Berta Chaverri Ruiz Mulford

Berta Chaverri Ruiz Mulford, 89, died on May 30, 2021 with her children by her side in Topeka, Kansas.  Berta was born in the mountains of Costa Rica on June 1, 1931. Her earliest memory was of the Pacific Ocean.

She was the third child of Teresa Ruiz Cambronero and Joaquin Chaverri Rojas of Heredia, Costa Rica. Her father was a farmer and a businessman, and her mother was a teacher. Berta spent her summer breaks with her family at the farm where she cared for many animals, including monkeys, horses, donkeys, birds and even reptiles. In June 1952, Berta came to the US to attend Missouri State Teacher’s College in Kirksville, Missouri. There she met her future husband, Luis Alfonso Mulford of Zambrano, Colombia, a Civil Engineering student attending the University of Missouri at Rolla. They married on August 28, 1954, and after moving about the western U.S., Luis and Berta settled in Fairway, Kansas where they raised a family. Berta proudly became a US citizen and worked in the Dietetics department at the University of Kansas Medical Center from 1983 to 1994.

Berta was a loving and devoted mother of seven children: Luis Carlos Mulford (Rosalinde Mulford) of Freeland, MI, Jose Ricardo Mulford (Rosalia Mulford) of Topeka, KS, Anne Lucia Jackson (Christopher Jackson) of Osage Beach MO, Ninzia Teresa Djiko (Alexander Djiko) of Leawood, KS, Rita Marie Myler (Stephen Myler) of Miramar Beach FL, Sylvia Elaine Hurla (Alan Hurla) of Topeka KS, and Sonia Isabel Mulford Chaverri of Salt Lake City, UT. Berta was also blessed with 14 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren, with 2 more great-grandchildren on the way.

Berta, a practicing Catholic, was particularly devoted to the Legion of Mary. Her interests included world travel, gardening, bowling, wildlife, the life stories of saints, and Western-themed books and films. She was devoted to the education and development of her children and grandchildren and was most proud of their academic achievements. Berta was preceded in death by one granddaughter, Lisa Marie Jackson, and three siblings, Matilde Chaverri Ruiz Chinchilla, Edwin Chaverri Ruiz, and Fabio Chaverri Ruiz. Several memorial masses have been arranged for the repose of her soul, and Berta’s funeral services will be held in Heredia, Costa Rica later this year.

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