WOODBURY, Conn. _ Katherine Ann Berman, wife of longtime ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman, was one of two drivers whose lives ended tragically in a crash in western Connecticut Tuesday.
Berman, 67, a former teacher and mother of two, died after the Lexus she was driving hit an SUV driven by Edward Bertulis, 87.
The crash happened on a state road in the small town of Woodbury, state police said. They released the names of the drivers _ the only ones in the two cars _ early Wednesday.
Katherine and Chris Berman were together more than 30 years. In the 1980s, Chris faked car trouble for the opportunity to ask her for a date, The Hartford Courant's Michael Arace wrote in 1993.
They were married in 1983, when Katherine was a fourth-grade teacher in Waterbury, according to their wedding announcement in the New York Times.
Katherine Alexinski was a graduate of Waterbury's Wilby High School, her wedding announcement in the Waterbury Republican-American said.
An elementary education major, she attended UConn from the fall of 1967 through the spring of 1971, according to Stephanie Reitz, university spokeswoman. She received a bachelor's degree in education with honors on June 7, 1971.
Berman worked at Waterbury public schools from 1972 to 1987, teaching fourth grade at Chase Elementary School and later, first grade at Rotella Elementary School, school records show.
She worked "tirelessly" for literacy in underprivileged communities in the Greater Waterbury area, Molly Qerim, an ESPN "First Take" host and fellow UConn graduate said on the show Wednesday.
Stephen A. Smith, a co-host on ESPN's "First Take," called Berman's death "shocking" and "incredibly devastating" Wednesday morning on the show. "Can it get any worse than this? I can't imagine." He said he had just heard the news a half-hour earlier.
Pointing out that ESPN is like a family, co-host Max Kellerman said, "to think that (Chris Berman) has now lost a member of his family ... suddenly, before her time, is just unfathomably tragic and sad."
ESPN's Adam Schefter, a regular with Chris Berman on the network's NFL pregame show, tweeted: "Our hearts are heavy at ESPN as we report the tragic news that Kathy Berman, wife of Chris Berman, was killed in a car accident Tuesday."
John Skipper, president of ESPN, released a statement about Katherine Berman's death.
"This is a devastating tragedy and difficult to comprehend. Chris is beloved by all his ESPN colleagues and for good reason: He has a huge heart and has given so much to so many over the years," he said. "We know how much his family means to him and all we can do at a moment like this is give him the love and support he will surely need at this hour. Our thoughts and prayers are with Chris, Meredith, Doug and the entire family."
Troopers are investigating the possibility that Bertulis suffered a medical emergency right before Berman's Lexus crashed into the back of his car, a state police source told The Courant.
Bertulis' daughter, Nancy Bertulis, said her father was healthy and drove the speed limit. He was coming from the cemetery _ where he was visiting her mother's grave _ at the time of the crash, she said.
According to the state police, the double-fatal crash happened about 2:15 p.m. when a 2003 Lexus SC 430 driven by Berman and a 2003 Ford Escape X driven by Bertulis were headed east on Sherman Hill Road. The Lexus _ owned by Chris Berman _ was behind the Ford.
The Lexus rear-ended Bertulis' Ford and continued traveling east, veering off the road to the right, state police said. The Lexus went down an embankment and overturned in a small body of water, state police said. The Ford also went off the road, striking a utility pole and landing in the middle of the road on its roof.
Bertulis, of Waterbury, was taken to Waterbury Hospital, where he died, police said. Berman, of Cheshire, died at the scene. Berman had a seat belt on, a police report said; Bertulis did not.
Chris Berman is one of the most recognizable sports broadcasters in the history of televised sports. Born in Greenwich, his sportscasting career began at Hartford's WVIT as a weekend sports anchor.
He joined ESPN at age 24, just one month after its founding. Wednesday was his 62nd birthday.
Nancy Bertulis released a statement on behalf of her siblings.
"This is a difficult time for both families," she said. "We would appreciate our privacy as we grieve our loss. My father was healthy and happy and drove the speed limit. He was coming from the cemetery, where he went every day to visit my mother. He had five children, seven grandchildren and two great children."
Their mother died in August of 2015, Bertulis said.
