Bernice B. Strauch
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(nee Bankenbush) died peacefully on Saturday, November 6, 2021, at the Lawlis Hospice in Mequon Wisconsin.
Bernice was born on November 1, 1926, to Martin and Jenny Bankenbush (nee Hetze) on the family farm in Milladore, Wisconsin. She was the sixth in a hardworking family of seven girls and one boy. Bernice spent her childhood in Milladore. Her family moved to Racine during her high school years where she attended Washington Park High School. She learned to play the tuba while there, a talent she passed on to one of her daughters and one of her granddaughters. She graduated in 1944.
After high school, Bernice worked in the photo lab at the Johnson's Wax Company. She married William O. Strauch (Bill) in 1948. They settled in Milwaukee and became the devoted parents of three daughters, Bonny, Wendy, and Becky (the tuba player).
Bernice trained to be a patent draftsman and excelled at it while working for the law firm of Andres and Starke. Her incredible drawings can still be found via the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Eventually she shifted to electrical drafting and worked for Cutler Hammer and Square D companies. As one of the few women in this field at the time, she was a true pioneer.
In 1963, Bernice and Bill bought a vacation home that featured a 100-year-old Norwegian log house, a barn and other outbuildings, along with 40 acres of forest. This property in New Hope, 'the farm,' became their passion. For the next 50 years, Bernice and her family renovated, cared for, and enjoyed the farm. William died unexpectedly in 1979. Several years later, Bernice married Eugene Dupas who also shared her love of the farm and the surrounding community.
Bernice always had a powerful case of wanderlust. As a family, there were lots of unforgettable camping trips throughout the United States and Canada. She loved exploring Europe, especially Germany and other northern European countries, but she also delighted in visiting Italy, South Africa, Russia, South America, China, and Japan. She was a strong and independent woman who could travel alone or share her adventures with friends and relatives.
Bernice enjoyed collecting and restoring antiques, crafting, sewing, and gardening. She was active in her churches, Siloah in Milwaukee and North New Hope near the farm. She loved and supported liberal causes and was always first in line at the poles. And please be advised, she was never a "short order cook."
Bernice was proceeded in death by her parents, Martin and Jenny Bankenbush, her loving husbands, William O. Strauch and Eugene A. Dupas, and siblings, Alice, Clarence, Irene, Esther, and Gladys. She is survived and will be deeply missed by her three daughters, Bonny Welch of Grafton, Wendy Strauch-Nelson and husband Jonathan of Baileys Harbor, Becky Carroll of Grafton, and siblings, Eileen Boyter and Eunice Gevaart. She is also survived by nine grandchildren, (Sarah, Casey, Megan, Mariah, Rachel, Emily (the other tuba player), Kelly, Andrea, and William), eleven great-grandchildren (Marlise, Blyth, Fiona, Chloe, Louis, Martin, Simeon, Willamina, Haiden, Mia, and Olivia), other relatives and many friends.
The family would like to thank the staff at the Aurora Medical Center in Grafton and the staff at the Lawlis Hospice in Mequon for their care, and Ann of Interfaith Caregivers for her continued companionship. A celebration of life is being planned for spring 2022. Details will follow. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to North New Hope Lutheran Church or Horizon's Lawlis Family Hospice, Mequon, Wisconsin.