Bertha Schwartz

Bertha Schwartz, 89, died Sunday, November 4, 2007, at St. Vincent's Care Center in Bismarck. Funeral services will be held on Thursday at 11:30 AM at Dawson Lutheran Church with Rev. Paul Tjostem officiating. Burial will be at Dawson Cemetery. Visitation will be Tuesday from 4:00 - 7:00 PM at Eastgate Funeral Service in Bismarck, and Wednesday from 5:00 - 9:00 PM at Eastgate Steele Chapel where a prayer service will be held at 7:00 PM. Visitation will continue Thursday one hour prior to the service at the church. Bertha was born on January 27, 1918, south of Dawson, North Dakota, the daughter of Emanuel and Carolina Ketterling Schauer. She was raised and educated in Kidder County. On June 23, 1935, Bertha was confirmed at Evangelical Lutheran Church in Streeter, North Dakota, by Pastor Johannes Grill. On July 3, 1938, Bertha married Jacob Schwartz at her parents' family farm south of Dawson. Following their marriage, they moved to Napoleon and also did some farming before moving to Dawson in 1945. In 1960, the family moved to Bismarck so that Jake could be closer to his work with the railroad. Bertha worked for many years at the Baptist Home, first as a nurse's aide, and then in the kitchen cooking for the residents. When Jake retired from the railroad in 1976, they moved back to Dawson. Jake passed away in May of 1997 and shortly thereafter, following a brief illness, Bertha became a resident of the Golden Manor Care Center in Steele. On September 8, 2005, Bertha was transferred to the Alzheimer's unit at St. Vincent's Care Center in Bismarck. Bertha was a member of Dawson Lutheran Church and a 52 year member of the American Legion Auxiliary. She enjoyed crocheting so much that she crocheted an afghan for each of her ten grandchildren. She was a wonderful cook and loved to cook and bake for the many family gatherings at their Lake Isabel cabin. She is survived by three daughters and sons-in-law, Dorothy Arland Grunseth, Bismarck, Calista Bahm, Mandan, Lois Richard Lawson, Fort Collins, Colorado, and Duane Fuhrman, Jacksonville, Arkansas; one son and daughter-in-law, Dale Pam Schwartz, Mandan; two sisters, Lydia Braun, Dawson, and Ruth Dillon, Hamilton, Montana; three brothers, Melvin Joyce Schauer, Bismarck, Gilbert Audrey Schauer, Longview, Washington, and Vernon Marsha Schauer, Jamestown, North Dakota; one sister-in-law, Lorna Schauer, Dawson; one brother-in-law, Herb Hanson, Weed, California; ten grandchildren; sixteen great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. Bertha was preceded in death by her husband, Jacob; her daughter, Denise; her parents; four sisters, Emilia, Magdalena, Ann, and Pauline; two brothers, Richard and Theodore; and one son-in-law, Vernon Bahm. The family wishes to thank the staff at Medcenter One Golden Manor and St. Vincent's Care Center for the wonderful care given to Bertha during her final years. A special thank you to Sister Anna Rose for all her prayers and comforting words. The family requests that memorials be given to the Dawson Lutheran Church or the Dawson Cemetery Association.

Bertha Schwartz

January 27, 1918 - November 4, 2007