Berta Radford Laney

                                                                                          Berta Radford Laney

Berta Radford Laney was born on May 22, 1928 in Riverside, California to Berta Brown Radford and Charles Knight Radford. When her father was killed in an airplane crash on Labor Day, 1929, her mother moved the family across the country to live with Berta's grandparents in Memphis, Tennessee. Berta grew up in this loving home where she was nurtured by her grandmother, "Gaga," and shared a bedroom with her sisters, Marji and Patti and her mother.

As a young girl, Berta was mischievous and energetic, playing for hours with the many children on their street, teasing her Uncle Worth who lived with them and faithfully attending Idlewild Presbyterian Church where her grandparents were founding members and her mother taught Sunday School.

She met James Thomes Laney (Jim) at Central High School in 1943 when she was a sophomore and he a junior. He was a popular football player, and she was vivacious and spirited, active in Young Life and social clubs. He noticed her in the stairwell at lunchtime, eating an apple and greeting everyone who walked by. He was captivated by her unselfconscious friendliness and charm. Their first date was to hear Handel's "Messiah."

After graduating from Southwestern in Memphis with a degree in Mathematics, she and Jim married on December 20, 1949. After Jim earned his Divinity Degree at Yale, they served several churches, and Berta won the hearts of parishioners in New Haven, Wallingford and Cincinnati. In 1959 with three young children, they went to Korea as Methodist missionaries. Two more children were born in Seoul, as Jim worked at Yonsei with students and Berta tended the household and taught math at the missionary school. They were partners in that work. Their time in Korea had a profound impact on the rest of their lives.

In his many roles as pastor, professor, college administrator and diplomat, Jim was supported by Berta. She loved being hostess, inviting students at church to Sunday dinner, opening her home to her children's friends, noting anyone who seemed to be alone and asking them to join the family gatherings. When Jim was president of Emory University, Berta hosted Christmas and graduation receptions for students and families, concerts in the living room and Easter egg hunts for children on the Lullwater grounds. She even had a jungle gym built in the living room of Lullwater for children to play on.

Once her own children were grown, Berta took classes at Candler Theology School and felt called to some form of ministry. She was particularly drawn to chaplaincy and worked through a rigorous program that demanded her to reflect on her faith. During that time, she realized that she often came across as judgmental about others whom she felt were not living righteous lives and she opened her heart to those who had different beliefs and differing ways of living out their faith. With the help of Dr. Bob Gary, she founded the lay chaplaincy program at Emory Hospital because she believed that lay people as well as ordained clergy could minister to those who were suffering. This was her call for ten years.

At the same time, Berta took seriously her stewardship of Lullwater Preserve on Emory campus. She fiercely protected the woods and lake from any attempt to develop them. She treasured the wildflowers, birds and wildlife that she saw on her daily walks, often accompanied by her grandchildren.

In 1993 when Jim became ambassador to South Korea, Berta was delighted. She hosted all five children and their families for weeks at a time. She was particularly passionate about the Comfort Women of Korea, women who had been sex trafficked by Japanese soldiers during WWII and had never been compensated for their suffering. When she joined the Comfort Women delegation in their presentation at the UN World Conference on Women in Beijing, China in 1995, her presence with them made headlines back in Seoul.

In their retirement years, Berta and Jim traveled with family and dear friends, hosted many gatherings at their home and celebrated numerous weddings, and births. Berta cherished her role as "Geemama," and was the driving force behind family vacations when all five families gathered in Fontana Dam, NC for a week of boating, hiking, delicious meals and evening vespers, complete with prayers and singing. Vespers for Berta derived from her daily devotions with Jim, when they read a devotional and a prayer from Bailley's "Diary of Private Prayer" every morning with their coffee.

Because of commitment to those often overlooked, passion for serving others and discipline in living out her faith, Jim called her his "true north," saying that she had kept him faithful and called out the best in him.

For the last 18 years of her life, Berta suffered from dementia, and her vibrant personality gradually faded. She still had moments of lucidity, however. Even when she lost most of her speech, she could say thank you to the loving caregivers, Celeste Lamkin, Enid Steward and Magda Yanez, and she often blew kisses to Jim when he held her hand and reminded her that he was there with her. When he was dying, she held his hand tightly as if she were trying to keep him with her in this life.

Berta died on November 5, 2026, almost three months after the death of her beloved partner of 76 years. She leaves five children and their spouses: Joni Laney and Billy Vaughan, Tom and Drew Laney, Rad and Lisa Laney, Mary and Wendell Reilly and Susan and Bill Castle, 16 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren with three more on the way. She also leaves a legacy of deep faith and steadfast love.

The memorial service will be held at Glenn Memorial UMC chapel at 11:00 on Saturday, November 21. Memorials can be sent to: Jubilee Partners, PO Box 68, Comer, Georgia, a Christian service community in rural Georgia that offers hospitality to refugees and prison outreach. Their website is www.jubileeparters.org.