Born in Kenosha March 16, 1924, Bernice was the daughter of the late Mathias and Blanche (McManus) Zeitler.
Her given name was Bernice, but her friends and loved ones referred to her affectionately as Bun.
She attended St. James Grade School, Lincoln Jr. High School and Mary D. Bradford High School before studying as a Johns Manville Scholar at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Ill.
On July 26, 1947, Bernice married Ralph Gerard Pfarr at St. James Catholic Church in Kenosha. After 65 years of marriage, he preceded her in death on Sept. 29, 2012.
With her husband, Bernice was a devoted member of St. George Catholic Church and, later, its successor parish, St. Elizabeth. There, she was a member of the Christian Mothers Society, a Girl Scout leader and a founder and coach of the St. George School girls sports program. An avid card player, she loved competition and fellowship with friends as a member of bridge, canasta and pinochle clubs.
Bernice was also a member of the Catholic Womens Club, the Danish Sisterhood, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, the Senior Action Council, the Kenosha Senior Center and Friends of the Kenosha Public Museums. She was a Laubach Literacy and income tax aide volunteer. She was also a regular presenter at the Intergenerational Faire, in which retired seniors share their crafts and hobbies with school children. It was by winning a national math competition that Bernice earned a full scholarship at Lake Forest College and an internship with the Johns Manville Corp. in Chicago. During her time in college, she was a member and treasurer of the Sigma Delta Chapter of the Chi Omega Sorority. After spending years caring for her growing family full time, Bernice returned to the workplace as a supervisor at the Kenosha Achievement Center and the loan officer at the Tri-Clover Credit Union.
Bernice is survived by her three loving daughters, sister, Barbara Pfarr SSND of Milwaukee, Beverly (Stephen) Salituro of Kenosha and Kimberly (John Potente) Pfarr of Kenosha; grandchildren, Stephen Michael Salituro of Kenosha and Stephanie Michelle Salituro of Madison and honorary grandchildren, Joe and Rachel Potente of Pleasant Prairie. She is also survived by a brother, Donald Zeitler of Clearwater, Fla.
Along with her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her stepmother, Erma Mauser Zeitler, and a brother, James Zeitler of Redondo Beach, Calif.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, Dec. 28, 2012. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12:30 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, 4804 7th Avenue. Interment will follow at St. James Cemetery. A visitation will be held on Friday from 10 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church.
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Bernice Mary Zeitler Pfarr, 88, died at Brookside CarCenter on Monday, December 24, 2012, rejoining the love of her life in Heaven after only a short time apart.
Born in Kenosha March 16, 1924, Bernice was the daughter of the late Mathias and Blanche (McManus) Zeitler. Her given name was Bernice, but her friends and loved ones referred to her affectionately as Bun.
She attended St. James Grade School, Lincoln Jr. High School and Mary D. Bradford High School before studying as a Johns Manville Scholar at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Ill.
On July 26, 1947, Bernice married Ralph Gerard Pfarr at St. James Catholic Church in Kenosha. After 65 years of marriage, he preceded her in death on Sept. 29, 2012.
With her husband, Bernice was a devoted member of St. George Catholic Church and, later, its successor parish, St. Elizabeth. There, she was a member of the Christian Mothers Society, a Girl Scout leader and a founder and coach of the St. George School girls sports program. An avid card player, she loved competition and fellowship with friends as a member of bridge, canasta and pinochle clubs.
Bernice was also a member of the Catholic Womens Club, the Danish Sisterhood, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, the Senior Action Council, the Kenosha Senior Center and Friends of the Kenosha Public Museums. She was a Laubach Literacy and income tax aide volunteer. She was also a regular presenter at the Intergenerational Faire, in which retired seniors share their crafts and hobbies with school children. It was by winning a national math competition that Bernice earned a full scholarship at Lake Forest College and an internship with the Johns Manville Corp. in Chicago. During her time in college, she was a member and treasurer of the Sigma Delta Chapter of the Chi Omega Sorority. After spending years caring for her growing family full time, Bernice returned to the workplace as a supervisor at the Kenosha Achievement Center and the loan officer at the Tri-Clover Credit Union.
Bernice is survived by her three loving daughters, sister, Barbara Pfarr SSND of Milwaukee, Beverly (Stephen) Salituro of Kenosha and Kimberly (John Potente) Pfarr of Kenosha; grandchildren, Stephen Michael Salituro of Kenosha and Stephanie Michelle Salituro of Madison and honorary grandchildren, Joe and Rachel Potente of Pleasant Prairie. She is also survived by a brother, Donald Zeitler of Clearwater, Fla.
Along with her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her stepmother, Erma Mauser Zeitler, and a brother, James Zeitler of Redondo Beach, Calif.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on December 28, 2012 at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, followed by interment in St. James Cemetery.