Bertha joined the University in 1980, shortly after moving to the UK from Colombia. Bertha quickly established herself in the Arts Faculty office in Senate House, where she looked after postgraduates and was known for organising the annual party for the whole faculty. Characteristically, she took days of her annual leave every year to cook much of the spread at home.

In 1995, she moved to become the departmental secretary of the German Department, where she quickly transformed almost every aspect of how we worked for the better. With Bertha in charge, the departmental office on the first floor of 21 Woodland Road became the lively hub of German for students and staff, a regular gathering place where students exchanged news and colleagues did business - Bertha was at the heart of all this activity, and she bore with good grace the constant interruptions and even the visits of retired professors, even though all this meant frequent late nights for Bertha when she could finally get on with her own job in peace. Bertha had endless depths of patience.

Not only extraordinarily efficient with the ever-rising tide of paperwork and email traffic, Bertha always put people first. She was at pains always to support students, and to help them navigate the sometimes byzantine pathways through the University and the department. And she was fiercely protective of them – during assessment periods, when the department’s teaching staff underwent that strange annual transformation into the terrifying examiners, the students went from being ‘our’ students to being exclusively hers. It took some determination to give a student a lower mark than Bertha felt they deserved! Unsurprisingly, the students loved Bertha, and frequently brought her fine boxes of chocolates to thank her for taking the trouble to see them through. Unfortunately, chocolates gave Bertha a migraine, but sometimes they looked so good that she couldn't resist. She loved to see them graduate.

And Bertha also supported all the staff - she instinctively knew how each of us ticked, when to sympathise, and when to impart sage advice. She was at the heart of the departmental grapevine, the first to hear news, whether good or bad, and to marshal an appropriate departmental response – often in the form of a beautiful bouquet of flowers. She helped with everything from clarifying degree regulations to finding accommodation for new staff and advising on the best choice of local dentist. All of us who served as Head of Department in Bertha's time benefited enormously from her wisdom, and from the experience she brought from working within Senate House - an understanding of how the central University rumbled which was hidden from most of us.

Bertha was in her element at social events, and it was her dedication and hard work which ensured that they were always a great success, notably the annual finalists' party, but also the double retirement celebration for John Hibberd and Peter Skrine. Bertha also memorably hosted the department after an Annual Programme Review day at her home and ordered in a double quantity of Indian takeaway to make sure that nobody left hungry. She was fiercely proud of her German Department and determined to keep 21 Woodland Road a home for the staff and students of German. She also delighted in her Colombian background and enlivened us with a touch of salsa dancing from time to time.

Bertha was generosity personified and worked endless hours that many of us did not see. When the integrated School of Modern Languages came into being in 2006, Bertha chose to retire, but remained involved in the University's Botanic Gardens in retirement.

All of us who knew and worked with Bertha are deeply saddened by her passing. We will remember her joy of life, her great love for her family, and all the ways in which she made the German Department a very special place to work. We extend our sincere condolences to Roger, Lynn, Niel and all Bertha's family.