OBITUARY: Age 102, of Whitehall Borough, passed away on Friday, March 26, 2021. Elva was the beloved wife of the late Paul "Bud" Bertha. She is survived by her children Daniel, Diane Reutzel, Patricia Perry, Thomas (Sandi) and Michael; grandmother of six and great-grandmother of 12. Also survived by many nieces, nephews and her faithful companion, Buddy. Elva had a full, exciting and blessed life. She grew up in Mt. Oliver and attended St. Joseph High School. She graduated from St. Francis School of Nursing in 1939 and worked at Leech Farm Tuberculosis Hospital. After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Elva joined the Army Nurses Corps in February 1942. She had her military training at Fort Lewis, Washington and then served under the command of General Douglas MacArthur in Australia, New Guinea and the Philippines until the end of the war in 1946. She was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and her decorations include The Asiatic-Pacific Theatre Battle StarAmerican Theatre Ribbon, WWII Victory Medal, Philippine Liberation Ribbon and the Bronze Star. After raising her family, Elva continued her career as a nurse for Bell Telephone in Pittsburgh and after retiring she delivered "Meals on Wheels" for 25 years. Family and friends will be received at the John F. Slater Funeral Home, Inc., 412-881-4100, 4201 Brownsville Road, on Monday, March 29, 2021 from 2-8 p.m. Funeral prayer on Tuesday at 12:15 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial in Our Lady of Hope Parish, St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin Church at 1:00 p.m. Interment will follow in St. John Vianney Cemetery in Carrick. In lieu of flowers, family suggests contributions to Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team (PAART) @www.nodogleftbehind.org or Little Sisters of the Poor, 1028 Benton Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15212. Due to the current health crisis, masks and social distancing guidelines must be adhered to.

HUSBAND'S OBITUARY

Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA) - July 7, 1994

PAUL BERTHA, FORMER MAYOR OF WHITEHALL, SPORTS OFFICIAL - Paul F. Bertha, former mayor of Whitehall and a high school and collegiate sports official, died yesterday of cancer in Jefferson Center Hospital. He was 74 and lived in Whitehall.

Mr. Bertha, who was mayor in 1977, was employed by the Allegheny County Board of Property Assessment and Appeals as personnel director from 1957 to 1968 and as a member of the board of directors from 1978 until he retired in 1982.

He also had 35 years' experience as a football, baseball and basketball official at the high school and collegiate level. Mr. Bertha refereed the 1967 Gator Bowl game, the 1970 Orange Bowl game and the 1972 Cotton Bowl game.

He was inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1979.

An Army Air Forces sergeant during World War II, he is survived by his wife, Elva O'Brien Bertha; two daughters, Patricia Perry and Diane Reutzel, both of Whitehall; three sons, Daniel of Brentwood, Thomas of Pleasant Hills and Michael of Whitehall; three sisters, Eleanor Powlton of Baldwin, Ruth Becker of Whitehall and Jean Koval of Plainfield, N.J.; two brothers, Norman of Baldwin and Robert of Mount Oliver; and six grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today and tomorrow in John F. Slater Funeral Home, 4201 Brownsville Road, Brentwood.

A Mass will be celebrated at 1 p.m. Saturday in St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin Church, Greenridge Road, Whitehall. Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery, Carrick.