Dr. Richard Lawrence Berta

Dr. Richard Berta, DVM, 76, passed away at home after a brief illness on Sunday, January 25, 2026, leaving behind a legacy of compassion, service, and dedication to both animals and the people who loved them. He was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on February 11, 1949, to the late Joseph T. Berta, Jr. and Elizabeth Lamonby Berta. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Susan Patricia Berta of Atlanta, GA. Dr. Berta devoted his life to the practice of veterinary medicine, earning the respect of colleagues and clients alike for his skill, integrity, and deep care for the well-being of animals. For decades, he served his community not just as a veterinarian, but as a trusted professional whose calm presence and steady judgment brought comfort during difficult moments. To many, he was more than a doctor-he was a friend, a teacher, and a constant source of reassurance. Beyond his professional life, Rick was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He valued family deeply and took great pride in the lives and accomplishments of those he loved. He was known for his quiet strength, his thoughtful nature, and a dry sense of humor that revealed itself once you knew him well. As the second eldest in a large, animal-loving family of six children, his expanding family moved several times before permanently settling in Atlanta in the 1960s. Rick's affinity for animals was established early on. His grandfather had ponies and horses on a large farm in Philadelphia. Rick's parents nurtured a constant parade of beloved small animals, and Rick began his lifelong habit of running his dogs outdoors in nearby woods and fields. It was his good fortune in high school to meet a young beauty on a blind date in1966 who would eventually become his bride and the love of his life. Rick graduated from W.F. Dykes High School in 1967 and went on to receive his undergraduate education at the University of Georgia, where he was a proud member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, and earned a BS in Agriculture in 1971. He married Susan Eileen Franks (Susie) in June 1971 at St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Atlanta, and they spent that summer happily renting a tiny duplex on Park Avenue in Athens, Georgia, while Rick finished school. When the UGA veterinary school wait-listed him for admission, Rick was accepted at Tuskegee Institute, and he and his bride set off together for Tuskegee, Alabama, where Rick would earn another BS in Agricultural Sciences in 1973 and his DVM / Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1975. In addition to receiving a fine veterinary education at a historically black college, it was in Tuskegee where Rick would also experience an eye-opening exposure to acceptance and inclusion as a white minority In a predominantly Black community, he had the opportunity to establish diverse relationships and develop a keen appreciation for social awareness and social justice. Dr. Berta's first job following vet school was at Woodside Equine Clinic in Ashland, Virginia, under the employ and tutelage of two esteemed equine veterinarians, Dr. Milton Kingsbury, a middle-aged veterinary dynamo, and Dr. Olive Britt, a font of wisdom, older, renowned, and respected as a trail-blazing female in veterinary medicine. It was where Rick first learned the practicalities and hard lessons of life as an equine vet, running the Virginia roads at all hours, making farm calls, pillar to post. He visited every kind of place a horse could reside, from prestigious farms including The Meadow, home of Secretariat, to scrappy backyards with barbed wire fences. During his two years in Virginia, he amplified and honed an already strong work ethic that would persist for his entire career. In May of 1977, the firstborn son, Scott, arrived, and the little family moved from Virginia back home to Georgia, where Dr. Berta would open his own large-animal veterinary practice in Newnan. A back bedroom in their house served as a business office while Rick made farm calls, and Susie manned the phones. Thus began Dr. Berta's several-decade career as an esteemed large-animal vet, visiting farms, dairies, and backyards throughout Coweta County and in multiple counties surrounding Newnan. In 1982, with a second child's arrival imminent and requiring the use of office space at home, Dr. Berta built a large-animal clinic on Pine Road and took on a partner in the practice. Second son, Nick Berta, was born in December 1982. After several rewarding decades of large animal medicine and looking out over the hood of a truck, often 16-plus hours a day, Dr. Berta built Dogwood Veterinary Hospital, where he would finally retire from the road and devote himself to saving small animals' lives in a climate-controlled environment. He expanded his practice to include several partners and an enlargement of the building. After many years at Dogwood, Dr. Berta sold his share in the thriving practice and went to work at Family Friend Animal Hospital, where he quickly established himself as a valued member of the full-time veterinary team, and he could concentrate solely on medicine without the headaches of ownership. After years at Family Friend, the time finally came for him to semi-retire altogether. In 2018, Dr. Berta found a home at Moreland Animal Hospital in a part-time capacity. He joked that he still loved going someplace once or twice a week where he could keep his skills current and his jokes in shape; where he could stay relevant, be with and enjoy people and their pets, and be where somebody did what he told them. After a long and distinguished career, Dr. Berta retired fully in 2021. He became a scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 41. He spent time engaging in his favorite hobbies: hunting, fishing, fly-tying, bamboo rod making, gardening, and reading. And after outliving the last of his beloved family dogs, he was devoted Grand-dad to his grand-dogs, faithfully running them in the fields and woods nearby. Those who knew Rick will remember him for his kindness, his work ethic, his compassion for animals and their owners, and the way he lived his values every day. For his brilliant mind and almost encyclopedic knowledge of history. For his sense of humor, silly dad jokes, and intelligent quips. For his propensity to avoid all things digital and to default to all things analog at every opportunity, always scribbling lists and notes on scraps of paper and the backs of envelopes that he folded and kept in his pocket, affectionately calling them his Palm Pilot. His impact will continue through the countless lives-human and animal-that he touched throughout his career and his life. He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered. Survivors include his wife, Susan Franks Berta of Newnan, GA; sons, Scott Andrew (Valerie) Berta of Newnan, GA and James Nicholas "Nick" (Olga) Berta of Hong Kong, China; grandchildren, Harper Towns Berta, Gabriel Wade Noland, Daniel Bryant Noland, and Sawyer Anderson Berta of Newnan, GA; siblings Joseph (Shelly) Berta III of New Canaan, CT, Peter Stephen Berta of Atlanta, GA, Lisa Anne (Bob) Willard of Milford, MI, David Michael (Jane) Berta of Jacksonville, FL; brother-in-law Lawrence Michael (Ellen Berelsen) Franks; and several cousins, nieces, and nephews. There will be an informal public gathering to visit with the family and celebrate Rick's life at the Historic Train Depot in downtown Newnan (60 E. Broad St.) on Wednesday, February 11, 2026. Drop in any time between the hours of 1pm - 3pm. All are welcome. Condolences can be expressed online at www.mckoon.com. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to HELP Spay and Neuter Clinic, 12 The Crescent, Newnan, GA 30263; helpspayneuter.org. Also Newnan Coweta Humane Society, 608 US-29 N., Newnan, GA; nchsrescue.org. McKoon Funeral Home & Crematory 770-253-4580

Dr. Richard Lawrence Berta

February 11, 1949 - January 25, 2026