Bernice (Reynolds) Chunn

Bernice Chunn was born on Sept. 10, 1929, in Wewoka, Oklahoma. Her parents were Slee and Evelyn Reynolds. She is survived by her two sons, David, currently residing in National City, Tim, in Boulder, CO, her younger sister, Leota Baca in Colorado Springs, CO and 5 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. Her grandchildren are Julia Heer, Angela Conway, Ellen Guzman, Andrea Ingmire and Michael Chunn. Her great grandchildren are Greyson and Roan Heer, Sage Conway and Troy Guzman. Bernice was preceded in death by her other younger sister, Betty Mitchel and her husband Carl Chunn in 2007. She contracted pneumonia in February of 2020, was hospitalized then released to hospice care shortly after. She passed away on April 9, 2020. We are grateful to Teresa English and Norha Smith, her loving and endearing primary caregivers in her last years.

The Reynolds family was a nomadic family, with Bernice going to 8 or 9 different schools by the time she graduated from Sweetwater High School in 1947. The family, including Evelyn’s mother Rosa, moved from Wewoka to Bakersfield, CA in 1938.

Bernice met Carl Chunn at Bethel Bible College in Orange County, CA in 1948 and were married on Valentine’s Day in 1950. David was born in 1952, Tim was born in 1954. Bernice was a fulltime mother and ran a home-based custom drapery business when the children were young. She later spent several years working in the credit department at Walker Scott department store in College Grove. She later took her skills to the Sweetwater Union High School District, where she retired from in the early 2000s.

Bernice loved growing fragrant roses and other flowers in her garden, oil painting (mostly landscapes), camping and traveling (Yosemite, Hawaii, Grand Tetons and other very scenic locations), spending time with her growing family of great grandchildren and watching Judge Judy, Gunsmoke reruns and Alaska Bush People in her later years. She loved to read the Union Tribune newspaper every day. She developed a passion for fresh food in her later years, making extraordinary salads and fruit plates. Her eyes lit up when anyone brought her an orchid. Bernice loved being taken down to the bay and ocean, enjoying many wonderful meals at Coastera, Tom Ham’s Lighthouse and visiting the Navy pier and Seaport Village. Her other favorite restaurants were the Soup Kitchen and BJs.

Bernice lived for her family and was a woman of strong opinion, if you could get her on her own. If you were someone she loved, her eyes would light up whenever you walked into the room. Her spiritual faith was a cornerstone of her life. She prayed for everyone she loved every day. Her criticism could be sharp and her praise overflowing. Her capacity to forgive was admirable. In her later years, Bernice strived to expand her ability to say how she felt and what she wanted. This was a major challenge for her, because her heart could not bear hurting the feelings of those she loved. She endured and kept faith and only left us when there was no other choice. She is beloved in all of the hearts that will never forget her. The only consolation in her passing may be all the amazing memories over her long and loving life, that remain ours to keep.