Vernita Antetomaso
Vernita Antetomaso passed peacefully into the arms of the Lord at age 87, surrounded by family, on July 14.
Born to Vernon and Gladys King of Cleveland, Ohio, in 1927, she spent her formative years both in Cleveland and West Virginia.
In 1951, she married the love of her life, Mario Paul Antetomaso, whom she met on campus at the University of Maryland.
Vernita and Paul raised two children, Michael and Paula, living in Baltimore and Lutherville, Md.
Vernita earned a B.A. and M.A. in education. She and Paul were well-respected educators and school administrators for Baltimore City Public Schools.
In 2000, several years after retiring, they moved from Towson, Md. to Langley, Wash., to be closer to family. There, Vernita enjoyed summer strolls into Langley and served her parish of St. Hubert by joining and participating in activities sponsored by The Women of St. Hubert. A self-proclaimed fashionista, Vernita worked at clothes shops in Towson, Md. and Langley. We like to believe she was spirited toward heaven on the wings of well-dressed angels.
Vernita is survived by her son, Michael, of Langley; daughter, Paula (Anthony) Nadalin, of Kirkland; grandchildren, Sarah Nadalin, of Kirkland, Matthew (Kelsey) Antetomaso, of Mukilteo and Julie Antetomaso, of Langley. We trust that she is reunited in heaven with beloved husband, Mario Paul, who preceded her passing.
Vernita’s family welcomes you to a celebration of her life at 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, at St. Hubert Church in Langley.
Peggy Berto
Longtime Whidbey resident Peggy Berto passed away in her sleep at the age of 97 at the adult family home, Angels On Whidbey, in Oak Harbor.
She was born in Colorado to Forest Furman Moore and Carrie Mathilda Dawirs. She grew up in California and as a young woman was employed in the wartime effort. She was asked on her first day if she knew anything about electrical wiring she of course said, “yes sure, no problem.” She proceeded to figure it out and installed electrical wiring on warships. She would later work at Boeing in Seattle using these skills.
While in California, she met her husband, Marvin Berto, who was a chief engineer for Foss Tugs. They moved to Seattle in the 1960s, where Peggy found a fulfilling career selling Real Estate. She loved matching the right property to the right person, and as a result was named Real Estate Agent of the Year for two years running.
They came to Whidbey and purchased 10 acres on Fish Road and developed it into a beautiful forested park land. When they moved to the island in the 1970s, Peggy was involved in the community development and planning and began to transform their property into low-income housing for the disadvantaged, using her electrical wiring skills and can-do attitude.
These skills came in very handy in 1994 with Peggy’s involvement with construction of the new Freeland Library. As a member of the Friends of the Freeland Library, Peggy contributed significantly to fundraising and troubleshooting as the library moved from Bettie B’s clothing store to its current location. She still came and checked on lighting and operations well into her 80s.
She had to slow down a little to fight and survive four or five bouts of cancer but said she was “too ornery to die.” Surviving family members include Wilma French, 93, of Colorado, who is the last surviving sibling of five. Peggy is also survived by many nephews and nieces.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. August 8, at Visser Funeral Home in Langley. A celebration of her life will be held at the Freeland Library after the memorial.
