Larry Lee Berteau
1943-2019
Larry Berteau passed away on June 14 in Saint-Brieuc, France. He was 76 and had led a full and adventurous life. Larry and his wife, Frances, moved to The Mountain in 2008 having bought The Mountain Times newspaper, which became Larry's passion and
remained so until the day he passed away. Writing was in Larry's blood,
having earned his spurs as an AP journalist as a young man.

Larry embraced his years on the Mountain and he made many great friends
there. He was very impressed with the local community spirit, and the way
neighbors and friends always seemed to rally around during times of need.
The Mountain way of life became a niche for him.

His varied career, apart from his time in the newspaper business, included
being an apprentice mortician, croupier, grocery clerk, bartender and a film
maker/producer/director in San Francisco where he owned his own company.

Throughout his life, he had an excellent backhand on the tennis court, 5-wood
approach on the links at the Oak Knoll golf course in Ashland and an overhead
cast at Hyatt lake that the local rainbow trout found irresistible.

Following his heart and his adventurous spirit, Larry and Frances, along with
their dog and two cats, moved to Mael Carhaix, France in 2015. He was
determined to live in France again, as he had as a young man serving in the
Air Force in Chateauroux. It was always his inspiration that one should enjoy
life to the fullest and have adventures before it was too late in life to do so.

He loved France and the slower way of life – the hearty "bonjours" from locals
when walking down the street and the fact that an excellent boulangerie was
always within walking distance.

Larry was a devoted sports fan, the San Francisco Giants first and foremost.
He was also an avid Portland Trail Blazers fan and was incredibly proud of his
team with their deep run into the playoffs. As a graduate of the University of
Oregon, Ducks football and basketball would also religiously grace the
television screen on weekends with an emphatic “Ohhh” echoing from the
couch.

With Larry's Irish heritage on his mother's side of the family, the gift of talking
always came easily for him. Larry was truly larger than life and he could fill a
room with funny stories and anecdotes. While living in Ashland and as the

editor of the Ashland Daily Tidings, he would cover basketball and football
games with a local radio production company. While on the air, he never ran
out of things to say and high school teams had their games covered with
immense gusto. A touchdown, described by Larry on the radio, may just as
easily have been a Superbowl moment. He truly had, as the Irish call it, the
gift of gab.

As a father, Larry was very proud of his son, Geoff. In Ashland, Larry was
appointed as a coach during the Little League years, and in high school he
spent many chlorine-filled hours poolside watching swim meets and water
polo games. He said that years later whenever he went into a pool and
smelled the chlorine, it brought back happy memories.

Later on, Larry loved listening to the birds and watching the spring fledglings
take flight, gazing at the flowers in the garden and fretting about his tomato
plants in the greenhouse. He also took great pleasure in getting on his tractor
and mowing the paddock, where one day he was determined to accommodate
two donkeys, or perhaps a pitch and putt course. His wife managed to talk
him out of that. He enjoyed a good game of Scrabble, was a formidable
opponent, and read constantly, usually with his cat purring contentedly on his
lap.

He is survived by his wife, Frances Berteau, of Mael Carhaix, France; son
Geoff Berteau, of southern Oregon and Thailand; sister Marcia Berteau of
Medford; a niece, nephews and dear friends. He is preceded in death by his
parents, Eddie and Martilla Berteau, and his sister Ginger Dugdale.

The Pompes Funèbres Cadiou-Garandel-Chauvel of Mael Carhaix was in
charge of the arrangements.

Larry's courage and fortitude throughout his lengthy illness has been an
inspiration to all who knew him. He will be sorely missed, but his spirit in The
Mountain Times newspaper will linger on – as well as in our hearts.

Any memorial contributions should please be directed to the Non-Hodgkin
Lymphoma American Cancer Society, or the American Heart Association.