Bertha May Balek

Bertha May Balek, age 92 of Flemington, went home to her Lord, March 15, 2023 at the Hunterdon Care Center in Raritan Township. She was a lifelong resident of the Flemington area. Born February 11, 1931, in Flemington, she was the daughter of the late John and Anna (Oakes) Schneider.

Bertha loved gardening. Earlier in her life, she took pride in her treasured "Rock Garden," where cars would actually stop to marvel at her masterpiece.

Besides her gardening skills, she was very talented at baking, and enjoyed seeing people, especially at her Church, enjoying her goodies.

She was a devout member of the former 1st Amwell English Presbyterian Church in Reaville, where she taught Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and volunteered tirelessly as a member of the Ladies Guild at the various Church Suppers, serving hundreds of people.

She then became a member of the Mount Airy Presbyterian Church after the Reaville Church closed. There, she so enjoyed the services and the social hour with the congregation, and her visits with Pastor Brad.

She loved watching NASCAR on television, and locally she rooted for Sammy Beavers at the Flemington Speedway and was a NY Mets fan from the very beginning of their existence.

Bertha loved her many activities at the Hunterdon Care Center, especially Bingo and Trivia, and of course, her cat, Maggie May, and appreciated all her caregivers there as well.

Bertha was once on TV and Radio while residing at the Care Center. A local Girl Scout Troop had donated iPads to the facility, so the residents could connect with their loved ones who lived at a distance. She was interviewed by NJ 101.5 and demonstrated the use of these machines with her son, as well as being videotaped while doing her "broadcast.” She jokingly called herself a "Movie Star" after the event.

She was so looking forward to becoming a Great Grandmother this upcoming August.

Bertha was predeceased by her father, John Schneider in 1977, her mother, Anna (Oakes) Schneider in 2001, her husband, Albert Balek in 2004, her son Daniel Balek in 2009, her daughter, Lynne Sharpe in 2009, her brother-in-law, Richard Balek in 2012, her sisters, Juanita and Anna Elizabeth, and her brothers, Roger, John, and Richard Schneider. She is survived by her son John, and his wife, Jacalyn, of Oswego, NY, her sisters, Carol (Robert) Kleckner of Stockton NJ, Gertrude “Trudy” Alpaugh of Rosemont NJ, Ida Schneider of Flemington, her brothers, Alfred “Chip” Schneider of Lambertville, James Schneider of Baptistown NJ, Robert (Shirley) Schneider of Lambertville NJ, and a sister-in-law, Betty Schneider of Lambertville NJ. Also surviving are several cousins, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, great-great nieces and nephews, and her special cousin, Thelma Kentnor, who was her roommate at the Hunterdon Care Center.

A memorial service will be at 11:00 on Saturday, March 25, 2023 at the Mt. Airy Presbyterian Church, 39 Mt. Airy Village Road, Lambertville, NJ. Interment will follow in Prospect Hill Cemetery in Flemington.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Bertha’s memory may be made to the Mt. Airy Presbyterian Church, 39 Mt. Airy Village Rd, Lambertville, NJ 08530.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home, 147 Main Street, Flemington NJ 08822.

For further information or to leave an online condolence, please visit www.holcombefisher.com.