Bertt Lependorf was born in 1920 in an Irish neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. He became totally deaf in one ear and partially deaf in the other ear as a child. His deafness is attributed to an unspecified childhood illness. He graduated from Gallaudet College in 1944 and entered a trade as a printer. His wife, Betty-Jo, is also a graduate of Gallaudet. Lependorf worked for various newspapers, including The Daily Review, where he worked for 22 years before retiring in 1982. In addition to his trade as a printer, he also served on the California Vocational Rehabilitation Board of Appeals, a governor’s position. His first appointment was in 1974, and he was reappointed in 1982. He died in 2006.