Here the pretty young lady I married some 59 years ago offers a smile. She had offered smiles to thousands across the world for over 85 years. Each morning the attendant ladies dressed her. Her husband gets her to the hairdresser and she looks beautiful. She now travels in a wheelchair pushed by her loving husband. She goes to the dining room at least once a day. We take her to Church on the 15th of October, the last time she could make it. Wrapped in a warm coat and a quilt she could say goodbye to our friends there. She now uses oxygen to assist her breathing. Even knowing the end is near she remains cheerful and alert. She has a smile for everyone.

In the last two years of her life Paul and Bernice wore matching shirts like the one she is wearing here. She loved that and many people commented on our matching outfits. That became our trademark. We had some 17 pairs of matching shirts, mostly in solid colors. She would pick out the color of the day each morning. Towards the last Paul had to pick out the shirts for the attendants to dress Bernice. On the 15th of November Paul's oldest brother's son Mark Noll visited her and she greatly enjoyed the visit. A number of her friends here at the retirement home we live and visited her and prayed with her. Often singing to her with her favorite hymns. On the 22th of November our Chinese daughter Dr. Shanna Chen came to visit Bernice. Spending 3 days she spent much time lovingly taking comforting care of Bernice. Bernice remained alert and mostly free of pain at this time.

On the 25th of November her husband sensed that the end was near. He called one of her sons and held the speaker phone so she could hear. While she couldn't talk she smiled at times to indicate she understood. That son then called the other son and we repeated a similar session. Paul called her older brother Rodney and he got a chance to say goodbye to her. By this time she became somewhat tired and went to sleep. The next morning she quietly passed away in her sleep as her husband held her. Hi-Res Pic (99K)    A Typical Story from Bernice's Life