Verna Bernice Berghoff

Verna Bernice Schuenke was born October 13, 1925 in Faribault, Minnesota. She started life on a small farm without indoor plumbing, during the great depression. As a teenager, her parents realized she was a bright child, and sent her to live with friends in town so she could get a better education.

During WWII she got the name of a Faribault soldier to correspond with in Europe. After the war ended, they met in person and shortly thereafter she married John C. Berghoff. They had one son named Larry.

A couple of years after Verna married, the family moved to Tacoma, Washington, and then a short time later to Puyallup. While in Puyallup, Verna worked as a secretary for a local daffodil bulb company, while also caring for the family home.

In 1956 she and John physically built a house in Sumner, where they lived for 5 years. During that time, she started working as a teller in a bank branch of Great Western Savings and Loan in Sumner. Eventually she became the manager of that branch. When she wanted to retire, the bank offered her $10,000 to stay another year.

The family built another home across the street from their first house in 1961. Verna and John lived there for 35 years, until John died. She then moved to the Harvest Gate Community, in Puyallup, where she has lived until passing.

Verna was a very social person, greeting strangers and people she knew with the same caring enthusiasm. She and John enjoyed hosting parties in their garage, where corn meal was sprinkled on the concrete floor for a better dance surface.

She was acknowledged throughout the community for her civic participation through her work with the bank, and also her private life. Newspaper articles about her activities, and the awards she received, filled a 3-ring notebook binder.

After retiring, Verna and John bought a motor home and traveled to see the country. The members of the RV club they joined had homes in Washington, but spent the winters in Arizona. Eventually Verna and John became snow-birds, spending summers in Sumner and winters in Yuma, Arizona.  After several winters spent living in their modular home, in 1999 they built a house, from scratch, in the Foothills area of Yuma. While there, they made many journeys out into the desert with fellow dune buggy enthusiasts, hosted frequent gatherings at their home, laughed during weekly restaurant breakfasts with friends and enjoyed the Arizona weather. Verna continued to spend winters there for many years, even after John passed.

Verna was both smart in financial areas, and skilled in areas of craft. She painted bisque figurines to fire in the 1960s, then went on to paint the walls of her homes for years thereafter. She was skilled with a sewing machine, making cowboy style shirts for John, and fixing Larry’s torn clothes. She sewed her own clothing and took great pride in always looking her best. After retiring she spent some time doing woodcarving, producing several, very nice, display pieces. She was always ready for a game of pinochle, or cribbage, or Bunco. These events kept her engaged with the special people around her.

She was very active in her Lutheran community, and worked with quilting groups in Yuma and Puyallup to make blankets to donate to children. Her social network ranged far and wide. She was as attentive to her friend’s needs as she was to her own.

Verna passed away on December 27, 2022 in Puyallup, WA.  She is survived by her son Larry and numerous nieces and nephews.