Mrs. DONALD (Bernice Laura Bechtel) DEAL 1922-2006

RENNE, BECHTEL, DEAL, HENSCHEL, SPINA, BOLLMAN, SOMMERMEYER, SIMS, HARLAN, KURTH, BEALL, BARR

Posted By: Volunteer
Date: 7/1/2006 at 16:23:13

Bernice Deal

Bernice L. Deal, 83, of Waukon, Iowa, died Sunday, May 14, 2006, at Thornton Manor Care Center in Lansing, Iowa. Funeral services will be held Friday, May 19, at 11 a.m. at Zion United Church of Christ in Waukon with Rev. Richard Iles officiating. Burial will be in Oakland Cemetery, Waukon. Friends may call from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon.

Bernice Laura was born September 11, 1922, in Jefferson Township, rural Waukon, the daughter of Benjamin and Laura (Renne) Bechtel. She was baptized and confirmed at Zion United Church of Christ. She lived on several area farms with her parents and attended a number of rural Allamakee County schools when she was growing up. From age 11 she worked as a hired girl for area neighboring families, spending several years with Fred and Nettie Selberg.

March 10, 1940, she married Donald Ernest Deal at the Zion UCC parsonage. She and Donald farmed for many years in the Rossville area. Bernice worked hard and was very active in all aspects of the farming operation, from milking and working with livestock, to doing the field work. They moved to Waukon in 1976 but continued to help some on the farm.

Bernice was a lifetime member of Zion UCC and its Ladies Circles. She enjoyed getting together with family and friends for card games and later liked playing games with her grandchildren. She kept a big garden most of her life, raising vegetables that she canned and froze, and flowers of all kinds and colors, appreciating how they brightened things up. Her days were very full with the duties of farm work, house work, and raising a family. In later years, she and Donald did some traveling, and enjoyed visiting the western states, especially the Black Hills area, and traveling east to visit their daughter Sharon.

Survivors include three daughters, Sharon (Bob) Henschel of Watertown, Conn., Linda (Gary) Spina of Cedar Rapids, and Vickie (Clark) Bollman of Waukon; a son, Dennis (Sandra) Deal of Waukon; 13 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and three sisters, Gertrude Sommermeyer of New Albin, Doris (Vernon) Sims of Cedar Rapids, and Judy (Charles) Harlan of Des Moines.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Donald, who died in 1998; three sisters, Inez Kurth, Gladys Beall, and Ruby Barr; and a brother, Lloyd Bechtel.

Honorary casketbearers are her granddaughters, Heather Hasstedt, Kimberly Henschel, Shelly and Sandra Spina, and Angela and Samantha Bollman. Casketbearers are her grandsons, Steve and Shawn Spina, Jason Bollman and Matthew, Luke, Quintin, and Kirk Deal.

Waukon Standard, May 17, 2006