Bernice was “mom” to everyone so I’ll refer to her as mom. Mom was always there for everyone, her own kids, grandkids or whoever. She was the kind of mom that couldn’t stand to see others, whether she knew them or not, spend holidays alone. We celebrated a lot of holidays at mom’s house with friends that didn’t have anywhere else to go. Numerous times I remember mom “forcing” me to deliver cookies, etc. to others she felt needed to be shown a little love. It didn’t stop there, throughout my life mom was always concerned with how my friends were and if they needed a place to go. Mom was also very loving to animals, always asking about how our pets were doing. Mom was severely afraid of birds but that didn’t stop her from referring to our cockatiel “Marty” as her “buddy” ….. as long as he was in his cage!
Mom held her religion and family above everything. She knew so many holy days, I would need a calendar and a slide rule to keep up with every religious day she knew off the top of her head!
Mom was very family oriented. She had a genealogy book to be revered by many. She could name cousins, in-laws, etc. and their immediate families like a science. She would also give family the shirt off her back if that was what was needed. No matter how upset she was, she would always lend a hand when needed.
Mom was probably the most diversely cultured person I’ve ever had the pleasure to know. In one weekend she could have tea at the Brown Palace, cheer the Avalanche to a victory and end the weekend with a night at the Nutcracker Ballet or Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Mom knew what she liked and didn’t compromise for anyone.
Mom took plans very serious. Mom was the kind of person that would make plans and follow them meticulously. If you were supposed to be there at a certain time, you better be there!
In the end, mom just wanted to make everything perfect and did everything humanly possible to, to do just that. She was never one to compromise in any aspect of life.
Mom was a very avid scrap-booker, she had hundreds of pictures of our lives through the years and made a story out of the scrapbooks she created. Each story told of the family and all the adventures and travels over the years.
Holidays were very special to mom, she traditionally cooked her beef stroganoff from scratch complete with homemade egg noodles every Christmas eve for the family get together at her home.
Mom loved her grandchildren alike, she kept a chest of toys in the kitchen for play and always had special snacks on hand for them. She would always have special Halloween treats for them when they would visit on that special night.
Mom also kept busy with her Bridge Club as over the years she continued to grow and improve just as she did in all aspects of her life.
