WHEREAS, Our nation, our state, and the Bellingham and Whatcom County community in particular lost a great treasure and a wonderful inspiration with the passing earlier this month of a true friend, Joe Bertero; and
     WHEREAS, People from across many generations have fond memories of this exceptional gentleman and his "Joe's Gardens," a Bellingham institution that Mr. Bertero and his wife, Ann, launched upward of 70 years ago, and that Carl and Karol Weston have carried on today; and
     WHEREAS, Joe and Ann Bertero celebrated their seventy-third wedding anniversary this past January; and
     WHEREAS, In living his principles to the very core of his being, Joe Bertero made his life a truly honorable example for all of us to follow; and
     WHEREAS, Even well into his seventies twenty years ago, this caring, tremendous citizen, Joe Bertero, was putting in fifteen-hour days working the soil so that others could dine so well; and
     WHEREAS, Joe Bertero was born in San Francisco, spent quite a few of his younger years in Italy, and moved to Whatcom County in 1925; and
     WHEREAS, Young people over the decades learned the value of honest work through their employment at Joe's Gardens; and
     WHEREAS, Joe's Gardens is a particularly cherished landmark in Bellingham's Happy Valley community, and, as The Bellingham Herald recently editorialized, "it is all that remains of the South Side's rich agricultural history";
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the State of Washington celebrate the life, the work, and the dedication of Joe Bertero; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives to the family of Joe Bertero.