Bertha I (Wesman) Store

Our sweet and loving Mom, Bertha I. Store, 89, was peacefully welcomed into the arms of her Lord and Savior Jesus, early Sunday morning, July 17, 2016 at the Ontonagon Long Term Care Unit, where she had been a happy and content resident for four years. Bertha was born August 30, 1926 in Ewen, Michigan, to Finnish immigrant parents Frank and Anna Wesman. She had eleven brothers and sisters, and Bertha was the last surviving child of the Wesman family.

Raised in Ewen, she grew up knowing the hard work and difficult conditions of rural farm living in Ontonagon County. Bertha was educated in the Ewen schools, graduating in just three years as the valedictorian of her class. After graduation she was a teller in the Ewen State Bank.

She met her wartime pen pal Neil Store, from Green, Michigan, after he returned home from serving in the US Army. They were married December 22, 1945 in Trout Creek, and the couple resided in Green, where they raised their four children, Ken, Karen, Sally, and Vicki. Neil preceded her to Heaven April 4, 2008, just months after they celebrated their 62nd anniversary.

Bertha was a member of the local Extension Club for many years, the DAV Auxiliary, and Redeemer Free Lutheran Church. She was active there with the Ladies Guild. She considered being a homemaker and a mother her best jobs, and excelled in both. She loved sewing her children’s Halloween costumes each year, along with embroidery, knitting mittens for any children who needed them, and crocheting afghans and dozens of dishcloths. We each have wonderful pieces of her handiwork to keep in memory of her loving touch and generous heart. Baking, and canning the family garden produce kept her busy. She regularly offered to hand craft posters for local events, and outdid herself with her creativity. Neil and Bertha enjoyed going to auctions, and Bertha wasn’t hesitant to firmly place her bid. Her family and friends knew her to be a quiet, reserved woman of great faith, but many can tell you she really had a witty sense of humor that would catch you off guard at any moment, or a joke or story that would grab you by surprise. Sometimes now, when we open our mouths, our mother sneaks out! Bertha was a Wordsmith, and loved crossword puzzles and word games. She would sit and read the dictionary for hours, earning her familial nickname “Webster!”

Bertha is survived by daughters Karen (Sonny) Linna, Sally (Doug) Karttunen, and Vicki (Mike) White, 12 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren, 1 great great granddaughter, as well as numerous nephews and nieces.

She was preceded in death by her husband Neil, her parents, 5 brothers and 6 sisters, and her beloved son and daughter-in-law, Ken and Veronica Store.

Visitation for Bertha will be at Redeemer Free Lutheran Church, Ontonagon, from 1:00 until 2:00 on Thursday, July 21, with her funeral service at 2:00 at the church, conducted by Pastor John Voss. Cane Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements, and burial will be next to Neil at the

Riverside Cemetery following the service. The family requests that memorials be sent to A.O.H. Foundation Canopy Project, 601 S. 7th Street, Ontonagon, Mi 49953, in Bertha’s memory.

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