Bertha Avaune Gundersen, age 89, a resident Madison, WI and a former longtime resident of Wheaton, IL passed away on Monday, May 21, 2007, Sun Prairie, WI. She was born on April 6, 1918, in Houston, Texas, the daughter of Leonard and Hazel (Pierce) Havens.

Bertha attended the Dekalb Teachers College and later received her teaching degree. During World War II, she enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was based in Washington D.C. and worked in the Hydrographic Dept. She worked as a teacher in Illinois and Wisconsin for over 20 years. She married Lloyd Smith on Sept. 21, 1946, in Wheaton, Ill., at the Gary Memorial United Methodist Church where she was a member and actively involved for many years. She was later remarried to her second husband, Gunder Gundersen in January of 1976 and resided in Williams Bay, WI.

Survivors include one daughter, Cheryl (Al) Vorhees of Madison, WI; one son, Dwight (MaryAnn) Smith of Wheaton, IL; six grandchildren, Tammi, Dwight Jr., Ashley, Jimmy, Matthew, and Grace; two great-grandchildren, Sara, and Alsya; one sister, Fairie Vanne; and one brother, Bruce Havens.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her second husband, Gunder in 1992; infant son, Lloyd Jr.; and four sisters, Lois, Marjorie, Barbara, and Twylah.

A visitation will be held on Friday, May 25, from 1:00 P.M. until the time of a service at 2:00 P.M. at Hultgren Funeral Home, 304 N. Main St., in Wheaton. Interment will follow at Wheaton Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established to the Don and Marilyn Anderson Hospice Care Center, 5395 E. Cheryl Parkway, Fitchburg WI 53711.