An inspirational woman

  • Published
  • By Sandra Latchford
  • 60th Services Squadron
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The woman who most inspired me is Marie Bernard. If adversity builds character then that must surely be why Ms. Bernard turned out to be the incredibly strong woman she was her entire life. 

Ms. Bernard was born in Scotland in 1906. She was the eldest of five children. Her mother died when she was nine of spinal meningitis. Her father was unable to care for the children and so they were placed in an orphanage. The youngest child was only two and did not survive the harsh conditions of the orphanage, which included little food, little heat and a lack of warm clothing. 

The children attended a nearby school and were teased by the neighborhood children because they came from the “Lefroy home for motherless children” and were also made fun of because of the hand-me-down clothing they wore. 

Ms. Bernard was a good student but was forced to leave school at an early age to go and live with her Aunt Adeline to help out in her country store and also help with the household chores. She and her siblings were never together again. At her aunt’s, Ms. Bernard slept on a board between two chairs and had to wear her male cousin’s boots for shoes. 

When Ms. Bernard was 19 years old, she immigrated to the United States through Ellis Island. Her sponsor was another Scot who lived in Buffalo, N.Y., where Ms. Bernard began working for very wealthy families as a domestic. 

She received room and board with a half day off on Sundays. The work was so hard and the days were so long, that it left very little time for anything else. Returning to Scotland was not an option, so she got over her homesickness and separation from her siblings, made the best of the situation and started a new life for herself. 

Ms. Bernard cleaned people’s homes for 15 years and was grateful she had a roof over her head and food to eat during the Great Depression of the late 1920s and early 1930s.
When she was 34 years old, she met and eventually married a fellow Scot. They had three children. Her husband worked in a factory as a night watchman plus had several part-time jobs as a handyman. The rearing of the children was primarily left up to her. 

She was a wonderful mother who set a wonderful example for her children to follow. She had very high standards as far as ethics and morality. The children knew at a very early age right from wrong. 

Ms. Bernard didn’t have a lazy bone in her body. Everything she did was always of the highest quality. She was a wonderful cook and baker. The family always sat down together for a delicious healthy meal. Ms. Bernard filled a fruit cellar every year with fresh fruits and vegetables she had canned. 

The money both she and her husband earned was very little, and yet they were able to save enough to purchase a home. Ms. Bernard always managed to put a little extra aside, so the family could go on an annual two-week vacation. She set a great example of saving a portion of her earnings regardless of how little it was. All of her children have followed her example. 

Both Ms. Bernard and her husband were very proud of their Scottish ancestry. Their children grew up listening to bagpipe music, participated in annual observances of Robert Burns’ birthday and became very knowledgeable of the history of the royal family thanks to their parents’ teachings. 

Ms. Bernard never prejudged anyone. She passed this character trait along to her children. She was a very kind considerate person who was very respectful of others. She had a great love for animals which she passed on to her children. 

When Ms. Bernard was in her late forties, she was diagnosed with breast cancer resulting in her having to have a radical mastectomy. She was never concerned about her disfigurement but only whether she would live long enough to see her children grown. Her family meant everything to her. She was a very positive person and was grateful for whatever she had. 

Her happiness did not come from amassing material things but was found in reading a good book, listening to classical music or most importantly just being part of her children’s lives. 

After her husband died and her children had left the nest, she once more showed her ability to adapt by selling the family home and moving to California. 

Ms. Bernard never learned to drive, but soon learned how to use the public transportation system in Santa Cruz. 

She had a place within walking distance of the ocean which she loved and walked to daily. She made new friends and found a job she enjoyed at a nursing home taking care of elderly patients as she referred to them who were in many instances younger than she who by the time she retired from that job was well into her seventies. 

Later on in her life, she developed some major health problems: insulin dependent diabetes and heart disease. She dealt with these illnesses head on and maintained a positive caring attitude for the rest of her life. 

Ms. Bernard, my mother, is gone now, but her indomitable spirit lives on through her children. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: The story above is the winning essay for the Women’s History Month essay contest. The winner was announced at the closing luncheon Tuesday and received a $50 savings bond.