Bertha May (Delaittre) Legates

Bertha May (DeLaittre) Legates, 102, of Milford, passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, September 7, 2023.

Bertha was born on July 23, 1921, in Bar Harbor, Maine, to the late William H. and Eva W. (Marshall) DeLaittre. During WWII Bertha worked in an aircraft factory in Hartford, CT. There she met and married her husband Lawrence, and when he was released from active duty in the army, they moved their young family to Delaware in 1950. Bertha was a gentle and kind person with a positive outlook. She was an expert needlewoman, an avid NASCAR and sports fan, and loved to play games and solve puzzles. She loved cats.

In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, Lawrence D. Legates, Sr.; her son, Norman D. Legates; and her siblings, William H. DeLaittre, Lorraine D. Nissen, and Thomas J. DeLaittre.

Bertha will be greatly missed by her daughter, Marion L. Jestice of Laurel, DE; her son and daughter-in-law Lawrence D., Jr. and Margaret A. Legates of Milford, DE, with whom she lived; her grandchildren, Jennifer E. Legates of Rockville, MD, and Lawrence D. Legates III and his wife Kate of Rockville, MD; her great- granddaughters, Bridget and Daphne Legates; her nieces, Deborah Brothers and her husband Jeff of Felton, DE, and Pam Keene of North Carolina.

A viewing will be held on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, from 6:00-8:00pm in the chapel of Berry-Short Funeral Home, 119 NW Front St., Milford, DE 19963. Interment will be held on Thursday, September 14, 2023, at 10:00am at the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 26669 Patriots Way, Millsboro, DE 19966.

Flowers are accepted, however, donations are encouraged to be sent to Delaware Hospice, 100 Patriots Way, Milford, DE 19963. Online condolences may be sent to the family at https://www.shortfuneralservicesandcremation.com/.