Obituaries Bernice Herman
Bernice Herman, 106, of Glasgow died Sept. 13, 2020, at Valley View Home.
She was born Dec. 4, 1913, in Estevan, Sask., Canada, to G.W. “Willie” and Clara (Berge) Johnson. The family moved to Montana in 1916 and settled on a homestead northwest of Frazer where she grew up with older sister, Ruth, and brother, Wallace.
She attended the Sjurson School until she was ready to “read for the minister,” when she went to Battle Lake, Minn., and stayed a few years with her grandmother Rachel Berge and was confirmed in the Lutheran Church. She returned to Montana and attended high school in Nashua. One year, she boarded at the home of Oscar and Myrtle Olson. During that time, she became acquainted with Myrtle’s brother, Elmer Nybakken. They married in 1932 and she moved to the Nybakken homestead north of Nashua. As a farm wife, she raised turkeys, chickens and a large garden plus milked cows and would help with field work. They had two children: Wayne and Shirley.
They had a wide circle of friends and relatives who often came to visit, play cards and enjoy a meal. When the children were ready for school, they purchased a place on the outskirts of Nashua so they could move the cows and family to town for the winter months.
They were active in the community, especially the Lutheran Church, Farmers Union and the local co-ops. They liked to fish and were instrumental in bringing the marina to Fort Peck Lake. She and Elmer traveled by throughout the United States, visiting friends and relatives. In 1954, she became a grandmother for the first time, a role she enjoyed.
After Elmer’s death in 1975, she continued to live at Nashua with Wayne and traveled with her sister. They spent winters in Arizona and also went to Panama, Switzerland, Holland and Norway. In Norway, she purchased a hardanger kit and learned to make hardandger doilies and decorations. She continued to do hardanger until she was over 100 and it became hard to see and count the stitches.
Her travels took her on a tour to Hawaii in 1978, where she met Harry Herman of Plentywood. They married that fall. They went to Arizona the next winter, where they purchased a home and spent the winter for many years. He died in 1985. She continued to spend winters in Arizona and summers in Montana until 2010 when she moved to Prairie Ridge in Glasgow. She lived there until July when she moved to Valley View.
She was also preceded in death by a granddaughter, Diane; a great-granddaughter; two great-great-granddaughters; and siblings, Ruth Brooks and Wallace Johnson.
She is survived by her son, Wayne Nybakken; daughter, Shirley Ball; three grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and 16 great-great-grandchildren.
Cremation has taken place, and services will be held Saturday, Sept. 26, at 10:30 a.m. at Our Redeemer Lutheran in Nashua.
