The Quiet Warrior of Faith

by Michelle Peterlin

Faith ran like a ribbon of thread throughout Berniece’s life. It never left her and guided her every thought and life decision.

Berniece was born on October 10, 1931 in Fort Branch, Indiana. As a young girl, she dreamed of becoming a nurse. In her senior year of high school, Pearl Harbor was attacked. She was born into a modest family and money was tight. Nursing school was expensive.

Berniece saw a poster advertising the US Cadet Nursing Corps. There had been a critical shortage of nurses and to help alleviate the situation Congress passed the Bolton Act which created this special nursing corps. US Cadet Nursing Corps members were given free room and board plus free tuition to nursing school. They also had a small stipend of $10 per week for year one. Berniece joined the corps and she served for 3 years. She had her choice of going overseas or staying state side. Berniece wanted to stay and help the community she loved. She chose to serve at Deaconess hospital.
During her time at Deaconess with the corps, demand was great and the nurses had to work 12 hour or more shifts. It was tiring, grueling work. Berniece was having a hard time with the stress so in order to get help from above, she visualized having the words of St. Paul tucked under her nursing cap, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. It gave her the strength she needed to complete her daily tasks.
When the war ended, Berniece continued her nursing career at Deaconess hospital. Along the way, she married Paul and had two children.

Berniece had an internal faith compass she followed fearlessly her entire life. She was a tiny, petite woman with a soft voice and impeccable manners. Inside the diminutive package beat the heart of a faith justice warrior. She never backed down from doing what she felt was right. She never stopped serving others and caring for their needs. She was fierce when supporting a cause she believed in. She wrote letters, made countless phone calls, went to protests and was a fixture at City Council meetings. Many times, she spoke before the council and expressed her opinion and concerns.

She was a go to girl and she got things done. When the police chief was attacked in the media, Berniece made calls to gather support. Mayor Winecke needed votes, Berniece worked the phone. She took on city hall and helped get the homestead credit back. She was so effective, her nickname became the “the Terminator”. It was an unlikely new name for a woman whose body was racked with severe osteoporosis. She was fragile and in constant pain.

Even at nearly ninety years old, she had an incredible memory for Evansville history. She wrote several articles about the history of Evansville. She loved the James Gresham house in Garvin park and did much to save it and get repairs made.

The military and police department had a special place in her heart. They could not have had a more faithful cheerleader and she prayed for them every day. One of her last public outings was at the police rally in May. She sat on her pillow in her little portable chair directly in front of the Civic Center stairs waiving a support sign for all the world to see.

Berniece’s earthly journey came to an end on June 5, 2016. Always a nurse on duty, she was in route to visit a sick friend at a nursing home, making a home visit to like she had done for decades. The car she traveled in was in a terrible accident and her frail body finally failed her. When the paramedics arrived, she was calm and able to talk. St. Mary’s hospital was closer but she requested to go to Deaconess because “her” nurses were there and this was her home. Her journey ended where it began.