JOAN BERTHOLF obituary

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas - Joan Harriet Bertholf, 76, died at a Land Rock, Texas, nursing home on Sunday, March 7, 2004.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at Cook-Walden/ Capital Parks Funeral Home, 145601 N I-35, Pflugerville, Texas.

Joan was born on Jan. 24, 1928, at Wolf Point to Vincent A. and Winifred E. Lovell. She was valedictorian at Fergus County High School in Lewistown and attended the University of Minnesota.

Joan married Russell W. (Bert) Bertholf Jr., a U.S. Army captain, in 1948. She traveled the world for the next 30 years. Having grown up in small Montana towns, Joan enthusiastically appreciated the exotic places she lived in, including Japan, Italy, Germany and New Mexico, always with an urge to return to Texas.

In 1971, Joan and Russell retired to Westlake Hills, Texas, where she tended her wild flowers, served on the election commission and the architectural review committee. In 1973, she earned her bachelor of arts degrees in French and literature from the University of Texas. She worked with the Centers for Disease Control as a researcher and speech writer for the diabetes and arthritis control program.

Joan was an accomplished pianist, enjoyed singing in her chapel choir and loved downhill skiing. She was a horse owner and was at home on horseback.

She was a lifetime member of Alpha Delta Pi and Austin Aggie Mom's Club, and was a benefactor of numerous service organizations and charities.

Joan is survived by her sons, Jan C. Bertholf of Fort Collins, Colo., and Philip G. Bertholf of Tom Bean, Texas; daughter, Emily L. Bertholf, Pflugerville, Texas; brother, John Jack Vincent Lovell of Scottsdale, Ariz.; sister, Janet C. Watts of Missoula; and seven grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, P.O. Box 4829, Austin, TX 78765.