Adeline E. Bernhardson

Adeline Eleanor Dekko Bernhardson was called back into the arms of the Lord on August 3, 2015 at the age of 94. She was born on July 11, 1921 in Crookston, Minnesota to Edward and Clara Aarhus Dekko of Ada, Minnesota. Growing up in Ada as the oldest of seven children, she graduated from Ada High School and Moorhead State with a teaching certificate.

She was united in marriage to Drell E. Bernhardson on June 18, 1944 in Ada and then worked for International Harvester as he finished Augustana Seminary in Rock Island, Illinois. Upon Drell’s Ordination in the Lutheran ministry in 1945, they embarked on their service to congregations at Elim Swaborg near Hooper, NE, First, Grove City, MN, Messiah, Fargo, ND, Thabor, Wausa, NE and St. Mark’s, Pender NE.

She and Drell touched many lives in the their life long ministry including Adeline serving in several leadership roles in the Lutheran Church Women’s LCW organization including President of the Nebraska LCW and a board member on the National LCW. In addition she served on the Nebraska Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women in the late 1960’s. As part of her LCW service, she was able to travel with a group to Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union in the 1980’s and was invited as an inspirational speaker for women’s church groups well into their retirement which began in 1984 with their move to Fargo when they become members of the Bethesda Lutheran. Adeline and Drell established the first of its kind Distinguished Endowed Chair in Lutheran Studies at Gustavus in 1999 a model subsequently emulated by other Lutheran Colleges. They then moved to the Twin Cities in 2008, the same year they received Honorary Doctorates at Gustavus’s Commencement.

Adeline was preceded in death by her parents, Edward and Clara Dekko, brothers Chet and Stanton, her daughter Carol Lynne Bernhardson and her husband Drell in 2013 after over 68 years of marriage. She is survived by her four sisters, Evie Ron Bang, Bernice James Sullivan, Sherry Samuelson and Karen Dekko. She is also survived by her three sons, Mark Ivy, John Kathleen and Paul Nancey as well as 13 grandchildren and 8 Great grandchildren.

A visitation will be held Friday, August 7, 2015 from 4-6 pm., at Wright Funeral Home, Moorhead, Minnesota. The funeral service will be held at Bethesda Lutheran Church, Moorhead, Minnesota on Saturday, August 8, 2015 at 2 pm. Interment will follow at Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, Moorhead, MN. Memorials are preferred to the Bernhardson Scholarship Funds at Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN. Concordia College, Moorhead, MN, Midland University, Fremont, NE or to Bethesda Lutheran Church, Moorhead, Minnesota.