Their Story

Bernice met Jesse at her Uncle Ralph and Aunt May’s home in Alma, Nebraska. She was sixteen at the time and Jesse was twenty. He was a dashing young man and quite a lady’s man. He liked dancing and enjoyed playing drums. He was a farm boy from Huntley, Nebraska and she grew up in Franklin County, Nebraska. She was the oldest of nine children in the Marian Dunn family. She had seen Jesse several times, and knew that many girls were sweet on him. Since she was so much younger than he was, she never expected him to notice her, but at a dance in Alma, he asked her to dance and they became good friends.
 
Bernice moved with her family to Omaha, Nebraska where she and her sister Iris began working at the Crèche Home. This was a home for children that were up for adoption. She worked for her Aunt Mary who was the Director. Jesse came to Omaha to see her off and on and they soon fell in love. They married on August 7th, 1931 in Omaha. Bernice’s sister Iris stood up with her as a witness and Roy Dunn, her brother, stood up for Jesse.
 
They began their life together on a farm north of Alma. On September 8, 1932 Patricia Ellen was born. She was the apple of her daddy’s eye. A year later on November 30, 1933, Clinton Merlin was born. The family then moved to Omaha because of the depression, Jesse held many jobs to keep the family fed. These were the years of Prohibition, and he found work with a bootlegger known in the Omaha area as “Queenie. It was a dangerous job as it was illegal, but he drove for her and made deliveries and picked up money. According to Bernice, "Queenie" liked Jesse and made sure he had all the work he wanted.
 
Mary Roejane was born on October 24, 1935 at the county hospital in Omaha. She was a breech birth and Bernice had a very rough time recovering from the delivery. Thomas Marian was born on July 28, 1937.He was a strapping big boy and weighed in at 11-12 lbs. He was named after both of his grandfathers, Thomas Jones and Marian Dunn.
 
At this time, Jesse found honest work with the Livestock Exchange Company at their Missouri River pump station. He worked there for several years. On October 25, 1939 Stanley Jesse was born. He was named after his father. Bernice had her hands full with five children the oldest being seven years old. This was not to be the end of their family. On December 26, 1940, Sandra Kaye was born. The family was living in South Omaha and Bernice finally got some help from Mrs. Brinkman. She would come to help care for Sandy, while Bernice would do the washing, cooking and cleaning.
 
The last baby to be born was Virgil DeWayne. He arrived on February 16, 1943. It was necessary for him to remain in the hospital, as he was to have surgery on his lip. It seemed to Pat, Clint and Mary that their little brother would never come home. When he did arrive, they were so excited to see him.
 
World War II had broken out in 1941 and all men were needed to fight for their country. Jesse entered the Navy in 1943. He was sent to Farragut Idaho for basic training. He spent the next two years in the Admiralty Islands in the South Pacific. Jesse had moved Bernice and the family to his mother’s farm north of Huntley, where she stayed for the summer of 1943. That fall she moved the family to Holdrege, Nebraska where they remained until all had graduated from high school. Jesse and Bernice moved to Johnson Lake, Nebraska in 1975. There last move was to Gretna, Nebraska where they lived until Bernice’s death in March of 1987. Jesse moved to a senior residence in Norfolk, Nebraska to be near Pat, until his death in Sept 1989.Jesse was always the taskmaster, but taught his children the tough lessons of life. Bernice was the tender, loving, caring mother who put her children before anything else

Grandma's Eulogy

Given By Her Granddaughter Melinda (Reissener) Wright
In Loving Memory of Bernice U. Jones
Died March 24, 1987

Wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend,
The sun could not shine and the heavens wept for us the day she left. We are consoled to know that she is at peace and lovingly embraced in Jesus’ arms. She told us that was where she wanted and needed to be. We are grateful to our heavenly Father

We humanly mourn our great loss. There are moments when we feel it intensely as individuals, but we have also come together as a family to share our grief and our memories. We know this would comfort her. She told all of us, “Be good to each other.” That is an easy and heartfelt request. We will honor it.

When we have had time to ease the pain that we feel right now, we will joyfully remember her life here with us. We will cherish and share the memories of what she taught us, the time she gave us, and most of all, the honest and unconditional love she felt for each of us.

She is a part of every one of us, and we will miss her, always.
We will keep fond memories of her within us, and we will not forget what her life has meant to us.

In loving memory,

Your husband, children, grandchildren, sisters, brothers, and friends