Berman Family Thankful for Support After Fatal Crash

CHESHIRE, CT — ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman and his family thanked people for the outpouring of support after Kathy Berman, 67, was killed in a double-fatal car crash Tuesday in Woodbury.

“We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and sympathy from so many folks we know, and so many others we look forward to knowing,” the Berman family said in a statement. “Kathy Berman had a huge heart, and this would have warmed hers beyond belief. It certainly warmed ours.”

The Berman family also asked people to keep the family of victim Edward Bertulis, 87, in their thoughts and prayers. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Chris and Kathy Berman (then Alexinski) married in 1983. The two met years earlier when Chris worked at WNVR in Waterbury and Kathy was a fourth-grade teacher in the city, according to People Magazine. He faked car trouble to get Kathy to stop and help him and then asked her out to breakfast.

Related: Wife of ESPN's Chris Berman Dies In Double Fatal Accident In Connecticut

The two had son Douglas and daughter Meredith who are now adults.

Berman went on to join ESPN a month after it launched and has been a mainstay at the company. He hosted Sunday NFL Countdown for more than three decades.

"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," said ESPN President John Skipper "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."

Berman and Bertulis were both killed in an accident Tuesday afternoon in Woodbury while driving in the area of Tuttle Road. Police continue to investigate the incident.

Photo credit: Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images Entertainment