Berta Irene Zoller Newman, age 74, died on Monday, March 24, 2025 at East Georgia Regional Medical Center in Statesboro. She was born at Dr. Brown's clinic on October 5, 1950 in Guyton, Georgia. She was one of four children born to Virgil H. and Vivian Rahn Zoller.
Berta was a 1968 graduate of Effingham County High School. In March, 1978 she married the love of her life to Hinton B.Newman. They were inseparable and worked together building houses, sheds, roofs, and many repairs. Hinton was a master builder and Berta was the mathematician. In 2005 she and Hinton moved to the "Coast" at Shellman's Bluff in Townsend, Georgia where work was more abundant. When Hinton's health began to deteriorate, they moved back to Brooklet to live with their daughter Serena Jenkins.
Berta had always wanted to be a nurse. After her children were grown, she returned to pursuing her dream job at Ogeechee Tech as an LPN. Upon graduation she worked at Heritage Inn nursing home in Statesboro and enjoyed being around her patients.
Berta and Hinton travelled many places together and loved going to New York, Colorado, Vermont or wherever the car lead. Getting in a car and driving was never a problem. Her favorite place to travel was to the mountains where she loved watching the leaves turn colors in the fall. She loved people, planting flowers, was an excellent seamstress who enjoying sewing clothes for loved ones, baking and cooking, and enjoyed time with many friends and family. To say she never met a stranger was shown in her caring for others. She was preceded in death by her husband Hinton B. Newman, parents Virgil and Vivian Zoller and brother Virgil Irving Zoller.
She is survived by her children Curtis A. Maye, Leitner (Brent) Helfrich and Serena (Tommy) Jenkins, a sister Elizabeth Z. Hursey (Fulton) and a brother Herbert R. Zoller (Boma) both of Springfield; four grandchildren, Heavenlee Ciara Maye, Christine Patience Newman, Breanna Helfrich, and Virgil Jenkins, and her great-grandchildren, Zoeyann Smith, Arabella Smith, and Arthur Anderson III.
The family will receive visitors on Thursday from 5:00pm until 7:00pm at Joiner-Anderson Funeral Home in Statesboro.
The funeral will be held on Friday at 2:00pm in the funeral home chapel with Pastor Harold Piet officiating.
Interment will follow at Brooklet City Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Robert Hatfield, Joey Popp, Frank Hardy, Jamie Baker, Matt Gordon, Michael Popp, Michael Zoller, and Marcus Hursey.
Friends may sign the online register book at www.joineranderson.com
Joiner-Anderson Funeral Home & Crematory of Statesboro is in charge of arrangements.
