Loreen Berlin, longtime contributor to this newspaper group, passed away at her Garden Grove home on Dec. 11. Berlin, ever-present at community events, produced countless stories and photographs for thousands of readers.
Her specialties were profiles and community events such as the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival, Westminster’s TET Parade and Buena Park’s Silverado Days.
“Loreen was a beacon of light reaching out to my community and our neighboring cities as she shared the news and events which spread joy and happiness to everyone who saw her pictures or followed her bylines,” said Stanton Mayor David Shawver. “For over 43 years, she was truly a good friend to all and a reporter’s reporter. She will be missed by everyone, but her stories, pictures and legacy will always be around for us to enjoy.”
Berlin started covering Los Alamitos and Cypress in the 1980s and eventually reported for the Buena Park Independent, Anaheim Independent, Seal Beach Sun, Westminster Herald-Journal and Orange County News, among others. “I fell in love with it,” she said, adding that on the first assignment of her career, “I went home and wrote all night.”
She was utterly committed to community journalism, going above and beyond writing and photography to deliver newspapers to subjects of stories and alert editors to breaking news. In the days before she passed, she was performing both of those tasks, despite having fallen ill. She also taught journalism at a senior center in Cypress.
She seemingly knew everybody, from mayors to Lions Clubs leaders to crossing guards. She adored Knott’s Berry Farm and was friends with the Knott family. Berlin grew up in the rural community of Bluffdale, Utah, and later Sandy, Utah. She was the daughter of a seamstress and a copper miner/part-time farmer. She attended the University of Utah. After she married, she and her husband, E. Clair Berlin, moved to Southern California in 1965.
She was an active member of her church, where she played piano and organ. She was a member of the Buena Park Noon Lions Club for 20 years. She supported local Republican clubs and candidates, once saying, “I think I was born conservative.”
She was a patriot who told the story of seeing her first veterans ceremony as a girl and feeling a burst of emotion, especially pride. She never missed a Memorial Day or Veterans Day service. If she saw a striking American flag, she’d pull over and snap a photo. Berlin opened her home to exchange students from many countries and helped them adjust to life in the U.S. She maintained lasting friendships with many of them. In recent years, she played music with a hand chime group, which she relished.
“She was a fun, spirited, thoughtful family member, friend and community member and she will be greatly missed by many,” said her son, Kanevin. She is survived by Kanevin (and wife Coleen and stepdaughter Elizabeth), brother Carlin Jacobson (wife Melody) and brother Cardell Jacobson (wife Rosanne).
Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. on Dec. 30 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 12160 Valley View St. in Garden Grove.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making a memorial contribution to the Buena Park Noon Lions Club, one of Berlin’s favorite charitable organizations.
Years from now, when folks are looking at archives of these newspapers, as every generation does, they will see Berlin’s work and know more about their communities’ history, which she considered of the highest importance.
