Carolyn J. Bertorello

I'm so sorry for your loss. She was a great teacher. She's the first teacher who made me value creative writing in terms of how it impacted me, not just how it impacted a grade.

If everyone could commit and passionately lead and teach people like Ms. Bertorello the world’s problems may be solved. WE loved her, she was engaged and livelier than her students. She laughed, listened, understood. I’ve missed her since graduating in 1988. May light always be upon you my Dear! - Chris Tesmer - Tosa East 1988

In memory of Carolyn J. Bertorello, Brian A. Scott lit a candle

What a wonderful teacher she was -- I was fortunate to have her for two classes, and she inspired my love of reading and writing. I recall her love for the classic mysteries -- like the Maltese Falcon and Mickey Spillane. We took her out to dinner at Buca di Beppo, and she loved it! It was a joy to know her, and I'm grateful for having been her student. Peace be with her family.

My Aunt was a great lady. Was always fun to be around. She had a wonderful sense of humor. it is nice to see all the comments from former friends and students. Bless you.

Sincere condolences to the family. Ms. Bertorello was the best English teacher I had at any level. I have her to thank for teaching me to write well, and will be forever grateful for that.

Speaking from my experience having two of her classes, she was definitely a character and her teaching style often went outside the box. I know not everyone might agree, but I suspect that most thought she was very good to excellent. After taking her Expository Composition class I was a much better writer. To me she was the living embodiment of Gertrude Stein. I feel fortunate to have had her as my English teacher.

An outstanding teacher who evidenced true caring for her students. She made a difference is so many lives and will be missed.

Ms. Bertorello taught me to read in a new way, and to write. I owe any career success to her. I will never forget her.

Ms. Bertorello made an enormous difference to me. I remember and incorporate so much from her writing class. Her personality, sense of humor and genuine caring about her students were always evident. I hear her voice often and recall her comments in the margins of my papers. She certainly lives on in so many students. Thank you Carolyn Bertorello.

A wonderful teacher with a memorable personality noted in many of these tributes. I wasn't one of her star pupils, but she was one of my star teachers.

One of my favorite teachers. I didn’t like writing but I took a second class with her because she made it so fun and interesting. RIP

“An Italian Goddess named Bertorello” - actual line from one of my Senior year creative writing class with Ms B. She gave me a great gift - to love writing. May she rest in peace!

I don't remember many teachers from High School but I remember Mrs. Bertorello. Rest in Peace.

Miss Bertorello was one of my favorite all-time teachers. She really lit a spark in me. Other teachers did their jobs, but most without the same ability to spur me on and encourage me to do my best, be my best. I could not believe my luck to land in her class. She taught out-of-the-box in ways that I really admired and made learning fun. Granted I was afraid of her grading since she was tough, but I flourished in her class. To this day, (and I'm now 66 years old) I still have in my possession two hand-written essays that I've carted with me from home-to-home, and state-to state. The first was an essay entitled "Plant Fever" about my brother's obsession with houseplants and how they were taking over our living room. I got an A+! She said it reminded her of James Thurber! The second one I saved was a book report on "Cashelmara," a sweeping family sage. I also got an A+ on this report. Just as important as the grade I received were her comments because I held her in such high regard. I can still see her at the head of the class and can visualize her face and haircut which was way more modern at the time. It's hard to remember many of my teachers so she really stood out. She inspired me in many ways and I hope she realized what a positive influence she had on us. RIP Miss Bertorello! My condolences to her family.

Ms. B. was one of my very favorite teachers and actually had a lasting impact on my life. I looked for her unsuccessfully in the past few years because I wanted to tell her that but I hope the family is now comforted by only good memories and with the knowledge that she was beloved by many.

I remem able able able to get aaber her very well and I'm sorry for her loss. I hope I will be able to get a ride from my assisted living home in Elm Grove.

She was a wonderful teacher and will be missed.

Deepest sympathy to Miss Bertorello’s family. Miss Bertorello was my writing lab instructor & favorite teacher at Tosa East. She was a great teacher who I will always remember. RIP Miss Bertorello.

I'm very sad to hear of this loss. My wife and I both had Mrs. Bettorello, and we reminisce about her periodically. She was one of a kind. That last time I saw her was at UWM in 1984 or so. She was walking in front of me - I said "Would this be our Auntie Caroline"; she turned and promptly responded, "Yes, and who would we be?" Classic!

Mrs Bertorello was an amazing teacher! Her class was one on most memorable. She didn’t mince words grading my papers, but that just made me better. She probably would still give me a hard time about my grammar in this post. Lol! The best field trip was to the east side. She exposed me to so many great books and movies. Ones that would have never sought out in my own. What a great person! May she rest in peace.

What a loss! A legend! The nadir of the run-on sentence. Her love of “Hem.” was a welcome contagion from which I suffer to this day. Oh, Bert…Thank you.

I think of Ms. Bertorello often. She was my English teacher a couple times at Wauwatosa East. She was truly captivating and had very high standards for us. It was an honor when she agreed to let me profile her for the Cardinal News. I will never forget her chasing images with a piece of paper on the small television screen to try to block out the inappropriate content in Apocalypse Now, which we watched as a companion to The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Likewise I will never forget her having us write noir fiction or read Hemingway. Finally, I don't think any of us will forget the whip she kept in her closet to cajole certain students (it sounds bad, but it really was just for fun, referenced only and never actually used). Rest well, Ms. Bertorello. May you be surrounded with books worth devouring, wherever you are now.

One of my absolute favorite teachers. Sending my sincere sympathies to her family. She had a tremendous impact on the lives of many. I still have a paper on The Grapes of Wrath that I wrote in her Adv English 11 class that she gave me an A+ on - I’m still so proud of that, she was a tough grader.

She was my English and my Creative Writing teacher at East. With her help I earned a 99 on my grammar test. I could not have done that without her. I will always remember her.

An amazing educator and someone who touches the lives of so many. Forever and always my favorite teacher. I hope you can find peace with Rudolf Valentino as you always dreamed!

My deepest condolences to the family. Ms. Bertorello was by far one of the greatest teachers I ever had. She engaged her students in a way no others did, with her love of movies, her east side walking tours and her sassy attitude she made learning fun. She will be missed by so many.

My deepest sympathies to Ms. Bertorello’s loved ones. She was a highly respected and much loved teacher of mine at Tosa East. One of my greatest accomplishments to date is having made her laugh. I treasured my time in her classroom; I knew back then what a gem she was. RIP to the chicest of the chic.

I would like to extend my deepest condolences to her family. I have fond memories of being in her classes. I took extra English classes just because she was teaching them. I learned a lot from her and am a middle school teacher beginning my 25th year of teaching this fall. God bless you.

Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.