Obituary of Bernadette Cecilia Weiland

Bernadette Bernie Cecilia (Doyle) Weiland, 93, Edmonds, Washington, passed away on 9 May 2009, in Shoreline, WA, from congestive heart failure.She was born on 7 December 1915, in Emery, South Dakota. Her father and mother were Michael Doyle and Isabelle (McManus) Doyle. Her parents and her two brothers and three sisters have all predeceased her. Her father emigrated from Ireland to South Dakota in 1902, while her mother was born of Irish parents on a farm near Alexandria, SD. After their marriage in 1906, the Doyles farmed the Dakota prairie until they moved to the small town of Emery, SD, in the early 1930s.Bernie worked for her godmothers family in Salem, SD, for her room and board while attending St. Marys High School. After graduating in 1933, she worked for 4 years as a stenographer at St. Pauls Indian Mission in Marty, SD. In 1937 she pted a position in the American Automobile Associations Salem office where she soon rose to the position of Secretary-Treasurer of the Association.On 5 May 1941 she married George Albert Weiland from Bridgewater, SD, at Saint Marys Catholic Church in Salem. Shortly thereafter they moved to Seattle, Washington. George was employed at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard throughout WWII, commuting by ferry from Seattle. Following the war he became a sussful real estate professional. Bernie began working part time in his office when he opened his own firm, Active Reality, in the 1960s.She was an active member of the congregations of Blessed Sacrament Parish in the University District of Seattle and later at St. Luke Parish in Shoreline, WA, where she was a parishioner for over 50 years. She enjoyed a special ministry teaching mentally disabled children about their faith. Bernie volunteered for many parish committees and activities. For a number of years she and her husband hosted Palm Sunday brunches in their large home for St. Lukes parishioners. After Georges death on 29 January 1981, she continued her ministries at St. Luke. She was a long-time volunteer with the Sandwich Makers who make sandwiches every Wednesday for distribution to the homeless in Pioneer Square - a ministry she continued until she was nearly 90!Bernie loved to travel, starting with an epic automobile trip from South Dakota to Washington, DC, with three girl-friends in the late 1930s. She was very proud of her Irish heritage. In 1979 she and her daughter, Linda, traveled to Ireland and visited relatives and the site of the Doyle family farm her father had left as a young man to come to America.Bernie and Georges first child, Robert Bobby Eugene Weiland, was born in 1942, however, in 1945, before penicillin was readily available, he died of an infection - a loss that Bernie kept close to her heart for the remainder of her life. George and Bernie had two more children, Janet Jan Ellen Sweeting (Herb) of Edmonds, WA, and Linda Lin Kay Krell (Ron) of Bremerton, WA. Bernie has five grandchildren: Christopher and Janessa Sweeting, and Brent (Robin) Krell, Kerry (Suzanne) Krell, and Brian Krell. She has two great-granddaughters and three great-grandsons.A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Luke Catholic Church, 322 North 175th St., Shoreline, WA, at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, 15 May. A rosary will be recited prior to the service at 10:30 a.m. Fr. Bob Camuso, the pastor at St. Luke Parish will officiate. A recn at the St. Luke Parish Hall will be held immediately following the service. After the recn all are invited to accompany the family to the graveside at Holy Rood Cemetery, 205 NE 205th St., Shoreline, WA. Becks Funeral Home, 405 Fifth Ave. So., Edmonds, WA, is in charge of the arrangements and may be reached at 425-771-1234 for additional information.In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in her memory be made by mail to:American Lung Association,1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20004or to: American Heart Association, National Center7272 Greenville AvenueDallas, TX 75231Both organizations have websites at which an on-line memorial donation can be made.American Lung Assn of Washington: http://www.alaw.org Click on Ways to GiveAmerican Heart Assn: http://americanheart.org Click on Donate at top of the screen.The family appreciates the compassionate assistance of those at the Richmond Beach Rehabilitation Center, Shoreline, who cared for Bernie in the last months of her life. We also thank all of the friends and relatives who cherished Bernie throughout her long and active life. COME WITH MEAnonymousGod saw that she was tiredAnd a cure was not to be,So he put his arms around herAnd whispered come with me.With tea eyes we watchedHer suffer and saw her fade away.Although we could not bear toLose her, we could not bid her stay.A golden heart stopped beating,Hard working hands we lay to rest.God broke our hearts to prove to usHe only takes the best. Bernadette Weiland - Loving, Devout, Compassionate, Generousand IRISH