Bernice Temanson

Longtime Bismarck educator, Bernice Temanson, 90, died November 27, 2004, at her home. Services will be held at 11:00 AM on Tuesday at Zion Lutheran Church in Bismarck with the Rev. Thomas R. Marcis, Jr. officiating. Burial will be at the Underwood Cemetery. There will be no public visitation. Loretta Bernice Temanson was born February 16, 1914, in Eckman, Bottineau County, North Dakota, the fourth of seven children of Gilbert and Ragna Lee Temanson. The family lived in Omemee and St. Joe before moving to Underwood in 1924. As a girl, Bernice, a musical prodigy and accomplished pianist, sang and played piano at church and community affairs, often with her two sisters. She was also interested in sports, taking part in basketball, track, and softball kittenball in high school and beyond. Bernice graduated from Underwood High School in 1931 as salutatorian of her class. She attended Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, from 1931 - 1932. She then attended Minot State Teacher's College, where she received a teaching certificate in 1934, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Education in 1949. She also attended the MacPhail School of Music in Minneapolis in 1937. Her first teaching assignment was in Dunn Center in 1934, where she taught music and coached the girls' basketball team for four years during the Depression. Her next schools were in Marmarth two years and Kenmare four years. In the mid-1940s she moved to Bismarck and taught music in the Bismarck Public School system, first at Richholt School and then at a number of public grade schools. She also was a classroom teacher at Richholt for many years. She transferred to Hughes Junior High, where she taught reading, history, and music, eventually teaching only reading. She retired from teaching in 1978 after 43 years of service. Dunn Center dedicated a recent yearbook to Bernice and invited her as a special guest to that year's reunion, an honor she treasured. Over the years, many former students kept in touch with her by letter, phone calls, or with personal visits. Bernice was a thoughtful, caring person. She was considered a "second mother"' by many of her nieces and nephews, whose lives were often made easier because of her generous assistance. She was an active member of the Lutheran Women's Missionary League at Zion Lutheran Church, Retired Teacher's Association, and the Republican Party. For several years she served as a "Meals-on-Wheels" volunteer, and also served as a "caller," calling elderly shut-ins on her list daily to check on their needs. She enjoyed traveling, watching sporting events, reading, playing the piano, and sewing often sewing clothes for families of her nieces and nephews. Bernice is survived by one brother, Allen Temanson of Killdeer; and three sisters-in-law, Dorothy Erland Temanson of St. Paul, Minnesota, Adeline "Lin" Allen Temanson of Killdeer, and Lorraine "Wessie" Milt Temanson of Mesa, Arizona. She also leaves five nephews and five nieces: Erland's sons, Lee Ardelle Temanson of Maple Grove, Minnesota, and Glen Janice Temanson of Bonita Springs, Florida; Alvina's children, Jo Ann Nick Winistorfer of Pick City, and David Luyben of Bismarck; Gertrude's son, Gary Phyllis Torske of Tioga; Allen?s children, Diane Temanson of Dickinson, Paul Marge Temanson of Minot, and Kaye Temanson of Fargo; and Milton's daughters, Karen Eckelberg of Tucson, Arizona, and Joyce Mike Reimnitz of Castle Rock, Colorado; as well as numerous great and great-great nephews and nieces. She was preceded in death by her parents; five siblings, Erland Temanson, Alvina Luyben, Gertrude Torske, Stanley Temanson, and Milton Temanson; two brothers-in-law, Virgil Luyben and John Torske; one sister-in-law, Pauline "Polly" Stanley Temanson; and one nephew, Robert "Bob" Luyben.

Bernice Temanson

February 16, 1914 - November 27, 2004