Bernice was born in Northhampton, MA on December 31, 1920 to the late Jan Wondolowski and Eleanora Wondolowski (Mrowka). She was born the seventh of ten children. Her family returned to Poland shortly after her birth and she did not come back to the United States until 1947 at age 26. She shared many heart wrenching stories of the war while she was in Poland and how it affected her family. When she returned to the USA she met Stanley Fetera and they were married in 1950.
Bernice was a very hard worker and had several jobs, but for most of her career she worked at Rayex Corporation in Plainville as a supervisor in the factory for over 20 years. She has been retired since 1980.
In October 1958 she became a member of and had served as Vice President of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Haller Post 111 in New Britain. She spent many days baking and working at “the club” on Saturday evenings during events and dances. She was always ready to lend a hand whenever she was needed. She was proud to march in the local parades representing our veterans. She was a lifelong parishioner of Sacred Heart Church and a devout Catholic.
Her family brought her the most joy. She was so proud of her two sons and her three grandchildren. She loved babysitting for them and enjoyed watching their activities as they grew. She loved to crochet, had a green thumb, and enjoyed tending to her flowers and vegetable gardens. She also was a Wrestling fan. She and her husband were able to experience one live event at the New Haven Coliseum which she spoke about for years later.
Since June of 2010 she had resided at the Masonic Health Center in Wallingford. Her body remained strong, but her memories were fading away. Our family would like to express our appreciation for the love and support that the caregivers and staff at Masonic have shown not just for Bernice, but for all of us. They were always there to support the difficult decisions we faced from day to day and year to year. During these last eight years they became part of our family.
She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Robert and Kim Fetera of Wallingford, her daughter-in- law Nancy Fetera of Torrington, and her grandchildren Krystina Fetera, Erica Fetera, and Michael Fetera. She is also survived by cousin Father Chester Mrowka of Manchester, as well as many nieces, nephews, and grandnieces and grandnephews here and in Poland. She was predeceased by her husband Stanley Fetera, her son Christopher Fetera, and all of her siblings. She will be deeply missed and forever in our hearts.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 8:30 am at the New Britain Memorial-Donald D. Sagarino Funeral Home 444 Farmington Ave. New Britain followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, March 6th at Sacred Heart Church in New Britain, CT. Burial will follow in the chapel at the Sacred Heart Cemetery.
Calling hours for friends and family are from 4 to 7 pm on Tuesday, March 5th at The New Britain Memorial-Sagarino Funeral Home at 444 Farmington Avenue, New Britain, CT
The family requests that memorial contributions be made to Masonicare Health Center (Wooster 3) 22 Masonic Ave., Wallingford, CT 06492 in Bernice’s memory.
