Bernice Ann Gill

Bernice Ann Gill, or “Gill” to those who knew and loved her, born on February 15, 1925 to Marcus and Willie Turner in Cash, Arkansas was beckoned by the Angels on August 5, 2015, at the age of 90, surrounded by her three daughters. Gill moved to California with her family, then at the age of 21 she met and married the love of her life, Ray. They were married for almost 65 years when he passed in 2011. “Gill” and “Papa” lived, worked and served the Lord in both Atwater and Merced, California. They have three beautiful daughters; Brenda, Debbie and Lori. Gill took joy in working with and helping others. But, one of her greatest joys was sitting down to a great game of Scrabble. She was a champion player and knew words that you didn’t even know existed and if you questioned her word, she’d look you square in the eye and ask, “are you challenging me?”. Another joy in her great life was her grandchildren and she had a hand in raising every one of them, to the point that all seven grandkids were raised thinking that the little spot behind one’s ear was an actual body part called your “necknears”, because every time she was giving them a bath, she’d say, “don’t forget to wash your “necknears”.

Gill’s first career was as a beautician, then she honed her cooking skills as a Cafeteria Manager for the Atwater City Schools. Although she retired after 20 years, she never stopped taking care of or cooking for kids, which included her own girls, many foster kids, as well as cooking for thousands of kids over 50 years at Bible Camp, which was one of her greatest works for the Lord. She was a lifelong member of the Church of Christ, serving in both the Atwater and Merced congregations. She passed on her love for the Lord to her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and many, many others who knew her. She led more bible classes and taught more ladies than any of us could even count. She was a true worker for the Lord.

A visitation will be held Friday, August 14, 2015 from 4pm-7pm at Stratford Evans Merced Funeral Home. Services will be Saturday, August 15, 2015 at 11am at the Church of Christ, 2050 Yosemite Parkway, Merced, CA. There will be a private family burial on Monday at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Stratford Evans Merced Funeral Home 1490 B Street, Merced, CA 95340.