Bernadine M. Egger

Bernie Egger, aged 95, passed in the night April 1, 2016, peacefully, under the graceful vigilance of Providence Long Term Care in Chewelah. The Matriarch of the Egger Family from Chewelah has gone to be with her beloved husband Pete and son Jim in heaven. A Rosary Vigil will be conducted for Bernie at St. Mary of the Rosary Catholic Church in Chewelah on Wednesday, April 6th at 7 pm. The Funeral Mass, Thursday, April 7th, 2016, at 1 pm, will be conducted by Father Jeff Lewis with Rite of Burial at the Chewelah Catholic Cemetery and a reception to follow at the St. Mary of the Rosary Catholic Church Fellowship Hall. Funeral services are being conducted by Riplinger Funeral Home of Spokane, under the direction of Bernie’s Grandson, Dean Egger. Bernie was proceeded in death by her husband Peter Paul (Pete) Egger (1916-2010) her parents Conrad and Emma Bosse, her son James (Jim) Egger (1943-2011) her older brothers Clarence, Leo, Richard and James and younger brother Leonard and younger sister Regina. She is survived by younger twin sisters of Moscow, Idaho: Evelyn and brother-in-law Harold Grassl and Eleanor Oleson, daughter -in-law Linda Egger, daughter Sharon Tanner and husband Fred, son Ray Egger and wife Sue Ann, daughter Janet McLaughlin and her husband Don. Bernie has 13 grandchildren, 28 great grandchildren and 7 great-great grandchildren. Bernadine Mary Bosse was born in Keuterville, Idaho on December 24, 1920. She was the fifth child in a family of five boys and four girls. She lived most of her life in Chewelah but spent years at Cottonwood and Moscow, Idaho as well. She attended St. Mary’s School in Chewelah until the work load at home and her mother’s fading health required her to work very hard to feed the family during the depression years. Bernie spent an early life of depression era sacrifice in service to her Bosse family. One of nine kids, she was the oldest girl and took on the extremely tough task of not only cooking, baking and cleaning for the family but also the ranch hands on the family farm. This was at a time when washing was done in a wringer washer, water was packed from the creek, wood was chopped and before the advent of refrigeration. Her early life was a sacrifice to her family. At a dance at a resort on Waitt’s Lake in 1939, at the tender age of 19, Bernie met a young man named Peter Paul Egger. Perhaps they knew each other earlier, but Pete was 4 years older and they had not really gone to school together. Pete and Bernie married, October 24, 1940 in Moscow, Idaho. Since Pete was employed by Northwest Magnesite Company in Chewelah, they bought a home in Chewelah. They later moved to their home on Sand Canyon Road in 1948. Their first born was Sharon (1941), then Jim (1943), then Ray (1947) and Janet (1951). In 1958, Pete and Bernie decided to go together with Pete’s brother John Egger (Founder of Egger Meats) and build a lake cabin on a lot on Sunset Bay at Loon Lake so the combined families would have a place to enjoy the summers. They hand crafted a beautiful two-bedroom bungalow on the east shore that is still used by the extended Egger Family 58 summers later. Bernie was a sports fan, particularly if a family member was playing. She followed the Gonzaga Basketball Team, the Seattle Mariners and all things related to Chewelah sporting events. She attended hundreds of sporting events and was fond of watching her grandkids in school events and Stage Time Theatre. She studied piano in her youth and passed along a life time commitment to music to her family. She loved holiday gatherings with the family and at Loon Lake she spent many summer days with family, grandkids and friends. She attended beauty school in Spokane during the Great Depression and although she never owned her own salon, she cut and styled hair in her home for years. She quilted, made winter clothing for the family and was an excellent gardener. She was a celebrated cook and baker who shared many of her family recipes and taught many of the family how to prepare food. Bernie’s chocolate chip cookies, orange rolls and knadles (Austrian Dumplings) were coveted by the family and appreciated by her many friends. She worked to make the K&L Manufacturing and Pacific Trail Coat Factory in Chewelah a success for many years. She was an excellent seamstress and quilt maker. Bernie was a committed member of the Parish of St. Mary of the Rosary Catholic Church and spent many years as member of the Alter Society. She celebrated Mass on a regular basis throughout her life. At the time of her death, she was the oldest participating member of St. Mary’s. She never lost her mental capacity and for that the family is thankful! A determined, dignified and resilient woman, until the end. The family would like to thank Dr. Boone, the staff at Providence St. Joseph’s Hospital, our first responders and ambulance staff and all of the good people at Providence Long Term care for their loving care for Bernie in her final year. The Egger family is requesting that memorials in memory of Bernie Egger be made to St. Mary of the Rosary Catholic Church in Chewelah, Washington.