Bernice Palmer

Bernice Palmer, 89, Bismarck died June 27, 2019, at Edgewood Village.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am Tuesday, July 2, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 3^rd Street and Avenue A, Bismarck, with Rev. Gary Erdmann officiating. Cremation has taken place.

Burial will be at 3:00 pm Tuesday at the North Dakota Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery, Mandan.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm Monday, July 1, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, where a prayer service will begin at 7:00 pm.

Bernice was born Nov. 23, 1929, in Artois, CA, the second youngest of nine children. When she was 18 months old, her parents, Herman and Hattie Schumacher, decided to move back to their home state of Minnesota. Bernice grew up in Perham and Ottertail, MN, and graduated from Perham High School in 1947.

She enrolled at the University of Minnesota and graduated in 1951 with a bachelor of arts degree in journalism. During her senior year she served as student president of Theta Sigma Phi, an honorary professional journalism society.

Bernice worked as a reporter-photographer for the Estherville, IA, Daily News for three years before meeting a fellow journalist while covering a triple murder in a small town nearby. That was Richard Palmer who was covering the same story for the Fairmont, MN, Sentinel. After a summer courtship, they were married on Sept. 18, 1954 at Ottertail. Bernice worked as public information director for the Minneapolis and Hennepin County Red Cross while Richard completed work on his journalism degree at the University of Minnesota.

The Palmers moved to North Dakota in 1959, where Richard worked for the Associated Press wire service in Fargo and Bismarck. While their children were young, Bernice worked as a volunteer Boy and Girl Scout leader, Sunday school teacher and room mother for their classes. She also wrote and edited the monthly publication “Flickertales” for the North Dakota Wildlife Federation.                                                                      

Bernice returned to work fulltime in 1978 as director of information and development for the Heartview Foundation, then located in Mandan.                                                                                                  

In 1985, she joined the ND Department of Transportation and served as project manager of alcohol traffic safety programs. She helped to develop community and statewide programs to promote traffic safety, primarily to reduce impaired driving. This included updating an education program for DUI offenders. When she retired in 1993, Bernice was awarded the first annual “Bernice Palmer Spirit of Prevention Award” by the ND Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse.  She subsequently served 10 years as the volunteer secretary, board member and editor of the Newsletter for Drug Free North Dakota. She also served 10 years as a charter member of the Bismarck/Mandan Chemical Health Foundation.

Bernice and her late husband, Richard, were awarded the 1971 “Communicator of the Year Award” from the ND Wildlife Federation and ND Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives. In 1978, they received a second commendation for their work as leaders in the Federation’s “Save the Deer” campaign. During that severe winter, they helped raise over $31,000 to buy food for deer and other wildlife to be distributed by the ND Game and Fish Department.

During the 1970s, Bernice also represented the Federation on several environmental committees, including energy development and new state regulations on air and water quality and power plant siting. She also served a term on the State Health Council as an environmental representative.

Bernice was a long-time member of Trinity Lutheran Church, teaching Sunday School, participating in small group Bible studies, and writing and taking photos for church projects.

She is survived by five children. They and their spouses are Howard and Mary Beth Palmer of Minot, Penny Rae and Scott Robinson of Houston, TX, Pamela Jo and Earl Torgerson of Bismarck, Randall and Mary Palmer of Bismarck and Roger and Anita Palmer of Dallas, TX. She is also survived by 11 grandchildren. They and their spouses are Stephen (Alyssa), David, (Jess), Anne Houser (Demrick), all of Minot; Leah Wheeling (Thomas) of Bismarck; Jennifer and Rebekah Robinson of Houston, TX ; AJ, Luke (Andrea) and Hannah Torgerson all of Bismarck; and Carly and Erin Palmer of Bismarck. Also surviving are three great-grandchildren: Leonidas and Boromir Torgerson and Michael Wheeling all of Bismarck; and a brother Vernon of Roseville, MN.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 56 years; her parents; four brothers; three sisters; and a grandson,Thomas Palmer.  

The family prefers a memorial to the Banquet Feeding Ministry at Trinity Lutheran Church, Trinity"s music program or Prairie Public Broadcasting.