Carmen, Wife of Yogi Berra, Dead At Age 85

Yogi and Carmen Berra. Mandatory Credit: hamptons.com

Carmen Berra, the wife of beloved Hall of Fame catcher and former Yankee , died Thursday night in the Crane’s Mill Assisted Living Facility in West Caldwell, N.J., near the couple’s longtime home in Montclair. The couple had celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on Jan. 26; Carmen Berra’s death was the result of complications of a stroke she suffered earlier this year.

Carmen married Yogi on Jan. 26, 1949, when he was a 23-year-old catcher with the Yankees. They went on to raise three sons, Larry, Tim and Dale, and have 11 grandchildren. “She died peacefully — she went the way she would have wanted to,” Larry Berra told The News Friday. “We’re grateful that she and dad were able to spend some good time together (Thursday). I’m not just saying this because she was my mom, but she was one of the great women of all time.” Yogi and Carmen Berra met in St. Louis in the late 1940s, when he was a minor leaguer just back from World War II.

“On behalf of the entire New York Yankees organization, we offer our deepest condolences to the Berra family,” Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement. “Having known Yogi and Carmen for so long, it is almost impossible to imagine two people who complemented each other better than they did. We will always remember Carmen’s smile and sense of humor, and her kindness and generosity will be deeply missed by all who knew her.” Funeral services are scheduled for 10 a.m. on Tuesday at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Montclair.

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