Bernice Lindquist

Bernice Bea Lindquist Bea Lindquist passed away peacefully in her home on June 2nd , surrounded in her last days by family, friends and family pets. She was born on April 14, 1915 in Wahoo, Nebraska, to Ella and Oscar Leonard, grew up in the Mid-West, graduated from Joplin High School, and worked 39 years for Southwestern Bell. She was married to Chester Lindquist who died in 1966. Pre-deceasing her were her sister Juanita and brother (and favorite side-kick) Jim. Bea retired to care for her mother, then moved to Grove, Oklahoma to fish, make new friends and enjoy life on Grand Lake. She was an active retiree, serving as President of the AARP Chapter; starting a gift shop at Grove General Hospital to raise funds for the hospital; serving with the Cherry Red Auxiliary Organization in many capacities, receiving an award for 10,000 hours of volunteer work at the hospital; serving with the local organization for the sight impaired; and every now and then catching a string of crappie. A caring friend to all she met, Bea was recognized by The American Cancer Society in 1985 and 1986 with "The Quest" award for donors above $10,000 in a single year--the first ever recipient in Missouri and at that time the sixth person nationally. She had been the beneficiary of the entire estate of her dear friend Mildred Hull of Joplin--she gave it all away, especially earmarking her gifts for research. In 2005 Bea moved to Durham, North Carolina to be close to her son David, his partner and her "second son" Paul Hrusovsky, grandson Erik, granddaughter Elizabeth and her husband Jeffrey Kerr-Ritchie, and most joyfully now her great grandson Nelson David Kerr-Ritchie. She was blessed with a lifetime of adoring pets, loving family and good friends, among the most loved still living are her niece Becky Leonard of Oregon; her nephews Jimmie Leonard of Ohio and Bob Heffington of Missouri, together with their families; and dear friends Kit Lewis, Gale Gendron, and Wilma Sanders of Oklahoma. The family is grateful to the wonderful women of Visiting Angels who made these last years easier; her devoted doctors Joseph Chouteau of Grove and Cecelia McKay of Chapel Hill, Duke Hospice; and the staff of the Durham Regent. Memorial contributions in Bea's honor may be made to The Grove General Hospital Auxiliary, 1310 South Main, Grove, Oklahoma, 74344. Visitation at Worley - Luginbuel Funeral Home of Grove on Sunday, June 7th, from 6 to 8pm. Services will be at First United Methodist Church of Grove , Oklahoma, on Monday, June 8th at 11 am. Burial will follow in Ozark Memorial Park Cemetery in Joplin, Missouri, on June 8th at 2:30 pm.

Service Details

Monday, June 8th, 2009 11:00am

Interment Details

Ozark Memorial Park Cemetery