Freida Josephine Bernard

Freida was born on June 3, 1929 to Joseph and Anna Bednar Janski in their home on the farm in Buckman, MN. Freida was welcomed by her two older sisters, Irene and Armella and three older brothers, Laurence, Clemens and Ambrose. She would be the sixth of nine children. Following her were Odelia, Lampert, and Joachim. She was baptized and made her first communion at St. Michael's Church in Buckman. Elementary school, grades 1-8, was at District 99 in Buckman Township. She walked with her siblings to school and fondly remembers skiing one day in tandem with her brother Clem. Freida was a self-taught driver who got her license for 25 cents at the Little Falls courthouse. No test was required and she went during a study hall period. During her high school years in Little Falls she stayed with Aunt Agnes (Mother Anna's sister), Dr. Goblish and Leonard Ring, working for room and board. She got her high school diploma in 1948. After high school she attended one year of teacher's training and signed a contract for the fall in District 56, Morril, MN. She would teach twelve students in grades 2-7 in a one-room schoolhouse. One of Freida's students would marry her niece in the future. That summer she worked at Sheltering Arms, a polio hospital, in Minneapolis. She found this job through her older brothers, Clem and Am, and met her future husband. The next spring, after teaching for one year which included chopping her own firewood, building a fire each morning, cleaning the classroom, planning, teaching and grading, she returned to nursing the polio patients. After knowing Alban for two and a half years she married him on September 27, 1949. They bought a home in Minneapolis and raised five children. When David and Janice were babies, Al and Freida worked opposite shifts so child care was always covered at home. After Sheltering Arms closed, Freida worked as a housekeeper and home health aide for 39 years for fifty people. She planned to work until she was 75, but had to slow down at 71 due to "heart business." She was always an active member of St. Helena's Church, the Benevolent Society, funeral ministry, ladies' KCs. Her hobbies include gardening, going to garage sales, quilting, canning, cooking wonderful meals for her growing family, and playing cards. She was a friend to the environment long before it became mainstream. She has always reduced, reused and recycled. She is also a good friend and neighbor, hospitality being her "super power!"

Tributes

Freida Josephine Bernard

June 3, 1929 - December 2, 2023

Tributes

Freida Josephine Bernard

June 3, 1929 - December 2, 2023

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