Bertha Mariam (Lintula) Alto

Bertha M. Alto, age 95, of Eben Junction, died Tuesday morning, July 20, 2021 under the loving care of her family and Hospice of Michigan in Cadillac, Michigan.  She was born in Marquette on October 12, 1925 to Erick and Aino (Mustamaki) Lintula.  Bertha was raised on the family farm in Eben and graduated from Eben High School in 1943.  She married her sweetheart, Alex Alto, when he returned home from serving in the Army during WWII.  Together, they raised their two sons on the dairy farm for many years.  Bertha was a loving, gifted, and generous homemaker.  She was an excellent cook, baker, canner, knitter, and crafter.  Bertha was a wonderful hostess who loved to prepare food and entertain for all family gatherings on holidays and throughout the year.   She and Alex were very involved with the Ikkala Brother V.F.W. Post and Auxiliary and their activities.  Bertha gave 100% to any project where she volunteered.  She and Alex had wonderful vegetable gardens and Bertha had beautiful flower gardens throughout the yard.  She was a lot of fun and enjoyed golfing, bowling, and playing cards.  Bertha and Alex enjoyed spending time at Cooks Lake and hosting bean bag games at camp and at the farm.  They wintered in Arizona for over twenty-nine years, and after Alex’s death, she especially enjoyed the yearly winter vacations of traveling to Arizona with her niece and nephew, Lorene and Jeff Selesky to visit family.  One of the blessings during the pandemic was that Bertha moved to Cadillac to live with her grandson and wife, Dan and Beth Alto.  Along with their three daughters, Bertha cherished the time spent living with family.

Bertha is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law – Keith and Dianne Alto of Cadillac, MI and Kenneth and Jackie Alto of Owosso, MI; seven grandchildren – Susan Alto, Dan (Beth) Alto, Allan (Schanel) Bjorklund, Daniel (Kendra) Bjorklund, Susan (Dan) Bamber, Amanda (John Edwards) Alto, and Josh (Jolene) Alto; eight great grandchildren; brother – Leslie “Ted” (Gloria) Lintula of Eben; and numerous nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her parents, husband of over sixty-six years Alex Alto who died on January 20, 2013; sisters – Martha Laine, Lilian Pohjonen, Lempi “Micky” Drake, and Viola Laine;  and brothers – Elmer, Arne, Raymond, and Richard Lintula.

Services will be held at the Bowerman Funeral Home in Munising on Saturday, July 24, 2021.  Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. until noon and Pastor Paul Kelto will conduct Bertha’s funeral at noon.  Interment will be at the Pine Grove Cemetery in Chatham.

Memorials in Bertha’s name are requested to be made Hospice of Michigan (932 N. Mitchell Street, Cadillac, MI  49601)  or Rock River Township EMS (c/o Wilma Hill, PO Box 15, Chatham, MI  49816.)