Bernice Madeline Packett

Bernice M. Packett slipped the bonds of Earth peacefully in Winter Haven, Florida, on Wednesday, February 18, 2026 twenty-six days after celebrating her 100th birthday. Born to George and Mary Dutra on January 24, 1926 in North Truro, Massachusetts. She is now reunited with her husband Manuel “Manny” Packett.

Bernice's father was the proprietor of Dutra's Market which was adjacent to the family's home on Route 6A in North Truro. Bernice and her younger brother Bob would spend countless hours in and around the family store beginning a journey that would shape both their lives.

Bernice attended Provincetown High School where she excelled in academics. It would also be where she met and fell in love with a skinny but handsome Provincetown boy, her beloved Manny.

Shortly after graduation from High School, she and Manny were married on June 26, 1944. They would be at each others side through thick and thin, good and bad, for nearly 75 years until Manny’s passing in 2018.

Along the way they raised five children and owned and operated two highly successful businesses: Packett’s Market on Route 6A in Brewster, Massachusetts and Packett's Transportation Company which provided bus service to the Nauset Regional High School District. Long time customers of Packett’s Market would come to know Bernice’s quick wit and uncanny memory as she stood behind the cash register. If you wanted to know what was going on in Brewster, Bernice had the pulse.

After running Packett's for 30 years, Manny and Bernice decided it was time to enjoy the labors of this life and retired in 1983 and began exploring Florida. In 1985 they became permanent residents of Swiss Village in Winter Haven. They fully embraced Swiss Village and soon were completely immersed in a new community of friends. Bernice became a fixture as a volunteer for all things Bingo. She always managed and oversaw the updating and distribution of the Swiss Village phone directory. She also managed the Swiss Village Lending Library until her 98th year. And, like customers at Packett’s Market, folks knew if they had a question about how things worked at Swiss Village Bernice had the answer.

In addition to Manny, Bernice was predeceased by her daughter Patricia Christensen, son Russell, great grandson Logan Rodriguez, daughters-in-law Besty Reifman and Diane Packett, son-in-law Marshall Lopes, and her brother Robert Dutra and his wife Clarice. She is survived by her son James (Betty), daughter Marilyn Smith (Jeffrey), son Alan (Marcia), daughter-in law Peggy Packett, son-in-law Jack Christensen, 10 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.

A private burial on Cape Cod is planned in the future.

For those interested, memorials in Bernice’s name can be made to the Russell Packett Memorial Scholarship, c/o MRPA, P.O. Box 6728, Scarborough, ME 04070.