Phyllis Berthy

Phyllis Marie Berthy June 19, 1945 April 6, 2009 Phyllis Marie Berthy, age 63, passed away Monday afternoon, April 6th, in the Doctor’s Memorial Hospital in Perry, FL. Born a West Virginia girl, Phyllis spent much of her life near the beaches of Pinellas County, which she felt were her true home. She had an adventurous spirit, which took her to Venezuela for two years with the Peace Corps, and also brought her to Live Oak eleven years ago, to help found WLVO, the radio station she helped operate with her companion, Leon Pettersen. Phyllis was mom to many, nourishing those in her care with everything from southern home cooking to food from around the world. She seemed to effortlessly attract the waifs and strays of this world, from stray cats to stray people, and she spent her life caring for them all. She loved to create, and would spend hours, days, and weeks on a project. She made beautiful quilts, expressed herself through paintings and drawings, and made a wardrobe full of costumes for her daughter and others. She loved nature, and had a gift for finding beauty in places others overlook, a tiny frog asleep in a rose leaf, a beautiful pebble. She tried to teach those around her about the value of love, simplicity, and magic. The light she brought us shines on in our memories of her. She will be greatly missed. Phyllis is survived by her daughter, Trisangma Elizabeth Watson, son-in-law Peter Watson, both of London, England, and her companion Leon Pettersen, of Live Oak, FL. A celebration of Phyllis's life was held at WLVO in downtown Live Oak on Friday, April 17th, at 5pm. To honor Phyllis's memory, if you would like to make a donation to one of the following charities, please contact them at: Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation, 5151 Wisconsin Ave., NW Suite 420, Washington, DC 20016, by phone:202-298-9211 or www.diabeteswellness.net or the National Stroke Association 9797 East Easter LN, Centennial, CO 80112, by phone: 1-800-787-6537 ext 0917 or www.stroke.org.