Bertha M. Lacy

On Sunday, October 27, 2019, Bertha Lacy, loving mother, wife, aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother and  friend, passed away peacefully at the age of 92 in Hamilton, Montana.

Bertha was an only child born on February 9, 1927 to Clifford Hartford Thompson and Bernice Julia (Williams) Thompson. She grew up in Bend, Oregon where she spent countless days swimming in the Deschutes River. Bertha was a very social young lady, attended all the dances and loved to jitterbug! She graduated from Bend High School in 1945. At age 21 she accompanied her friends Alice and Bryan Lacy to Montana where she was introduced to Bryan's brother, Alvin Lacy. Just two short months later, Bertha and Alvin were married on October 29, 1948. They lived in Bend briefly before moving to Trout Creek, Montana, where Alvin built their home. While in Trout Creek they had three children, Gary, Cliff, and Kay. In 1957, Bertha and Alvin relocated to Springfield, Oregon where they had two more children, Kathleen and Kimberly. They remained in Springfield to raise their family, and beyond their retirement years.

In addition to raising five children, Bertha worked at Northwest Natural Gas before going to work at the Physical Plant for the University of Oregon in 1968, where she remained until her retirement in 1993. Following Alvin's death in 1995, Bertha, together with her daughter, Kay, and granddaughter, Danielle, moved to Florence, Montana. Her last several years were spent at the Discovery Care Center in Hamilton, Montana, where she made many special friends and won the hearts of all her caregivers.

Bertha had a passion for life and was always ready to have fun! She loved to camp and fish, and enjoyed tying flies alongside her father and husband. She treasured all of nature flowers, animals, ocean beaches, and especially trees.

Bertha was also an avid music lover and enjoyed singing and riding her bike. She would melt at the sight of babies, and she loved ice cream. No outing was ever complete without ice cream! She was known for her quick wit, her infectious sweet smile, and her kind and compassionate spirit. She was funny and loved to laugh and joke, and she found something good in every day.

Bertha was preceded in death by her husband, Alvin, and her daughter, Kathleen. She is survived by her children , Gary Lacy, Cliff Lacy, Kay Lacy and Kim Danielson, as well as her grandchildren, Matt Lacy, Anna Lacy, Danielle Lacy, Ben Danielson, Sam Danielson and Jake Danielson, three great grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.

A graveside service will be held on Friday, November 1st, 2019 at Springfield Memorial Gardens, 7305 Main St., Springfield, Oregon at 2 o'clock p.m.

Cards or sentiments can be mailed to Bertha's family at P.O. Box 765, Black Diamond, WA 98010, or 617 N. 8th, Hamilton , MT 59840.

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