Bernice "Bunny" W Houk

She was born in Francesville, Indiana on January 23, 1913, the middle child of 11. Her life journey included hand milking cows with her sisters and father, a 1939 round trip road trek from Indiana to Los Angeles, graduating as an RN from Lutheran Hospital School of Nursing in Fort Wayne, IN, working as a nurse at the Purdue University Student Health Center, and a 49-year marriage to Howard Jacob Houk.

She was fiercely independent, drove until age 99, and finally moved in with her daughter, Mary Smith and family, where she resided for her last twenty years.

Bunny lived out her Christian faith in many ways including active membership in Glen Ellyn Covenant Church. She joined Peoria Apostolic Christian Church when she was 99.

She is survived by her four children, Barbara Barrett, Ralph Houk (Cathy), John Houk (Jane), Mary Smith (Terry), nieces Betsy Brenneman (Reed) and Susan Brenneman (Gregory), nine grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren.

A funeral service will be Friday, January 20, 11 AM, with visitation, one hour prior, at Davison-Fulton-Woolsey-Wilton Funeral Home, 2408 W. Willow Knolls Drive, Peoria, IL. A graveside service will be Saturday, January 21 at Spring Vale Cemetery, 2580 Schuyler Avenue, Lafayette, IN at 12 PM ET.

Memorials can be made to Opportunity Enterprises, Inc at oppent.org or Peoria’s South Side Mission at southsidemission.org. Words of comfort can be shared with the family at www.woolsey-wilton.com.