Skip Bertman, the legendary LSU baseball coach and athletic director, died at age 88 on August 14, 2026, at 1:12 a.m. at Baton Rouge General Hospital, surrounded by his daughters. As tributes pour in from across the college baseball world, many fans are asking about the family Bertman leaves behind, especially the four daughters he raised alongside his late wife, Sandy. Here is a complete look at Skip Bertman’s daughters, their lives, and the family legacy that stood beside him through 18 seasons of LSU baseball history.
Who Were Skip Bertman’s Daughters
Skip and Sandy Bertman were married for 63 years, from February 11, 1962, until Sandy’s death in March 2025. Together they raised four daughters: Jan, Jodi, Lisa, and Lori. The family moved to Baton Rouge in the summer of 1983, after Skip was named LSU’s head baseball coach for the 1984 season, following earlier coaching stops at Miami Beach High School and the University of Miami.
Bertman often spoke about how demanding those early LSU years were on his family. He coached long hours while Sandy worked to help support four daughters who all eventually went to college. The daughters grew up around LSU baseball, spending time near the dugout and in Bertman’s office before games, and later became a visible presence at Alex Box Stadium as the program rose to national prominence.
Dr. Lisa Jo Bertman Pate
Lisa Jo Bertman Pate was the daughter whose life story is most widely documented. She built an academic and medical career, serving on the faculty at both Harvard and Tulane universities, and lived in Maryland with her husband, Drew Pate. Together they had two sons, Samuel Aaron and Ezra Michael. Dr. Pate died of cancer in 2012 at the age of 44, a loss that preceded both of her parents. Her passing was described by family and LSU officials as devastating, and she is remembered as a source of pride for Skip and Sandy throughout her career in medicine.
Lori Bertman Guirard
Lori Bertman has built a career centered on philanthropy and community-driven sports initiatives. She has worked with organizations such as Athletes for Hope, partnering on community-based sports philanthropy projects, and has spoken publicly about the influence her father had on her approach to mentorship and giving back. Lori is married to Emile Guirard, and the couple has two children, Sophie Faith and Isaac Stanley. In interviews, Lori has described her father’s generational impact on fans and players alike, and has said his example taught her to use sports as a platform for good.
Jodi and Jan Bertman
Jodi and Jan Bertman have kept a lower public profile than their sisters, though both remained closely involved with their parents in recent years. According to reporting at the time of Sandy Bertman’s death in March 2025, daughters Jan, Jodi, and Lori were helping care for their mother at the family’s longtime home near LSU as she battled pancreatic cancer. The sisters were consistently described as a tight-knit unit who supported both parents through the final years of Sandy’s illness and, now, through Skip’s passing.
The Bertman Family’s Recent Losses
The Bertman family has faced a series of painful losses in a short span of time. Sandy Bertman, Skip’s wife of 63 years, died in March 2025 at age 87 after a roughly three-year battle with cancer. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Dr. Lisa Jo Bertman Pate, who died in 2012. With Skip Bertman’s death on August 14, 2026, three of the four Bertman daughters, Jan, Jodi, and Lori, now survive their father, along with four grandchildren: Sophie Faith and Isaac Stanley, the children of Emile and Lori Bertman Guirard, and Samuel Aaron and Ezra Michael, the sons of Drew and the late Lisa Bertman Pate.
A Family Woven Into LSU Baseball History
Skip Bertman’s daughters were never far from the spotlight during his coaching career. Sandy and the girls were fixtures around the program, from watching games at the original Alex Box Stadium to celebrating national championships together, including the dramatic 2000 title-clinching win over Stanford, which the family watched together at a hotel in Omaha. Former players and LSU staff have frequently recalled the daughters and grandchildren gathering around Bertman before games, describing the family as an inseparable part of the culture he built. That closeness has continued to define how the Bertman family has faced its hardest moments, from Lisa’s death in 2012, to Sandy’s passing in 2025, to Skip’s death this week, with his daughters by his side at every turn.
As tributes continue to come in for Skip Bertman, share your memories of the coach and his family in the comments, and check back for the latest updates on funeral arrangements and public tributes.