Bertha \”Raskis\” Nolan, age 82, passed away of natural causes on Wednesday, October 10, 2007, with her loving family at her side. Bertha, currently of Trumbull, Connecticut, was born and raised in Gloucester City, NJ.
A prominent athlete in her youth she was an All American and Olympic Alternate Field Hockey player and went on to a long and rewarding career as a high school teacher and celebrated girls basketball coach at Gloucester Catholic High School in Gloucester City, NJ.
PHOTO: Bert Nolan, 1963 Gloucester Catholic High School year book
A graduate of Gloucester City High School and Glassboro State University, Bertha\’s career as a high school basketball coach earned her and her teams numerous state championship titles and coaching awards. A plaque in tribute to her contribution to girls and women\’s basketball hangs in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA.
She is scheduled to be inducted next week into the South Jersey Basketball Hall of Fame.
Bertha is survived by her childhood sweetheart and loving husband of 62 years Andrew Nolan, their two children Drew Nolan and his wife Beverly of Merchantville, NJ and Dianne Nolan and her husband Mark Breslin of Fairfield CT, and Bert\’s grandchildren Julie, Ryan and Coe Nolan , Zachary, Andrew and John Breslin.
Relatives, friends, former educators and students are kindly invited to attend her viewing on Sunday Evening from 6 to 9 pm and Monday morning from 9 am to 10 am at the McCANN-HEALEY FUNERAL HOME: 851 Monmouth Street, at Brown Street) Gloucester City. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 10:30 am at Saint Mary\’s R.C. Church: 426 Monmouth Street, Gloucester City. Interment New Saint Mary\’s Cemetery, Bellmawr.
Family requests that in lieu of flowers memorial donations in Bert\’s name be made to the Bert Nolan Memorial Scholarship Fund: c/o Gloucester Catholic Alumni Association: 333 Ridgeway Street, Gloucester City, NJ 08030. Please write in memo of check: Bert Nolan. Expressions of sympathy can be e-mailed to the family through the funeral home website McCann-Healey Funeral Home under online obituaries of Bertha \”Bertha\” Nolan.
From the Courier-Post (October 11)
Bert Nolan, who helped to revolutionalize girls\’ basketball in South Jersey as a highly successful coach at Gloucester Catholic High School, has died.
Nolan helped bring girls\’ basketball into the modern era when the sport changed from 6-on-6 to 5-on-5 play in 1960s. Her powerful Gloucester Catholic teams helped establish the sport\’s legitimacy.
Nolan\’s 1973 Gloucester Catholic team won the first state title in girls\’ basketball in New Jersey. The Rams won a state tournament that was opened to all programs at every gorup level.
Gloucester Catholic also won the all-groups state title in 1974.
In 1976, the state began to sponsor state tournaments in various groups for girls\’ basketball.
Nolan was a 1944 graduate of Gloucester High School and an accomplished field hockey player. She also graduated from Glassboro State Colege (now Rowan University).
Although records are incomplete, Nolan is believed to have won more than 500 games in 24 years of coaching basketball, field hockey and softball at Gloucester Catholic.Read more
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