Harriet (Kitty) Berger
1931 – 2024
Harriet Berger, known to friends and family as Kitty, died peacefully on August 13, 2024. The only child of Charles and Dorothy (Nusinoff) Katz, she was born in Springfield, MA in 1931. As a girl and young woman, she overcame the twin challenges of The Great Depression and early childhood illness to gain a scholarship to American International College. She graduated in 1952 with a degree in teaching, then taught first grade, spending most of her career at Indian Orchard Elementary. Just before graduation, she met her loving husband of 67 years, Jason (Jay). They were married in 1954 and raised three children. After retirement, she volunteered at the Zoo in Forest Park, where she created and ran the Zoo on the Go program, bringing small zoo animals to local schools to enhance science education.
Kitty loved nature and camping, opera, and theater, and was politically active in Agawam, MA, where she and Jay moved after retirement. She participated in many senior theater productions in Agawam and in Langhorne, PA where she moved after Jay’s passing.
She was pre-deceased by Jay in 2018. She is survived by daughter Cynthia (Bill Carlsen), sons Scott (Janice) and Joe (Valerie), grandchildren Anna (Pete) Roth, Ben (Bee-Seon Keum) Carlsen, Margot (Kevin) Pagano, Ally (Fred Dvorsky) Berger, Emma (Blair) Sheade, and Amelia Berger, and great-grandchildren Jacob, Sonia, Adler, and Colbie.
Donations in Kitty’s memory can be made to the Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation, the Zoo in Forest Park (Springfield, MA), or the environmental charity of your choice. She would also be pleased with whatever you could do to help defeat Donald Trump.
A graveside funeral service will be held Friday August 16 at 2:00 PM at Sinai Memorial Park, Springfield, MA. A memorial service will be held on Sunday August 18 at Adath Israel Congregation, Lawrenceville, NJ at 11 AM.
For condolences please visit the obituaries page at OrlandsMemorialChapel.com
Dear Cynthia, Bill and to all who mourn and will miss this special lady. Her journey on this esrth was beautifully written and sounds like she had a long life filled with love.
Their obituary was so well written and described what a wonderful person she was she will always be remembered knowing her enrich my life we always had wonderful conversations about politics family and whatever book she was reading at the time she loved cooking baking challah and especially making her wonderful cookies for the people that she lives with she will be remembered forever
Although I didn’t know your mom, I am sure she was loved by all who knew her. It sounds like she passed along many of her interests to you, Cynthia. Please be assured that I will be doing my part in her honor to defeat Donald Trump.
Cynthia, What a wonderful life Kitty lived! Your family is blessed to have had her in your lives. ❤️
Go Go Kamala !