Helen R. Berninger

Our beloved mother and grandmother, Helen Berninger, passed away peacefully in her home in Mifflinville, PA on the evening of October 16, 2014, five days after celebrating her 91st birthday. Born Helen Marie Roberts on October 11, 1923 in Hop Bottom, PA to Claude and Bernice (nee Sweet) Roberts, she was the only girl of eight children. She loved her family very much and often reminisced about her childhood. Helen graduated from Hop Bottom High School in 1940 at the age of 16, and then worked at a drug store for one year until she was old enough to attend Robert Packer School of Nursing, in Sayre, PA, from which she graduated in 1945. While in training, she joined the Cadet Nurse Corps and was a charter member. Helen began her nursing career at Robert Packer Hospital. On December 15, 1945 Helen married Howard R. Berninger, and the couple relocated to Carlisle, PA where Helen continued her nursing career at Carlisle Hospital while Howard obtained his law degree at Dickinson. Helen was a homemaker and volunteer nurse while the couple raised their two children and Howard served as the District Attorney of Columbia County from 1951-1972. He passed away in 1980. Helen was a faithful member of St. John's Lutheran Church of Mifflinville, PA, where she taught Sunday School for over twenty years. She was a past member of the Twentieth Century Delphian Club of Berwick, and served as President from 1988-1990. Helen had been a member of the Berwick Golf Club and Berwick Women's Golf Association. She also served as a member of the Mifflinville Cemetary Association. Helen was a past member of the Berwick R.N. Association, and served on the Columbia County Children and Youth Services Advisory Board and the Berwick Retirement Village Nursing Home Advisory Board. She was appointed as an American Red Cross Nurse in 1954 and later received an American Red Cross Service Pin recognizing her dedication for thirty years of service. She was a volunteer nurse for the bloodmobile, and was a past member of the Berwick Area Red Cross Board of Directors.Helen put her family above all, and loved when family and friends visited. She had enjoyed traveling with her husband, and visited European countries and many islands together. She had many fond memories of golf trips to Florida with good friends. She had been a member of a bridge club, and enjoyed reading and crossword puzzles, especially the New York Times crossword puzzle on Sundays. Helen is dearly missed by her daughter, Nancy B. Fisher, son Howard R. "Bernie" Berninger Jr. and his wife Beth Fairback-Berninger; grandchildren, D. Michael Fisher, M.D., Gretchen Knapp and her husband Donald Knapp, Jenna Berninger and Michael Fairback; great-grandchildren, Logan and Evan Knapp, all who miss their 'Nana' very much; and loving nieces and nephews. Helen's family would like to thank her devoted caregivers, Kathy Kelchner, Sue Zukowski, Sharon Bachman, and Pat Latsha, and the dedicated nurses and aides of Columbia Montour Home Hospice, and also recognize Gail Walter for her thirty years of friendship and assistance with Helen's home. In addition to her husband and parents, Helen was preceded in death by her seven brothers: Max, Carlton, Howard, Harold, Donald, Claude Jr., and Richard Roberts. A very patriotic woman, Helen was always proud that her husband and brothers all served in WWII. Memorial services will be held at St. John's Lutheran Church, located at 5th and Race Streets in Mifflinville on Friday, October 24, 2014 beginning at 10:00 am. A visitation will precede the service and burial, followed by a luncheon at St. John's to which all guests are invited to attend. Donations in her memory may be sent to the following organizations: St. John's Lutheran Church, 5th and Race Streets, Mifflinville, PA 18631; American Red Cross, 309 N. Vine St., Berwick, PA 18603; and Columbia Montour Home Hospice, 410 Glenn Avenue, Suite 200, Bloomsburg, PA 17815.