Adored wife, solid friend, treasured companion, Emilie Berne died at home on March 20th, 2013, in the care of her husband and family.

Daughter of Richard and Alice Duwe, Emilie was born in Seattle on May 7th, 1938. She developed an early interest in music and became an accomplished pianist and vocalist before entering college. She went to Roosevelt High School, then attended theUniversity of Washington. After graduating, she worked and traveled in Europe with her first husband, Jim Kennedy, enjoying many years of adventure, acquiring much of the cosmopolitan charm that never left her. In 1972, she moved to San Francisco, where she began her career as a private teacher of piano and voice, focusing on musical theater and popular music.

With her second husband, Eric Berne, Emilie returned to Seattle in 1987, opening a private studio. She became an ingenious and life-changing teacher for generations of students who came to rely on her, not just for the delight of learning how to make music, but for advice on most anything, for she was a great gatherer and dispenser of simple wisdom. Her gift for giving music will remain alive in all who joyfully received it.