Bernice Runkle

Bernice Runkle, 88, passed away suddenly, at her home, on Friday, December 20, 2013. Memorial services will be held in the spring of 2014 in the Heron Cemetery, Heron, Montana. Bernice Jensen was born in Custer, Montana on November 6, 1925, the daughter of Marinus and Gertrude Jensen. The family moved to Heron, Montana in 1936 when she was 11 years old. She attended local schools in Noxon, Montana and later in Billings, Montana. On November 27, 1942 she married Elmer Runkle in Sandpoint, Idaho. During WWII she lived in Mississippi while her husband served with the US Army. The family returned to Heron, Montana where she served as the assistant Postmaster, for her husband, for many years. In 1993 they moved to Sandpoint, Idaho where she worked doing store “demos” for Yokes, later working as a floral designer. She enjoyed crafting and selling her crafts at fairs and craft shows. Surviving is her daughter Shirley Ehrmantrout in Sandpoint, ID; her sister Martha Garrett in Quincy, WA; 10 grandchildren; 21 great grandchildren; and five great great grandchildren. Also surviving is Stella, the therapeutic service chicken. Stella’s quiet clucking brought peace and comfort, to Bernice, in her last days. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, a son David and a daughter Viola.