Berniece Elnora (Hartje) Davis passed into her Heavenly home on July 29,2022 with family by her side. Berniece was born on July 17, 1928 and recently celebrated her 94th birthday. She is the daughter of William and Louise (Kreimeyer) Hartje Sr. and grew up near Leaf River with twelve mostly older siblings, thus the recipient of many hand-me-downs during her childhood.
Berniece graduated from Leaf River High School in 1946 and then graduated from Rockford Business College. She married Duane Davis in 1947 and they moved onto the family farm southeast of Leaf River where they resided for 60 years until his death. They raised two children, Sharri (Roger) Eickman (Geneseo) and Quentin (Rachel) Davis (Forreston), who gave her four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren whom she loved so very much.
Berniece was secretary and bookkeeper for Davis Oil Company, which she and Duane operated for over 30 years. She owned Paradise of Plaster and Crafts, and helped operate the Lunch Bucket restaurant located in their commercial building in Leaf River. She was a collector of dolls, especially Kewpie’s, and enjoyed sewing and quilting. In recent years she enjoyed living at WinnPrairie Assisted Living in Freeport where she had many special friends and staff members and spent much time reading and keeping pictures in family albums.
Berniece and her husband found time to travel, taking driving vacations with family to most corners of the United States, and later on trips to the Bahamas and Hawaii. They enjoyed the Missouri Ozarks so much that they purchased a home on Table Rock Lake near Branson where they enjoyed many shows, including their favorite gospel quartet the Foggy River Boys. She was a member of the Leaf River United Methodist Church and the Leaf River Historical Society.
Berniece is survived by her two children, grandchildren Renee Eickman (Craig), Kyle (Jamie) Eickman, Tracey (Mark) Robinson, and Daniel Davis, great-grandchildren Mitchell and Carter Robinson and Kenneth and Elsie Eickman, and sister Lorraine Cheek. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, and eleven siblings.
The funeral will be at Park Hills Evangelical Free Church in Freeport on August 6th, with visitation before from 10:00 until time of funeral at 11:00. Burial will be in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, with arrangements being made by Burke-Tubbs Funeral Home. Memorial donations can be made to the Leaf River Historical Society and to WinnPrairie.
[S2] Newspaper.
Davis - Hartje Leaf River, Ill., Aug. 26. —
Miss Bernice Hartje, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Hartje, of Leaf River, and
Duane E. Davis, son of Mr. and Mrs. Q. H. Davis, of Leaf River, were united in marriage Saturday evening at 8 o’clock at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Borneman. Rev. M. B. Stewart, pastor of Leaf River Methodist church, read the double-ring service.
The bride wore a white crepe gown, fashioned with cap sleeves and draped skirt, and her accessories were gold. She had a shoulder corsage of red roses, and her jewelry was a single strand of pearls, the groom’s gift.
The attendance were Mr. and Mrs. Borneman. The latter wore a pink jersey frock with black accessories and her corsage was made with white gardenias.
After a wedding dinner at the Mandarin Gardens in Rockford, the bride and the groom left for a three-weeks tour of the Pacific northwest, including the Black Hills and Yellowstone park. They will reside at the home of the groom’s parents.
Borth bride and groom are graduates of Leaf River high school. She also attended Rockford School of Business. The groom is engaged in farming.
— Freeport Journal-Standard, 26 Aug 1947, Tuesday, page 2.
1928 - 2022 (94 years)
. Quentin DAVIS
: Address
: Location
: City/Town
: County/Shire
: State/Province
: Country
: Not Set