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History
Bernice Rose Schmit (known as Bernie by her family) was born October of 1938 to Louise and John Schmit of Eyota
Bernice grew up in family of 7 sisters and 3 brothers (deceased: 1 girl and 1 boy)
Bernice attend school in Conception and Eyota, MN
She met and married Donald E. Hall in Eyota, MN on October 1955
Bernice and Donnie had 8 children (4 girls & 4 boys) - Phyllis, Donald, John (deceased 10/2007), Judy, Marcella, Tommy, Teresa, and Danny
1955 to 1956 - Bernice followed Donnie to Wichita Falls, TX where Donnie was stationed in the Air Force
1956 to 1961 - Bernice followed Donnie to Tacoma, WA where Donnie was stationed in the Air Force
1961 to 1978 - Bernice and Donnie (left Air Force) moved and bought a dairy farm outside of Plainview, MN. Bernice worked on the farm and milked cows while Donnie drove milk truck for the Elgin Creamery for several years.
1978 to 1991 - Bernice and Donnie lived in Plainview, MN. Bernice worked at the Plainview Nursing Home as a cook and Donnie worked for High Plains (until retiring). 1986 Bernice went to work at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester. Both Bernice and Donnie volunteered on the Plainview Ambulance Crew for several years.
1991 to 2003 - Bernice and Donnie bought a place on the Mississippi River at West Newton near Kellogg, MN to retire and fish.
September 2005 - Bernice from Mayo where she had worked for many years
2003 to 2014 - Bernice and Donnie built a house in Kellogg, MN. (Bernice did adult foster care for a few years)
August 2012 - Donnie passed away
December 2014 - Bernice moved to Saint Elizabeth's Senior Housing (Assisted & Independent Living) in Wabasha, MN
February 2016 - Bernice moved into The Haven at
Cottagewood Senior Community
4022 55th St. NW
Rochester, MN. 55901
February 26, 2016 - Bernice passed away peacefully in her sleep❤. She fought way to long of a battle 😭
As most of you know mom was being challenged unfortunately by Dementia as well as Depression, Anxiety,
and Hypertension.
For those of you who do not know here is some information about Dementia. If you would like to learn more you can also find more information at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dementia#Late_stages:Dementia, also known as senility, is a broad category of brain diseases that cause a long term and often gradual decrease in the ability to think and remember that is great enough to affect a person's daily functioning. Other common symptoms include emotional problems, problems with language, and a decrease in motivation. A person's consciousness is usually not affected.
A dementia diagnosis requires a change from a person's usual mental functioning and a greater decline than one would expect due to aging. These diseases also have a significant effect on a person's caregivers. A small proportion of cases run in families. There is no cure for dementia.
Globally, dementia affects 36 million people. It becomes more common with age. About 3% of people between the ages of 65–74 have dementia, 19% between 75 and 84 and nearly half of those over 85 years of age. In 2013 dementia resulted in about 1.7 million deaths up from 0.8 million in 1990. As more people are living longer, dementia is becoming more common in the population as a whole.
Late stages
People with late-stage dementia typically turn increasingly inward and need assistance with most or all of their personal care. Persons with dementia in the late stages usually need 24-hour supervision to ensure personal safety, as well as to ensure that basic needs are being met. If left unsupervised, a person with late-stage dementia may wander or fall, may not recognize common dangers around them such as a hot stove, may not realize that they need to use the bathroom or become unable to control their bladder or bowels (incontinent).
Changes in eating frequently occur. People with late-stage dementia often require pureed diets, thickened liquids, and assistance in eating, to prolong their lives, to cause them to gain weight, to reduce the risk of choking, and to make feeding the person easier. The person's appetite may decline to the point that the person does not want to eat at all. He or she may not want to get out of bed, or may need complete assistance doing so. Commonly, the person no longer recognizes familiar people. He or she may have significant changes in sleeping habits or have trouble sleeping at all.
