Maggie was an energetic, friendly, warm teenager with a smile that lit up the room when she entered.  She was loved by many and had a way about her that made people feel instantly comfortable.  Maggie started dance and music early in life.  When she was 4 years old she took classes in ballet, tap and jazz.  She was lucky to be able to have formal dance class at her grade school as part of the physical education curriculum and participated in many dance recitals at Holy Family School.  But Maggie’s true love was Irish dancing.  She started Irish dancing when she was 6 years old and she never looked back – the music and the jumping, high kicking and complicated footwork in Irish dancing won her over.  Maggie was always the dancer on the stage with the huge smile on her face.  She never had to try to smile while dancing – she just naturally glowed.  Maggie took Irish dance lessons for 9 years and had planned to help teach it at some point.

Music was always present in her life – she began piano lessons in first grade and added clarinet in fifth grade.  She played in her grade school band and also summer band through the Peoria Park District.  Maggie didn’t realize her artistic talents until she was in high school.  She was always a doodler – but in high school she had the opportunity to take art classes taught by a teacher who encouraged the artist in every child.  She created beautiful art – drawings, paintings, ceramics and sculpture.  She loved music, art and dance.  Maggie lived her life out loud – full of laughter and color and music and dancing.
In addition to her creative side, Maggie also had an altruistic nature.  She was involved in 4-H and showed rabbits, chicken and sheep.  She loved working with the younger members of her 4-H club.  She taught swimming lessons and was most happy when she was teaching the youngest swimmers.  She was involved in training service dogs, and successfully trained and placed a beautiful yellow lab named Marley with a young boy with autism and his family.  Her goal was to go to college and study teacher education, specifically special education.

Last but not least, Maggie was fearless.  She loved a challenge.   For example when she entered Peoria Notre Dame High School she decided to participate in sports and picked track – specifically the hurdles, and swimming.  Maggie had never run track, much less the hurdles, and had never swam competitively.  Nevertheless, she did what she set out to do, always with a smile on her face.   She loved to travel and was always planning her next big adventure.  She embodied hope, happiness and optimism.In remembrance of Maggie, it seemed appropriate to pass on her love of life and adventure by giving back to the community that nurtured her and helped to create the lovely young woman that she was becoming.  That is what we intend to do with the Maggie Bertram Foundation of the Fine Arts – to help other children to dream big, and live life out loud through the arts. We miss Maggie terribly, but know that she would be happy with our dream to make the arts more accessible to all children.  Maggie always said that someday she would go “dancing on the moon” and she loved the song “I’ll Be Seeing You” as sung by Billie Holiday…

I’ll be seeing you
In all the old familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces
All day through

In that small cafe’
That park across the way
The children’s carousel
The chestnut trees, the wishing well

I’ll be seeing you
In every Lovely summer’s day
In everything that’s light and gay
I’ll always think of you that way

I’ll find you in the morning sun
And when the night is new
I’ll be looking at the moon
But I’ll be seeing you

We’ll be seeing you Mags…