Bernadette "Bernie" Axtman

Bernadette “Bernie” Axtman, 71, Bismarck, passed away May 17, 2017 at Sanford Medical Center. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Corpus Christi Church, 1919 N 2nd St., Monday, May 22 at 10:00 AM, with Rev. Paul Becker officiating. Visitation will take place from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM Sunday, May 21, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, where a rosary will begin at 6:00 PM. Burial will be at Fairview Cemetery, Bismarck. Bernie was born June 27, 1945, to Martin and Betty Stroh (Schmidt) in Dickinson, ND. She spent her early years on a farm 10 miles north of Killdeer before her Dad and Mom decided to purchase her maternal grandparents’ homestead, 8 miles straight west of Manning. Bernie attended farm schools through the 8th grade and continued for one more year at Killdeer High School, where she stayed with the Kostelecky’s, because there were no school buses. Her sophomore and junior years were spent at St. Mary’s High School in New England where she stayed at the dormitory. When Dunn County finally got school buses and she returned to the farm and graduated from Killdeer High School in 1963. That fall she moved to Bismarck and attended Capital Commercial College living with the Porter family, watching over their boys after school. When she completed the courses in 1964 she got her first job at Dairyland Insurance and her first apartment. She worked there three years then took a secretarial job at the North Dakota State Highway Department where she worked until the summer of 1969. That fall she married Larry Axtman. She took a few years off to make a home for herself and Larry on North 5th Street in Bismarck. She gardened, maintained an immaculate home and yard, did sewing for other people and refinished antiques. Because of the constant exposure to old varnishes and paints she developed lead poisoning which slowed down those projects a bit. She and Larry decided to get out of town and bought a house outside of Bismarck which they remodeled and sold. They then bought a piece of property in South Bismarck and built a house. Of course, Bernie, being a Stroh, was the construction foreman and they lived there for some time, before building another house on Bonn Boulevard. The summers were spent fishing mainly in South Dakota on the Oahu Dam where Bernie earned her 2 Whopper Patches! Her love of fishing continued and she did her best to try to teach Ellen how to cast from shore on the Missouri River, which was the only thing she ever failed at!     In 1978 she started back to work at Associated General Contractors as a secretary. In 1991 she went to work for Northern Improvement Company where she retired in 2013. When her father became ill, she helped him with financial preparations. She was so familiar with the family finances that we “hired” her to keep track of all family matters. She was our secretary, bookkeeper, friend, and hotel manager for many years. Bernie loved her little condo on Washington Street and again the inside and outside of her home was always picture perfect. She is the only person that truly enjoyed fall and winter so she could get busy doing her “inside” hobbies which included crocheting, embroidery, sewing and rosary making. She loved pretty things and would share whatever she could with anyone. In 2015 she made the decision to leave her little house to move into a no maintenance condo. There she quickly demonstrated her ability to turn another patch of ground into a productive garden and flower bed. Her last thoughts were of planting tomatoes, cucumbers and where to put the carrot row. Bernie is survived by her brothers, Carl Stroh, Dickinson, Marvin Stroh, Washburn; her sisters, Hilda Roller Lamprecht, Dickinson and Annette “Ellen”, Bismarck, and many nieces and nephews she thought of as her kids. She was preceded in death by her father, Martin; brother, Kenneth; and most recently her mother, Betty; two brothers-in-law, Peter Roller and Frank Lamprecht; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends she held dear in her heart.  She will be missed by everyone who knew her.In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the American Lung Association North Dakota, 212 N 2nd St., Bismarck, ND, 58501.