Mrs. Bernice Steinke

Bernice Steinke, 87, of St. Paul died February 9, 2009 at the Golden Living Center at Lakeview in Grand Island.



Services will be held Thursday, at 2:00 p.m. at Jacobsen-Greenway Funeral Home in St. Paul. The Reverend Joseph Javorsky will officiate. A family inurnment will be held in Elmwood Cemetery in St. Paul. The family will greet friends at a visitation that will be held from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. on Thursday at the funeral home.



Memorials are suggested to the family's choice.



She was born September 29, 1921 in rural Nance County, west of Fullerton to Floyd and Bessie (Thompson) Peterson.



Bernice was raised north of Palmer and attended Merrick County rural school north of Palmer. After her schooling, she did domestic work for families with newborn babies.



Bernice was united in marriage to Walter Steinke on February 7, 1940 in Central City.



The couple lived on Gus Fonner's ranch where they worked and helped farm and took care of the ranch. They moved to the Tekamah and Blair area where they worked on various farms. They lived north of Palmer from 1945 to 1954. In 1954, they moved and purchased a farm northwest of Wolbach. In 1979, they moved to St. Paul. She worked at Nesiba's café© for 22 years. Bernice also helped take care of elderly people in St. Paul. She entered Heritage Living Center in July 2003 and moved to Golden Living Center at Lakeview December 19, 2008.



Bernice enjoyed quilting, flowers and gardening. She also raised chickens when they were living on the farm.



She was a member of St. Mark's Lutheran Church and the Carl Mogensen American Legion Auxiliary Unit #119, both of St. Paul.



Survivors include two sons, Dale and Rodney Steinke, both of Central City; a daughter and son-in-law, Joyce and Dick Peetz of Wolbach; 8 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; a brother, Clinton Peterson of St. Paul; three sisters, Letha Barth of St. Paul, Doris Page of Sun City, CA, and Lila Pedersen of St. Paul.



She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Walter in 1986; a grandson, Tim Peetz; and two sisters, Betty Pedersen and Beulah Jensen; and two daughters-in-law, Sandra & Phyllis Steinke.