Bernice I. Godard Thompson-Wise
Bernice I. Godard Thompson-Wise
Bernice Isabelle Godard was born April 26, 1918 to Harlow Lyman and Grace Maud Rowley Godard. She was born in a house at the northeast corner of Rossi and Colorado Streets in South Boise and at the time of her death lived a mile and half from there in a home off Federal Way near the train depot. She was a lifelong Idaho resident.
When Bernice was 6 weeks old, the family moved to Placerville and lived in the Boise Basin until she was 6 years old. Her father, a self-taught and meticulous carpenter, worked as a timber framer in Idaho's mines. Her parents were Colorado natives and planned to return there in 1924. Her father left the family with relatives in Kimberly and went ahead to Colorado. In Kimberly, the family encountered numerous problems, and her father's business venture fell through so the family returned to Boise. Bernice started first grade in Kimberly and completed the first four years of her schooling at Park School in Boise. Her father found work near Pearl, Idaho, and the family lived in an abandoned hotel there. At the start of the school year, the family moved to Emmett where Bernice completed the fifth and sixth grades. The family returned to Boise, and Bernice finished the seventh grade and began the eighth at Park School. The family spent the next two years at Stibnite, Idaho, where Bernice ended her formal education with eighth grade graduation. She later completed a correspondence course in business. She never lost her love for learning and was an avid reader the rest of her life. She used crossword puzzles and Scrabble® as a way to increase her vocabulary.
She loved to tell stories about her childhood, especially the years in the Boise Basin and Stibnite. She witnessed numerous changes in Boise, remembering the railroad depot as a small wooden building on Front Street. She remembered the trolleys and told stories of riding the trolley to White City Park on Warm Springs Avenue, where only the Natatorium now remains. Her father worked on the Ninth Street Bridge over the Boise River, and her mother walked with her and her younger brothers from their home at 27th and Jefferson Streets to picnics in Julia Davis Park.
In Stibnite, she met her future husband, Johnie Edgar Thompson, and they married in Boise on July 9, 1934. They lived in Emmett for the next 15 years; their son, Johnie Eugene, and daughter, Jo Ann, were born during this time. They moved to Boise in March 1949 and bought a home where Bernice lived for the next 45 years. She was widowed in 1985. Bernice married Charles G. Wise in 1994. Charles died in October 2005.
Bernice and Johnie and their children joined the Emmett Presbyterian Church in 1944, and Bernice was active in the Presbyterian Church for the rest of her life. She was a member of the Presbyterian Mariners (a couples group) and Presbyterian Women and served as head of the kitchen at First Presbyterian Church of Boise for 26 years. She baked the monthly communion bread for many years, the last time being December 2010. She was a member of the XYZ Quilters at the Boise Senior Center for many years and in her last years enjoyed fellowship with Quilters from the Heart at First Presbyterian Church. For many years she looked forward to weekly Sunday lunch with a group of friends from church. In the 1950s and '60s she was a member of the Whitney Progress Club. She was active in the PTA at her children's schools and was a Cub Scout and Girl Scout leader.
She worked from her home as a seamstress for many years and had many customers who still remember the clothing she made for them. She sewed everything from doll clothes to wedding dresses and men's suits. She made virtually all her own clothes, suits and shirts for her husband Johnie, and much of her children's clothing. Among her many collections, her favorite had to be her teddy bears, which seemed to multiply exponentially. She enjoyed handwork such as knitting, crochet, and embroidery, and took many crafts classes through the years, including ceramics, tole painting, and calligraphy.
When her husband Johnie retired, they traveled throughout the western United States, including a visit to his birthplace in Denver, Colorado. After his death, she traveled with tour groups and later with her husband Charles to Canada, England, Ireland, the Czech Republic, New Zealand, and Hawaii.
As a "one d Godard”, she belonged to her family association, the Goddard Historical and Genealogical Society. With her sister, Myrtis Godard Adams, she attended biennial association meetings throughout the United States and did genealogy research.
She was preceded in death by both her husbands and all her siblings, Emma Faye and Eva Fern, twins who died as infants; Myrtis Gertrude Godard Adams, H.L. "Bud" Godard, Harlowe Lyman "Eddy" Godard, Charles Edgar Godard, and E.W. (Warren) Godard.
Survivors include her son, Johnie Thompson, and daughter, Jo Parris, both of Boise; daughter-in-law, Sharon VanFossen Thompson, Boise; grandchildren, Shelley Thompson, J .E. "Guy" Thompson, Jeffrey Lyman Thompson, all of Boise; Sean McAteer and G. David Parris, both of Pocatello; 10 great-grandchildren; five great-great-grandchildren; one niece and six nephews.
The family would like to thank all of the medical personnel who have provided care to Bernice during the past six years and to Four Rivers Hospice for their care and compassion during her last days. Those who wish to give contributions in lieu of flowers are asked to send support to the Boise Senior Activities Center, 690 Robbins Road, Boise, ID 83702 or to a favorite charity.
There will be a viewing and her family will greet friends from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Monday evening, February 14, at the Alden-Waggoner Funeral Chapel, 5400 Fairview Ave. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at the First Presbyterian Church, 950 W. State St., with burial following at Dry Creek Cemetery.
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