Agnes “Bernice” (Earhart) Elewaut at age 96 went to heaven on April 16, 2014 after a brief illness. For the past three years she resided at Aegis of Ventura.
Born on August 28, 1917 in Champion, Alberta, Canada, to Eva (Allard) Earhart and William L. Earhart she grew up in Superior, Wisconsin, graduating from East Superior High School. Bernice and her late husband, Maurice “Moe” enjoyed 66 years of marriage. They were the proprietors of The Harbor Ice Cream Parlor, as well as the Nakoma Country Club and the East End Tavern in the Superior area. In 1955 they moved to southern California where she was employed by California Vegetable Concentrate in Los Angeles. From 1963-1971, Bernice worked as a cashier and then Assistant Financial Director at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood.
Bernice and Moe were former members of the Wheel ‘n Whirl Square Dance Club of Downey. They were founding members in the Rebel Foxes Jim Beam Bottle Club of Long Beach and traveled extensively in the United States and Australia meeting and visiting friends. They were active members of St. Raymond Catholic Church, Downey, St. Louis de Montfort Church, Santa Maria, and Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Community in Hemet.
Bernice is preceded in death by her husband Maurice Elewaut and two infant sons Maurice Jr. Elewaut and William Elewaut, parents Eva and William L. Earhart and siblings George Earhart, Lorraine Earhart Williams, and William Earhart.
Bernice is survived by her five children Barbara Wagstaff of Hot Springs Village, Arkansas; Rosemary (Jeffrey) Pietrowski of Durango, Colorado; Robert (Lorraine) Elewaut of Flagstaff, Arizona; Richard (Teresa) Elewaut of Lake Havasu City, Arizona; and Thomas Elewaut of Ventura, California.
She is also survived by nine grandchildren: Robert (Cindy)Wagstaff, Jeffrey (Grace) Wagstaff; Sharon Drew, Gregory (Laurie) Ostrander, Lisa (Craig) Crawford, Theresa (Harold) Brown, Ryan Elewaut, Michael Elewaut and Daniel Elewaut; and ten great-grandchildren: Robert Wagstaff III, James and Brian Drew, Kyle and Logan Ostrander, Abigail and Madlen Brown, Chad Elewaut, Angelie Elewaut, Juniper Grace Elewaut. Additionally, she is survived by one sister, Hazel During of Superior Wisconsin and sister-in-law Emma Fernquist of La Mesa, California and numerous nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at San Buenaventura Mission with the Reverend Thomas Elewaut presiding on April 23, 2014 at 2 PM with a reception honoring her life in the Parish Center Auditorium. The internment will follow at 10 AM on Thursday, April 24, at Santa Clara Cemetery. Joseph P. Reardon Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Holy Cross School, 211 E. Main Street, Ventura, CA, 93001, or Bishop Garcia Diego High School, Santa Barbara, or St. Joseph High School, Santa Maria.