Bertha "Scottie" Scott Christian 1925 – 2013 Bertha Christian of Bagdad went home to the Lord she loved on Thursday, June 6 after a short battle with cancer. She passed peacefully with family and friends at hand. Bertha was born on April 7, 1925 in Mount Washington, Ohio, near Cincinnati. Known to her family as “Bert”, most people in the South knew her as Bertha or Scottie. After high school, she worked a short while for the B&O Railroad. Following the war, she decided to attend school in Kansas City, and it was there she met Wilburn. They married and had one daughter while in Missouri, and when Wilburn finished school he moved her to his home of Bagdad where she remained for the rest of her life. She worked for a few years with the Fisher & Brown Insurance Company in Pensacola, but in the mid-1950’s she took on her greatest career challenge; she became a full-time wife and mother to four children. As she was a “city” girl this was no easy task, but her tireless efforts paid in dividends. She farmed, raised children, raised livestock, fought wildfires, and any other task she was presented with. In 1985 she was named Santa Rosa County’s “Homemaker of the Year”. Bertha was an elder with the First Presbyterian Church in Milton, and she loved the Lord and her church deeply. She was active in the Pace-Pea Ridge Homemakers Club for many, many years, and had worked with 4-H, Boy Scouts, Vacation Bible School, and many areas where she could touch the lives of others. Here are some of the things she loved: cats, collecting stamps and postcards; pen pals and correspondence; jigsaw and crossword puzzles, lighthouses, covered bridges, African violets, gardening, reading, and reminiscing; Dixie Dog and Tom Cat; her many friends; her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren; and most of all Wilburn—her husband of nearly 66 years. Bertha was preceded in death by her parents, Murray and Christina Scott; and two brothers, Russell and Larry Scott; all of the Cincinnati area. She is survived by her loving husband Wilburn; her daughter Carolyn (William) Kranz of Milton; three sons: Richard (Virginia) Christian of Springfield, LA, Robert (Dewanna) Christian—also of Springfield, LA, and Thomas Christian of Clermont, FL; five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. She is also survived by a special, “other” daughter, Jan Culton. The funeral will be held on Saturday, June 8, at the Lewis Funeral Home in Milton; with the Reverend Mark Broadhead of the First Presbyterian Church of Crestview, and the Reverend Clive Knights of the First United Methodist Church of Bagdad officiating. Burial will be in the Bagdad Cemetery. Honorary pallbearers will be Harvey Prather, Jim Hudson, Bo Hudson, Ernie Spicer, the ladies of the First Presbyterian Church of Milton, and the ladies of the First United Methodist Church of Bagdad. Acting pallbearers will be Rev. Gary Jones, Gerry Yandle, Terry Neustaedter, Greg Christian, Brian Christian, and Daniel Christian. Visitation will be on Friday, June 7, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Lewis Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, Bertha would be honored and humbled by donations to the Building Fund of the First Presbyterian Church, 5203 Elmira Street, Milton, FL 32570