Bertha Graber was an Angel. This sedate, private, intelligent, talented and moral homemaker/artist was called "Angel" in Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Carmel, and Westlake Village, the town she called home. Angel's Colombian sisters, brother, parents, nephews and nieces endearingly called her "Berthica".
Born in Bogota, Colombia to a prominent military family, she devoted her youth to helping raise her brothers and sisters. She also attended and lived in Catholic schools where she displayed early talent in knitting, drawing, painting, and languages, studying both English and French. Her attention to detail and love of organization came out at a young age.
Angel also loved to spend time on her grandfather's farm, observing his honey bees, frogs, tadpoles, and chickens. Also fascinating to Angel was accompanying her uncle, a Catholic priest, on his numerous rounds in the lovely surrounding areas of Bogota.
Angel and her siblings met with two tragedies that affected them forever - the sudden, unexpected loss of their 2 1/2 year old brother, and the shockingly unexpected death of Angel's father to a burst appendix when she was 10 years old. Angel had been real close to him, and the loss had a great emotional impact. She buried herself in her studies, and later decided to travel to California. It was here she met and fell in love with Gene Graber.
Angel worked at City National Bank in Beverly Hills. Gene and Angel were devoted to each other, but she always missed her Colombian family, and took pride in her roots, as well as in the USA, of which she proudly became a citizen.
Angel was an outstanding wife, mother, homemaker, artist and gardener. She wrote all the checks, kept the books, and paid all the bills, always 7-10 days prior to due dates.
After 52 years of devotion, Angel's loving presence, unflinching company, and efficiency will be sorely missed by her devoted husband Gene. She is also survived by her only daughter Valerie Blaha, son-in-law Richard Blaha, grandson Dalton, sisters Angela, Antonieta and Nora, brother Orlando, and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
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