Bernice Fransen

Bernice Fransen, 91, Bismarck, died peacefully with her family at her side after a brief illness on April 29, 2008 at Medcenter One. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, May 2, at First Lutheran Church, Bismarck with Rev. Allen Wagner officiating. Burial will be in Fairview Cemetery, Bismarck. Visitation will be held from 9:00 am until 9:00 pm Thursday at Eastgate Funeral Service, Bismarck where a prayer service will begin at 7:30 pm. Visitation will continue one hour prior to services at the church. Bernice was born on March 25, 1917 to August and Blenda Peterson Larson at their farm home near Bremen, North Dakota. She grew up in a vibrant Swedish immigrant extended family. Her faith was nurtured in the Augustana Granfield Lutheran Church where she was baptized and confirmed. Upon graduating from Sheyenne High School she moved to Bismarck and attended Capitol Commercial College. Bernice then worked at the Capitol where she was employed by the State Health Department. Her adventuresome spirit led her and her sister, LaVerne, to Seattle, Washington where they worked for the Boeing Company the early 1940's. After the war she returned to North Dakota and worked for Standard Oil in Fargo. On November 26, 1949 she married Arvid Fransen. They settled on the Fransen family farm near Coleharbor and became partners in farming and raising a family. Bernice was an avid vegetable and flower gardener. She was a long-time member of Augustana Lutheran Church, Underwood. In 1979 they moved to Bismarck. They became members of First Lutheran Church and enjoyed the friendships of their Plaza Tower neighbors. During these years they traveled to Sweden to explore their heritage and reconnect with relatives. They often hosted Swedish travelers. They also enjoyed travel to Alaska and the southwestern areas of the country. She will be remembered for her keen awareness of nature, her sense of humor and her enduring faith. Her influence lives in the lives she touched through her intuitive ability to sense when encouragement was needed. She is survived by her husband of 58 years, Arvid, Bismarck; sons, John Renee, Coleharbor; Robert Melanie, Eden Prairie, MN; daughter, Mary James Johnson, Northfield, MN; her brother, Wendell Linda, San Diego, CA; sister-in-law, Marion, New Rockford, ND; and five grandchildren, Matt and Erin Fransen, Carrie and Brian Fransen and Emily Verlinich; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister and brother-in-law, LaVerne and Clarence Moe, her brother and sister-in-law, Merle and Ardeth Larson, and her brother, Ralph Larson. In lieu of flowers the family prefers memorials to First Lutheran Church Memorial Fund.

Bernice Fransen

March 25, 1917 - April 29, 2008