin, Texas, and Dario Bertolami of Morgan Hill, California.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages those wishing to honor Margaret’s memory to make a donation to Big Bend Hospice in Tallahassee, Florida.