- Mrs. Wills was born April 3, 1925, in the Town of Dexter, Pittsville, Wood County, Wisconsin, the first of seven daughters of the late Clarke and Lena Henrietta (Van Dam/Van Dan) Turner. She attended grades 1st – 8th at the Wallace School in the Town of Hiles, graduating from Pittsville High School in 1943.
Bernice worked at the Canning Factory in Pittsville during 1941 – 1943; Nash Cranberry Marsh in Wisconsin Rapids from 1949 – 1952. Beginning in 1970 she worked in Housekeeping at Riverview Hospital retiring in November 1990.
She taught Sunday School in 1949 – 1950 at the Moravian Church, Wisconsin Rapids. As a child growing up, she had her own gardening plot and continued gardening, reading, embroidering and cross stitching in her early years.
Bernice married Raymond David Wills, September 25, 1943, at the Congregational parsonage in Pittsville, Wood County, Wisconsin. They moved to Wisconsin Rapids the day after their marriage. They enjoyed traveling northern Wisconsin each year for their anniversary to see the colors change, traveling to various casinos including a memorable 60th anniversary trip to Las Vegas, Nevada. Raymond died July 20, 2015.
She was a member of the Stevens Point Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution. Even though she had some French, Dutch and even more Scottish heritage, she was proud of her English heritage as England is where the majority of her family came from. Her fifth great grandfathers, Lt Thomas Ballard, Lt John Dibble Jr, and Joseph Drake had fought in the American Revolution and her 9th great grandfather, Lt William Spencer who had fought in the colonial wars in the 1600s. Through her 9th great grandmother, Agnes Harris, she was related to Hugh Capet, King of France, and her Magna Carta ancestor William Malet.
She is survived by children, Larry Wills, Karen Wills, and Rodney (Susan) Wills, four grandsons Shane Denne'e, Appleton, Kenneth (Lynda) Wills, Slinger, Kevin Wills, West Bend, Steven (Danielle) Wills, West Bend, three great granddaughters, Brittney Harder, Olivia Wills and Michelle Wills, three great-grandsons, Lakin Denne'e, Cade Wills and Ryan Wills, two great great grandsons, Carter Schwendeman and his father David Schwendeman and Boden Helgeson and his father Tyler Helgeson and two sisters Bonnie Haasl, Wisconsin Rapids and Hazel Lewis, Beloit.
In addition to her husband and parents, Bernice was preceded in death by her beloved granddaughter Dawn Marie (Denne'e) Harder, one infant granddaughter, four sisters Helen Jorsensen, Effie Enerson, June Smith and Darlene Peterson, and daughter-in-law Mary Wills.
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