William Louis 'Popo' Bertino, 73

Lt. Col. William Louis “Popo” Bertino, U.S.A.F. retired, 73, of Columbia Falls, passed away peacefully at Hospice of Arizona. Surrounded by his family, he died in his wife’s arms on Oct. 23, 2011.

He was born in Culbertson on March 17, 1938, to Italian immigrant parents.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Louis and Clarice Bertino; and brother, Clarence Bertino.

He is survived by his wife, Marilyn, of 50 years; son, Bryant, and his two grandchildren, Nadia and Louis Bertino, whom he loved dearly. He is also survived by three nieces, two nephews, two great-nieces and one great-nephew.

He met his wife Marilyn Sheppard in October of 1959 and married his “one true love” on Oct. 15, 1961.

He was a navigator in the U.S.A.F. and a veteran of the Vietnam War; he served for 22 years. He was an engineer and worked as a defense contractor for 15 years at TRW in Colorado Springs, Colo.

His hobbies were to tinker around with vintage cars and trucks. He lovingly maintained and restored his vintage racing Alfa Romeo. He always had a passion for the mountains of Montana and Colorado where he would hike and fish.

Services were held on Oct. 29 at Hansen Desert Hills Memorial Park in Scottsdale, Ariz.

His family would like to thank Hospice of Arizona for all their help and support during his final days.