Berda Jeanette Stout Johnson Rittenhouse died December 13, 2010 at St. Luke's Hospital in Bethlehem, PA. She was a resident of Holland Township, NJ.

Berda was born in Waterloo, Iowa on December 10, 1931. Her parents were John Henry Stout, Jr. and Thelma Harrison Stout . She had one older sister, Norma Jean McAvoy, who passed away in July of this year. Berda is a ninth generation direct descendant of Penelope Stout who emigrated to America in 1642 where she survived a shipwreck and Indian attack.

Berda graduated from Bucknell University in 1953. She married John Van Wirt Johnson, son of Federal Judge, Albert W. Johnson, of Lewisburg, PA. He predeceased her in 1969. They had four children, three of whom survive her. Their oldest son John Van Wirt Johnson, Jr. , predeceased her in 1985. She is survived by his wife Judy Johnson and daughter Courtnay. She also leaves behind her daughter Elizabeth Johnson Markevitch, her husband Leonid and their daughter Leslie; son Richard Johnson, his wife Carole and their daughters Virginia, Margaret, Lilli and Caroline; and daughter Alice Johnson Kelly and her children Wilson and Elizabeth.

After being widowed in 1969, she married Oscar W. Rittenhouse (d. 1979) in 1972 and moved to Holland Township. That marriage brought her three step daughters who also survive her: Gretchen Rittenhouse, Carol Rittenhouse and Janet Daniel. They and their 6 children were dear to her throughout her life. She also leaves behind other family and many nieces and nephews who adored her, and many, many friends.

Berda had a lifetime love of the arts. At Bucknell and in community theater she played many prominent roles: Blanche in A Street Car Name Desire, The wicked witch in Snow White, the mother in All the Way Home and the lead in The Mad Woman of Chailott. Professionally, she worked as an art teacher and then spent 14 years working for the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA) as the Arts in Education Coordinator. In that role she pioneered programs like Artists in Education (AIE) that put hundreds of young artists in residence at public schools through out the state, and the Artist Teacher Institute (ATI), a summer camp program for art teachers that hosted nationally known artists. After retiring from the NJ State Council on the Arts, she worked as a consultant assisting arts organizations in the development of education programs. Her client list included the Delaware Theater Company, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. She also was a Director on several boards including Art Pride/NJ, Hunterdon Art Museum and was a founder and board member of Bucknell's Association for the Arts.

In 1992 she re-met a former high school sweetheart, John Quitzau, of Budd Lake, NJ, a widower and father of six plus many grandchildren, who became her loyal and constant companion for almost two decades. They enjoyed travel, their families and grandchildren, bridge and many other activities in their retirement. John also survives her.
Service will be held at the Riegel Ridge Community Center, Rt. 519, in Holland Township, NJ on Sunday, January 16, 2010 at 2 PM.

Arrangements are under the care of the Johnson-Walton Funeral Home in Milford, NJ