Roberta Jean Berquist

June 10, 1916 - April 1, 2012
Roberta Jean Berquist
Service Date:
Monday, April 9, 2012 1:00 PM
Service Location:
Mt. Olivet Cemetery

Roberta Jean (Betty) Berquist

 

Roberta Jean (Betty) Berquist died in St. Marks Hospital on Sunday, April 1, 2012. She lived for 95 vibrant years and died from old age with complications of pneumonia. Betty was born to Robert and Tresa Bertelsen Barrowman, the third of their four children. Betty’s father, a prominent dentist in Salt Lake City, died when Betty was 13 years old.

Betty married Fred Berquist in 1935. They founded a construction company specializing in heavy earth moving. Fred ran the field work and Betty handled the bookkeeping, payrolls, and other management functions. Fred died at the age of 57, shortly after Betty’s mother, Tresa, died. After Fred’s death, Betty liquidated the construction equipment and took on new challenges, including selling real estate and working as a neighborhood organizer for the Salt Lake City Police Department.

Betty’s only child was her daughter Marilyn, who was born in 1942. She was ever the central interest of Betty’s life. Marilyn’s untimely death from cancer last year was a severe blow to Betty.

Betty Berquist lived a heroic life filled with challenges and accomplishments. She was noted for her mental acuity, unflinching honesty, indomitable courage, sharp humor, and jovial spirit. Her life was a credit to the hardy pioneer stock she descended from, characterized by her commitment to family.

Betty is survived by her son-in-law David Bryner in Salt Lake; nephew Bob Cannon in California; and cousins and relatives on the Bertelsen side of her family. She will be sincerely missed.

There will be a graveside service for her on Monday, April 9th at 1:00 PM at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, 1342 East 500 South, Salt Lake City.