Catherine Bernhart

Catherine Madeline Bernhart of Lethbridge, beloved wife of the late Frank Bernhart passed away peacefully after a short illness with her daughter Kathy and grandchildren Tina and Troy by her side on Sunday, October 18, 2020 at the age of 103 years.

Born in Whitla, AB, on March 21, 1917, to John & Elizabeth Zacher. She soon became Katie to most people who knew her. Katie started her education in Regina Saskatchewan when the family moved there and completed her education at the Newdale School in AB, when the family moved back to that area. Katie started working at about the age of 9 years cooking and cleaning houses for various families later cooking for harvest crews, in the early years her father collected her pay checks which made her mad, she was eventually able to save enough money to buy her first car in 1930. Katie met Frank Bernhart and they were married on November 11, 1935, they rented a few different farms before buying their own farm land in the Winnifred area, there they raised their four children, cows, chickens and alfalfa crops until they retired to Lethbridge in 1967.

When they moved to Lethbridge they became rolling stones never stay in one house for very long, they took in boarders & fixed up the basements for renters for extra income.

Katie loved to cook and everyone enjoyed eating whatever she made, she also loved to knit, gardening, bowling, camping, dancing, playing cards, watching her Blue Jays and curling in later years.

They bought a small motor home and started touring the country with the Seniors Roving Campers, they enjoyed fishing and other activities with them until her husband became too ill.

A few years after her husband passed she moved to Medicine Hat to be closer to her brothers and sisters, Katie eventually returned to Lethbridge continuing her roiling stone ways until her passing.

Katie celebrated her 100th birthday at Columbia age care where she made the news and her picture was in the Lethbridge Herald. Katie had a great time playing the pie in the face game with staff members. Katie had a remarkable memory that everyone was in awe of until she had a small stroke at the age 100 years, it slowly started to fade.

Catherine is survived by her son Don (Joyce); daughter Kathy (Ken); grandchildren Danette (Clint) Seifert, Larry Heck, Brent (Nati) Heck, Marvin (Chris) Dragland, Diane Gove, Charlotte (Fred) Guild, Darcy (Cheri) Bernhart, Troy (Mandi) Bernhart, Tina (Lorne) Paananen, nineteen great grand children; twenty four great great grand children; sister Rose Fettig; sisters in law Kay and Helen Zacher as well as numerous nieces, nephews and their families.

Besides her loving husband Frank Bernhart was predeceased by her parents John and Elizabeth Zacher; daughters and their spouses Eileen (Mike) Heck/Regier, Janette (Gordon) Dragland; her brother and sisters in laws Milton (Eva), Joseph (Agnes), John (Phyllis), Peter(Elizabeth), George, Martin (Eleanor), Wendell Zacher; sisters and brother in-laws Irene (Matt) Shatz, Jennie (Joe) Roth, Betty (Joe) Krassman; great grandchildren Tania Mastel, Bradley Bernhart and great great grandchild Bohdi Gove.

Katie will be sadly missed by her family and all who knew this amazing woman.

A Private Service will be held on Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 1:00pm. The service will be live streamed and accessed via Catherine’s obituary on the Martin Brothers website https://www.mbfunerals.com/.

Flowers are gratefully declined. Those who wish, memorial donations may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Catherine Bernhart, please visit our floral store.