Hard work pays off

• Bernice Winter

At age 95, Bernice Winter of Alexandria is still active with church and community volunteer work. She makes blankets, like the one pictured here, for church mission projects. She knits baby blankets for newborns at the Douglas County Hospital and loves to cook for family and for church fundraisers. (Photo by Brooke Erickson)
• Handiwork

This is a sample of the handiwork Bernice Winter has done over the years. (Photo by Brooke Erickson)

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Bernice Winter firmly believes that hard work pays off. She knows from experience this is true and has seen many rewards for her hard work throughout her 95 years of life.

“Hard work don’t hurt nobody,” said the feisty little woman. “I have worked hard my whole life.”

Winter, a resident at Bethel Manor apartments in Alexandria, is still actively involved in the community and with her neighbors and family.

This fall, she cooked a feast for more than 22 family members, and she cooked every last bit of it on her own, including her specialties: country-style ribs, meatballs, overnight lettuce salad, cheesy potatoes, orange sherbet and mince pie.

Her culinary skills aren’t only appreciated by her family.

As the oldest member of St. Luke’s Church in Garfield, she has served on the social committee and has been actively involved in cooking for many church fundraisers through the years.

At the last bake sale, she helped turn 40 pounds of potatoes into lefse.

But cooking isn’t Winter’s only talent. She also loves to knit. She makes baby blankets for church mission projects and has donated others to the Douglas County Hospital for the newborn babies.

Her apartment is set up to accommodate her many hobbies. She has an area for cross stitching, another area for sewing, and an open kitchen for cooking and baking. A half-finished blanket lies on a chair ready for her busy hands to pick up.

Growing up as the oldest of 13 children, Winter was often responsible for helping with her siblings and she learned to work hard at a young age.

“I started working hard when I was young. I always stayed busy and I have been like that ever since,” she said.

The ambitious woman lived on Lobster Lake for more than 40 years where she and her husband, Eldred, ran Winter’s Resort. The couple has three sons, Lavern, Robert and Mark, as well as six grandchildren.

Winter spends her “free time” cross-stitching, knitting, sewing, and playing cards and bingo. She also loves to go ice fishing and said she has no intention of slowing down.

“I will keep going ‘til my days run out,” she said with a determined smile.

Tags: life