Carmen Berra Is Dead, So For Yogi ‘It’s Over’ After 65 Years Together

Carmen Berra passed away on Thursday, following complications after a stroke. She was 85 years old, and had been married to husband Yogi for 65 years.

Carmen and Yogi Berra had three children and two of their sons followed their father’s example and played sports. Dale stayed with baseball, but brother Tim opted for pro-football with the Baltimore colts.

Yogi Berra played for both the New York Yankees and the New York Mets at different times in his career.

Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement:

“On behalf of the entire New York Yankees organization, we offer our deepest condolences to the Berra family. Having known Yogi and Carmen for so long, it is almost impossible to imagine two people who complemented each other better than they did.

We will always remember Carmen’s smile and sense of humor, and her kindness and generosity will be deeply missed by all who knew her.”

Apart from his prowess as a player, and later as coach for the Yankees and Mets, and a brief spell with the Houston Astros, Yogi created a reputation for what came to be known as “Yogiisms.”

These were sayings which often took the form of paradoxical contradiction. For example, when giving directions, he once said: ” When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

Many of his quotations have become part of everyday language, such as “ It’s deja-vu, all over again” and “You can observe a lot by watching!”

Sadly, his best known saying is relevant to the loss of his life partner. Yogi would always say “It ain’t over til it’s over.”

Now, after 65 years, it really IS over.

Carmen Berra is survived by her husband, three children, eleven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Carmen’s funeral will be a private affair, and will take place on Tuesday in Montclair, where she and Yogi lived for most of their married life.

The family has requested that instead of sending flowers, donations can be made to the Yogi Berra Museum at 8 Yogi Berra Drive, Little Falls, N.J. 07424. Donations can also be sent to yogiberramuseum.org.