Bernice Bahner

Bernice Bahner, 89, of Fremont died Tuesday, May 3, 2005, in the Hearthstone facility in York.

She was born March 4, 1916, in Pactola, S.D., to Thomas and Myrtle (Woods) Ballew. The family moved to Hill City, S.D., in the heart of the Black Hills, where she grew up and graduated from Hill City High School in 1934. During World War II, the family moved to Tacoma, Wash., where she worked for the Seattle Tacoma shipyard as a welder from 1942 to 1945, when the war ended.

She moved to Fremont in 1954. She was the founder and owner of the Bahner Cosmetology School in Fremont and operated it from 1958 to 1981. She also had beauty salons in Fremont for several years. After selling the school in 1981, she resided in Branson, Mo., and in Arizona, moving back to Fremont in 1998.

She held high offices in the Cosmetology National School Association for several years. She was responsible for getting the national accreditation for the cosmetology schools in the United States. This brought about better schools and made it possible for students to get financial help to attend cosmetology schools. This was accomplished with the help of Senator Curtis.

She also served as a commissioner on the accreditation team, evaluating cosmetology schools in the mid United States. She was a member of the Private Vocational Schools Association and was its president for one year. She was a member of the Private Schools Coordinating Committee for Nebraska, appointed by Gov. Exon. She also was a member of the Nebraska Cosmetology Schools Association. And while in business, she was a member of the Women's Business and Professional Club in Fremont.

Survivors include: a son, Larry (and wife, Donna) Bahner of Taylorsville, Utah; three daughters, Avonne (Mrs. Gary) May of Fremont, Crystal (Mrs. Paul) Altman of Omaha and René (Mrs. Wayne) Yonkie of Little Rock, Ark.; a sister, Helene Gregson of Puyallup, Wash.; 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Eldon P. Bahner, five brothers and a sister.

The memorial service will be 11 a.m. Friday at the Church of the Nazarene, 960 Johnson Road, in Fremont with the Revs. Tom Shaw and Dave Jareo officiating. There is no public visitation. A private committal will be in Memorial Cemetery in Fremont.

A memorial has been established to the Bernice Bahner Cosmetology School Fund.

Ludvigsen Mortuary in Fremont is in charge of arrangements.