Bertha Alston Bland

Mrs. Bertha Alston Bland, age 83 of 110 Bland Baldwin Drive, Pittsboro, NC passed on Friday, May 31, 2019 at UNC Hospice Home.

She displayed resilience until the end. Mrs. Bertha Alston Bland was born to the late General Alston and Nellie Alston Moore on June 11, 1935, in Pittsboro, N.C.

She gained her heavenly wings on May 31, 2019, at the UNC Hospice House surrounded by her loved ones.

Undeniable faith kept her throughout her life. She joined Mitchell Chapel AME Zion Church as a young girl and later became a member of New Hope Baptist Church in Apex. Upon returning to Pittsboro, she reunited with Mitchell Chapel and loved being a Missionary and a part of the Home Extension Club.

Never forgetting her Horton High School Class of 1954, she shared stories of her basketball playing days and instilled her love of sports in her children. On August 16, 2013, she was inducted into the Horton High School Basketball Hall of Fame.

She loved working at UNC Hospital in the Blood Bank and later on 3 South Crisis Unit. She retired after 31 years of service. She met some wonderful friends during that time, and we often hear of the positive impact she had on the lives of others.

Her love of family was displayed in the sacrifices she made for the “Trio” – Bert, Tammy, and Junior. To her children, she will always be the “The Wind Beneath Our Wings.” She loved all of the descendants of her siblings: Nathaniel, Audrey, Lubbie, Ernestine, Hattie, Georgia, and GV. She loved all of the Lassiter family and when her memory failed her, Bert would think she still lived in Apex next to Louise and Lillian.

In her many years of being homebound and in failing health, Bertha loved visits from her Pastors: Rev. Kenneth Brooks, Elder Anthony Davis, and Rev. Cory Little. She also considered it a special treat when Rev. Anissa Little ministered to her in song.

Now for the message our SUNSHINE left for us:

“Love one another”- John 13:34-35

“Serve one another”- Galatians 5:13

“Encourage one another- 1 Thessalonians 5:11

“Pray for one another”- James 5:16

“Be kind and compassionate to one another”- Ephesians 4:32

Evening has come for our Sunshine, Bertha Alston Bland, she leaves to cherish all of the rays she blessed us with: her dedicated caregiver husband, Charlie L. Bland; her children: Saundra Tammy Gardner (Charles) and Rev. Samuel N. Lassiter, Jr. (Phyllis); grandchildren: Tana Lassiter, Rufus Justin Lassiter, Ashley Jones (Cliff), Chelsea Gardner, and Nicholas Lassiter; her siblings Georgia Womble, Rantoul, I.L. and Gary V. Alston, Baltimore, M.D.; her personal physical therapist, niece, Joyce Burnette; her brothers and sisters in love: Barbara Lawes (Danny), Murray Headen, Rev. Robert Bland (Easter), Howard Bland (Cynthia), Mary Ruth Headen; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends that brought her so much joy.

Arrangement By: Knotts Funeral Home - Pittsboro