Andrea Berto

Madison-Andrea (Plaut) Berto, 58, died August 29, 2012 at Agrace Hospice Care, Madison, surrounded by loving family and friends. Andrea was born June 20, 1954 in Oakland, California. She was a resident of Madison since 1956, attending school at West High and the Free School. Andrea met her beloved husband Kenneth Berto, when they were both working at Ovens of Brittany restaurant. They married in 1984, the same year Andrea graduated from UW-Madison with a B.S. in Art. Andrea's love of art and interest in gardening and horticulture led her into floral design. She was a partner of Fleurishes Design Studio for many years, becoming sole proprietor in 2007. Andrea was a talented artist who used flowers to express her exquisite sensitivity to colors and their harmonies. She loved the fleeting nature of flowers and captured their ephemeral magic with her skillful creations. Andrea's work with flowers was a natural extension of her own unique elegance and beauty. Above all else, Andrea cherished her sons, Timothy and Tristan, for whom she felt overwhelming appreciation and pride. Andrea was an intelligent, creative, kind, and sincerely generous person who will be deeply missed. She is survived by her beloved sons; her mother, Nicole (Colen) Plaut of Madison; brother, Eric Plaut of Clinton, Iowa; and sisters, Miriam Plaut of Kansas City, Missouri, and Jessica Plaut of Amherst, Massachusetts. A memorial service will be held at the First Unitarian Meeting House, 900 University Bay Drive on Sunday, September 30 at 2:00 PM. She was preceded in death by her father, Walter Plaut in 1990; and her husband, Kenneth Berto in 2003. Contributions to a memorial fund on her sons' behalf are gratefully accepted. Andrea's memorial fund will be accessible from www.youcaring.com for this purpose.