Bertha Elvera Schultz was welcomed Home by her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on
September 7, 2022, surrounded by her loving family. She was also joyfully reunited with her beloved husband Rodney.
Bertha was born on August 19, 1926 in Polk, Nebraska to August and Selma Johnson. Bertha attended a one room school house in Nebraska until she was 10 years old. Due to the ravages of the Dust Bowl, her family moved to Turlock in 1936. She attended Turlock schools and graduated from Turlock High School in 1943. After graduation she moved to the Bay Area with her sisters. She was a keypunch operator at Moore Dry Dock, a shipyard in Oakland, until it closed as the war was winding down. She also worked as a data processor for the Alameda County Tax Assessors office.
On May 11, 1946, Bertha married Rodney Schultz, the love of her life, in Turlock.
They were blessed with three children: Suellen, Charles and Melanie. They enjoyed over 74 years of marriage. Rodney and Bertha were such a team. Bertha & Sue joined Rodney in Germany for one of his assignments while in the Air Force. She actively supported him in all of his endeavors. Our home was a place of love, joy, peace and lots of fun where family and friends were always welcome. She was a devoted wife, loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her love for her family was unconditional and they knew she could always be counted on for prayer, support and encouragement.
Bertha was a woman of deep faith. She loved being involved in the ministries of her church and women’s Bible studies. She was a quiet, reserved person but she also had a great sense of humor. She was sweet, kind, caring and thoughtful. She was a wonderful homemaker, incredible cook and enjoyed using her gift of hospitality to serve others. She was an excellent seamstress; she sewed clothes for her family, made costumes and home décor. She was an avid reader and a whiz at crossword puzzles and Sudoku. She also loved playing games with friends and family.
Bertha was an excellent bookkeeper and enjoyed working part-time through the years at Osborn & Son, Turlock Concrete & Pipe Company and Superior Sires.
After retirement, Bertha and Rodney enjoyed traveling in their motor home. They also took a few tours to Europe and different parts of the United States and Canada.
Bertha was preceded in death by her husband, Rodney Schultz, her parents, brother Albert Johnson and three sisters: Anne Green, Ruth Larson and Helen Reeves.
Bertha is survived by her three children, Suellen (Clark) Merrill, Chuck (Cindy) Schultz, and Melanie Swanson. To her grandchildren and great-grandchildren she was affectionately known as MorMor. She is survived by four grandchildren: Jenny (Paul) Keith, Kristi (Jay) Fiorini, Jason Swanson, and Kaylie Swanson. She is also survived by her five great-grandchildren: Brody and Morgan Keith, Jax, Ryker and Flora Fiorini and her brother, Harry Johnson.
Our family is grateful for the incredibly kind and compassionate care Bertha received from the staff at Cogir of Turlock and Covenant Care Hospice.
Services are under the direction of Turlock Memorial Park and Funeral Home. A visitation will be held on Wednesday, September 21 from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, September 22 at 11:00 a.m.
Memorials can be made to: Covenant Care Hospice
125 N. Broadway, Suite 1A
Turlock, CA 95380
Turlock Gospel Mission
437 S. Broadway
Turlock, CA 95380
