Bertha Ellen (Corbett) Mueller

Bertha Ellen (Corbett) Mueller, 90, passed away at her son’s home in Cape Girardeau, MO on December 20, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, burial and a Celebration of Life Service will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be sent to: The Sidney Public Library Foundation, P.O. Box 119, Sidney, NE 69162.

Bertha was born on December 19, 1930 in Byron, Wyoming to Jack and Loy (Sessions) Corbett. Her family moved to Topeka, KS when she was in the 5th grade and moved back to Byron the following year. When Bertie was 14 years old her mother passed away. Two years later her father passed away, leaving Bertie and her two younger siblings without parents or a home. Bertie’s oldest sister, Margaret, and her husband, Jim, took in the three children and raised them as their own, along with their own three children. Bertie considered Meg and Jim’s children, Rod, Steve, and Sandy to be her siblings. Bertie’s family is forever grateful for “Grandma Meg” and “Grandpa Jim” for the sacrifice and selfless love they extended to Bertie and her siblings throughout their lives.

Bertie graduated from Byron High School in 1948. She loved her hometown which was settled by, and named after, her great grandfather, Byron Sessions. Bertie loved returning “home” to Byron and attended the all-school reunion and 4th of July celebration nearly every year.

After high school, Bertie attended business college in Denver. Upon graduation, Bertie moved to Sidney, NE where she worked at the USDA Agriculture Office. While in Sidney, she met Wesley Mueller. The couple was married on October 28, 1951. Wes farmed northeast of Potter. He also worked as a carpenter. Wes built the family home in Sidney where they raised their five children and where Bertie lived the remaining years of her life. When her children were small, Bertie provided daycare to three neighbor children, whom she considered her “other kids”. She also was a seamstress for Fisher Drapery in Sidney and sewed beautiful draperies. After all of Bertie’s children were in school, Bertie worked as a special education paraprofessional at Central Elementary in Sidney. She was a manager at TufWear and worked for Cabela’s as an Executive Assistant in the Quality Assurance Department.

Bertie’s family has always been the most important thing in her life. She was a loving, devoted, mother and grandmother. Bertie loved spending time with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She shared her talent of cooking and baking with them and taught them these skills at an early age. Many of her grandchildren were cracking eggs and helping bake by the time they were two. Bertie published a family cookbook in the 1980’s which is still used and enjoyed by hundreds. Bertie was also an “adopted mother/grandmother” to many. She loved children and always had a basket of candy for neighborhood children to enjoy. Bertie was an avid reader and loved books. She would often read two or three books at a time. She loved going to the library to check out a stack of books, which she would read in just a few days. Bertie compiled a collection of several thousand books throughout her life.

One of Bertie’s many talents was making gourmet hand-dipped chocolates. She started making chocolates for family and friends in the 1980’s. After her husband passed away in December of 2006, Bertie and her daughter Pam started a small family business, Mueller’s Fine Chocolates. They made and sold chocolates to customers throughout the United States and even shipped chocolates abroad. In 2018, Nebraska Educational Television did a documentary “Nebraska: The Chocolate Life” which included a segment about Bertie and Mueller’s Fine Chocolates. She was still making chocolates after she turned 89. Bertie was fondly known as “The Chocolate Lady” to many.

Bertie was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was one of the original members of the local congregation in Sidney. She spent her life in the selfless service of others both within her church congregation and outside of it.

Bertie was active in many organizations throughout her life including, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Women Involved in Farm Economics (WIFE), PTA, Friends of the Library, Ladies Chamber, and the Cheyenne County Historical Association.

Bertie was preceded in death by her husband, Wesley Mueller; parents, Jack and Loy Corbett; siblings, Margaret Wirth, Dorothy Wilkinson, Jackie Hecht, Jerry Corbett, and Barbara Corbett; brothers-in-law, Jim Wirth, Francis Wilkinson, Robert Hecht, Ken Mueller, and Jerry Mueller; sisters-in-law, Michelle Corbett, Eileen Mueller, JoAnne Mueller, and Mona Mueller.

Bertie is survived by her children, Wes (Claudia) Mueller, Trish (Mike) Long, Greg (Shelley) Mueller, Pam Uhl, Jon (A’Lisa) Mueller; her 16 grandchildren, Sarah (Richard) St. Cyr, Casey (Emily) Mueller, Alese (Jeff) Spray, Adam (Jennifer) Long, Lindsey (Jake) Demke, Megan Long, Brandon (Jessica) Long, Carson Long, Erica (Stephan) Mueller, Alison Mueller, Nathan Mueller, Seth Mueller, Jonathan Mueller, Nicole (Kyle) Combe, Jessica Uhl, and Caitlyn Mueller; her 17 great-grandchildren; her Wirth family siblings, Rod (Dee) Wirth, Steve (Elaine) Wirth, and Sandy (Ralph) Watts; her brothers-in-law, Jim Mueller and Don Mueller; and numerous nieces and nephews.