Bernadette Tegeler age 98, passed away peacefully at Bethany Riverside Memory Care in La Crosse, WI on December 16th, 2022. She was born June 20th 1924 in Cascade, Iowa to Edward and Margret (Kurt) Reiter. She lived on a farm in Cascade with four older sisters, two older brothers, and three younger brothers. Growing up between five brothers created the strong woman she was, or as she liked to call herself, “assertive”. She wrote, “If a man can do it, why can’t a woman do it better.”

Bernie graduated from St. Mary’s High School in 1942 and continued her education at Mercy College of Nursing in Dubuque, Iowa. Despite those years being hard during World War II, she remembered them as a pivotal time in her life. The nursing students worked together, played together, and made lifelong friendships. She was proud to have passed her board exams on the first try. She graduated nursing school when the War was ending.

As the story goes, she lent her hat to a friend in Dyersville and decided to exchange the hat while getting a coke. A service man was at the bar having a beer and noticed Bernie. The handsome sailor knew Bernie’s friend and asked for her for an introduction. That was beginning of Ralph and Bernie’s life together and the rest is history. They were joined in marriage May 6th, 1947 at St. Mary’s Church in Cascade, Iowa. They were together until Ralph’s passing on June 21st, 2015.

Ralph and Bernie began their new life together in Grinnell, Iowa and moved to Jesup, Iowa in 1951.  There Ralph and his brother-in-law started the T & W store, but Bernie hated working at the store. She was always a nurse at heart. After staying home caring for her daughters, Bernie returned to nursing in 1968 at Peoples Memorial Hospital in Independence, Iowa. Bernie also liked to take credit for guiding many of her offspring into the field of medicine. She loved those years of nursing and continued her calling up until the end of her life. Once a nurse, always a nurse.

She and Ralph also developed land on the south end of Jesup. Retiring in 1986, the couple traveled in Arizona for many great winters. They moved to Onalaska in 2009 to be closer to Mary Kay’s family. In her life, she liked to garden, travel, play bridge, dance, help with wine making, and creating lifelong friendships. Bernie was famous for her beautiful roses and award-winning lemon meringue pie.

Bernie is survived her daughters, Mary Kay (Jeff) Priem, Susie (Scott Douglas) Wright; grandchildren, Megan Priem, Danielle (Joe) Deanovich, Michael (Maddy) Priem, Ryan (Chelsey) Tegeler, Alison Wright; great-grandchildren, Jack Deanovich, Luka Deanovich, David Richardson, Sophia Richardson, Caroline Richardson, Theodore Tegeler, and little baby Priem in May. She is further survived by sister-in-law’s, Lila Reiter, Jean Reiter, and Ethel McCreedy.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Edwards and Margret; husband, Ralph; siblings, Lilian, Florence, Laura, Kay, Walter, Edward, Carl, Fred, Paul, and baby Bernice; Ralph’s siblings, Joe, Clara, Leo, Catherine, Mildred; and countless family members.

Special thank you to Bethany Riverside for the care over the years.

Even as her Alzheimer’s progressed Bernie was often known to say two things: “This is the happiest I’ve ever been.” and “I’ve had a good life.”

In Lieu of Flowers, the family would like donations given to Bethany Lutheran Homes in the La Crosse-Onalaska community, and the Alzheimer’s Association.

Her funeral mass, officiated by Father Ben, will be held on Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Athanasius Catholic Church, Jesup, Iowa, with a visitation one hour prior to the mass at the church. The family would like to invite friends and guests to a luncheon following the service.