Bernice L. Bergeron, 95
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Bernice Laurel Bergeron, 95, of 187 Wells Ave. died Wednesday, July 10, 2013, at North Adams Commons.
Born in Readsboro, Vt., on Nov. 30, 1917, the seventh of the 11 children born to Joseph and Sophie Loiselle Duperault, she attended schools in Vermont.
An Army veteran of World War II, she served for a short time with the Women's Auxiliary Corps.
Mrs. Bergeron was last employed at the former Berkshire Bookstore in downtown North Adams, a position she loved and would have continued to work well into her 80s if the store had not closed. Prior to her marriage, she had worked in several factories in Vermont and Massachusetts, including the Readsboro Chair Factory, the Deerfield Glassine Co. and Sprague Electric Co. She also had been a switchboard operater for the telephone company in Readsboro for several years.
She excelled as a seamstress, having taught herself out of necessity of her youth. Her family has many poignant memories of festive occasions made more special with her creative contributions. A strong, independent, capable member of the "greatest generation," she was never daunted by any task. Carpentry, upholstery, canning, quilting, camping, wallpapering and more, all challenges were met with gusto. Her children and grandchildren will remember Mrs. Bergeron as a storyteller in the old tradition. She brought the past alive for them with anecdotes, songs, poems and loving, and sometimes hilarious memories of the people, places, and experiences that had populated her life.
She will be missed very much by her children and forever remembered by the grandchildren she cherished.
Her husband, Alfred Francis Bergeron, whom she married on Oct. 11, 1952, died on Oct. 11, 1986.
She leaves three daughters, Mary Jo Mancuso and her husband, Michael, of Norfolk, Kathryn Tessier and her husband, William, of North Adams, and Jayne Bergeron of Adams; a son, Alfred Bergeron Jr. and his wife, Barbara, of Chester Springs, Penn.; six grandchildren, Jason, Damian, Briana, Joseph, Aubry Laurel and Nicholas; three great-grandchildren, Paityn Laurel, Logan and Aiden, and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews and cousins.
She was predeceased by her three brothers and seven sisters, including Elaine Tremblay and Florence Tremblay.
alt="" />FUNERAL NOTICE — A Liturgy of Christian Burial for Mrs. Bergeron will be celebrated Monday, July 15, 2013, at 11 a.m. at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church. Burial will follow in Southview Cemetery.
Calling hours will be Monday morning from 9:30 to 10:30 from Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna Home for Funerals, Central Chapels, 74 Marshall St., North Adams. Memorial donations can be made to the Smile Train, PO Box 96231, Washington, DC 20090-6231 or through the funeral home.