Bernice C. Zis

She was born in Nashua, NH on October 14, 1918, the daughter of the late Joseph and Marcella (Wolkovich) Sedlewicz.

Bernice was educated in the Nashua school system and was a graduate of Nashua High School, class of 1935. She was then employed by the Nashua Manufacturing Co. in both the hiring and payroll departments.

In 1942, during WWII, Bernice gave up her job to join The Young Ladies Club, a group of women who worked to replace the men called to active duty. She and her sister Helyn were Nashua’s first women milk deliverers, a role they proudly carried out for three years, delivering milk with a horse and team for Hayward Farms, a dairy farm situated where the Nashua Mall is today. It was there that she met the love of her life and future husband, Stanley Zis.

Bernice and Stanley were married on October 12, 1946. After starting their family, they left Nashua and moved to Winterport, Maine where their family continued to grow, and Stanley learned the funeral business.

In 1953, the couple returned to Nashua, where Stanley purchased the Joseph P. Michaelonis Funeral Home, which later became the Zis-Sweeney Funeral Home. From inception until their retirement in 1995, Bernice served as the funeral home’s Secretary, Treasurer and her husband’s right-hand.

Mrs. Zis was a member of St. Stanislaus Church, and was active in both the Polish and Greek communities. She was a member and officer of the Ladies Guild and also belonged to The Daughters of Penelope.

Upon their retirement, Bernice and Stanley moved to their lakefront home in Meredith, NH, which became the family’s main gathering place for many years. With the business behind them, Bernice was able to channel all of her energy into her pride and joy - her family. If she wasn’t in the kitchen making picnic lunches for afternoons spent on the boat with her “boat babies” (her two granddaughters), she was often found wading in the water picking out stones from the shoreline so no one got hurt. Although Bernice never slowed down, it was at the lake where the family began calling her “lady of the lake,” which was a loving nod to her finally allowing time for herself. She enjoyed music, cooking, dancing, knitting and reminiscing about the “olden days” on the farm.

She is predeceased by her husband, Stanley P. Zis; a daughter, Cassandra Zis Rando; two brothers, Joseph and Leopold Sullivan; and three sisters, Mary Sullivan, Sophia Foley and Doris Hayward.

Bernice is survived by a daughter, Theodora M. Stroker of Nashua; a son, Peter J. Zis and his wife Audrey of Concord; two granddaughters, Kristin and Lindsey Stroker of Boston; a sister, Helyn Malay of Nashua; as well as several nieces, nephews and cousins.

A period of visitation was held on Saturday, October 29th from 8:30AM to 9:30AM at Zis-Sweeney Funeral Home, 26 Kinsley Street, Nashua, NH 03060. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at 10AM at St. Louis de Gonzague Church in Nashua. Internment followed at St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Hudson. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bernice’s memory to the Oncology Unit at St. Joseph’s Hospital, 172 Kinsley Street, Nashua NH 03060.