Victoria S. Wertman

Victoria S. Wertman, of Muncy, died of natural causes on April 11, 2014. She was born on Sept. 20, 1916, in Atlantic City, N.J. Her natural parents abandoned her at age five on their way to California and were never heard from again. After a brief stay with an unknown relative, she spent some of her early years with her foster mother and early to mid-teens with Charles and Martha Bowman of Whitehall.

At age 16, she won the Regional Spelling Bee, but could not afford the $100+ to the finals held in Washington, D.C. She often spoke of that and other events of farm living during the Great Depression and attending the Muncy Normal School. At age 23, she gained employment as a Parole Officer working out of SCIM. In 1939, on a special visit to Lewisburg Penitentiary, she met and shook hands with Al Capone as he was released on parole. She left that situation in 1946 and moved on to marry and set up house keeping. Short term jobs were held at Muncy Bank & Trust Co. and Sprout-Waldron. In 1955, a move to 30 N. Main St. found her operating the Maple Shade Tourist Home. Guests included Canadian travelers, area student teachers, and the Nissley Construction Group from Lancaster, builders of the 1959 bridge project over the West Branch Susquehanna River at Muncy. The Last guests on record were recorded in 1970. During this time and forward to retirement, she worked as head secretary for Young Industries under the direction of Hank Young. On her retirement trip to Atlantic City, she was met with a big hug from Donald Trump. He gave her a big white teddy bear as a keepsake. She donated a lot of her time as a volunteer to the Muncy Senior Center and Muncy Valley Hospital. She was a lifetime member of the Tiadaghton Court, Order of the Amaranth.

Her favorite TV shows included Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, All in the Family, the Lawrence Welk Show, and the Evening News. Her favorite entertainers included James Stewart, Burt Lancaster, Van Johnson, Gene Kelly, Pearl Bailey, Nat King Cole, and Perry Como. Her love of reading books ended with macular degeneration at age 91, but she endured that with the aid of countless number of friends that occupied her time on the telephone along with frequent visits. She was forever grateful to the folks that took time to communicate. Vici, as she spelled her nickname, was an avid NASCAR fan and she listened to all the races on WILQ. Favorites drivers included Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, and A.J. Allmendinger. Her love of baseball included rooting for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

She was preceded in death by her foster mother, Mary Cox, of Whitehall; lifelong friend, Gordon Motter; brother-in-law, Richard W. Wertman; and her loving husband of 66 years, Harold G. Wertman. She is survived by brother-in-law, Robert L. Wertman and wife; several nieces and nephews; and a ton of dear friends.

Her wishes were to go quietly with no services involved and would have liked any contributions to go to Muncy Valley Hospital on her behalf. With deepest appreciation for a wonderful mother, Lawrence G. Wertman, her son.

Please visit www.betzerfuneral.com to sign the guest book or send an e-condolence.