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In memory of

Berta Lunata Griffith

Cape Coral, FL, USA

August 27, 1925 - February 4, 2020

Aug 27, 1925 - Feb 4, 2020

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Berta Lunata Griffith was called home to the Lord on February 4th, 2020, after a ridiculously long 94 years on Earth.

Lunata, as she preferred to be called, was born in Portsmouth, OH on August 27th, 1925 to Frederick T. Payton and Berta Lilith Burchett. While growing up in Portsmouth, whose official tagline “where southern hospitality starts” only slightly trumps the unofficial tagline of “Ohio’s buttcrack”, Lunata honed and eventually mastered the art of a guilt trip. This skill, which she used on numerous family members, was put to good use many years later, when she shamed one grandson into throwing away his sinful pooka necklace.

In 1946, Lunata married her first husband and wordsmith, Robert Franz Wright. They were blessed with two children, Tony and Pamela, both of whom survived to adulthood, despite the many warranted spankings they received. In Cleveland, TN, she raised them on a steady diet of perfectly fried pork chops and unapologetically sweet cherry pies, with a side of diabetes.

After moving to Parma, OH in the 70’s and prematurely losing her first husband, Lunata graduated from Mother to Grandmother. It was a title she took very seriously, showering her grandchildren with love and taking them on trips to the Memphis Kiddie Park. She sewed them outfits, bought them underwear as Christmas presents, and even encouraged one of them to pose for pictures to promote her sale of handcrafted “ducks in bonnets” dolls.

Lunata was fiercely dedicated to God, who was front and center in her life. At all hours of the night, she would break into song, singing high-pitched renditions of her favorite hymns. She was a warrior for Christ, rebuking many things in the “name of Jesus”, including one of her grandchildren, when she woke up and found him staring at her from the foot of her bed. In order to bring souls to the kingdom of Heaven, she would leave Christian tracts in lieu of tips for unsuspecting wait staff. Unlike her voice, her faith was unwavering.

In 1989, Lunata married her second husband, Eddie Griffith. This marriage took her back to Cleveland, TN, where she spent her days trimming his nose hairs and sharing laughs about it with her good friend Betty Johnson. She collected baby dolls and filled her home with doilies, as is the custom with many women of a certain age in the region.

After Eddie’s passing, she moved to Ohio to be closer to her children. Following them from Medina to Columbus and, eventually, Cape Coral, FL, where she enjoyed sitting on the patio and accidentally locking herself out of the house.

Her final years were spent doting on her great grand-dog Toby, whom she loved overfeeding and lying about it to her grandchildren, even when she was caught red-handed. She also became somewhat of a mind reader, when she gained the ability to interpret Toby’s thoughts, which almost always eluded to the fact that he was hungry.

Lunata is survived by a son and daughter in-law, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great grandchildren, who will remember her fondly as a woman who loved them completely and consistently asked what was going on through every movie they ever watched together.

She was preceded in death by her parents, siblings, husbands, and both children, one of whom died 10 days prior to her. This has led the family to believe that she was so stubborn, she refused to spend any amount of time, here or in the afterlife, without the majority of her family present to narrate their every move.

As an appropriate tribute, Lunata’s family asks that when you’re on your next road trip, you read every sign you pass out loud in her honor.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 15th, at 5:00 pm, at Coral Ridge Funeral Home and Cemetery, 950 Chiquita Blvd S, Cape Coral, FL.

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In lieu of flowers, consider a gift to Best Friends Animal Society.

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