Bernice Szymanski passed away October 23 at 83. Bernice was an extraordinary wife, mother and friend. She was active in the League of Women Voters, Palisades Elementary School’s PTA, Girls Scouts Troop 32 and the Santa Monica Swim Club. In the 1970s, Bernice worked at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute. She loved to travel and took many Elderhostel trips abroad. The youngest of four children of Clabern and Era (Downing) Blackwell, Bernice was born July 15, 1924, near Coble, Tennessee, where she attended grammar school. She then moved to Detroit, where she graduated from high school. During World War II, she worked for the U.S. Army base at Fort Wayne, Indiana. After the war she was a personnel assistant at an architectural engineering firm where she met Franz Szymanski. They were married June 25, 1949. Bernice is survived by her husband, children Karen, Andrea and Franz H., and six grandchildren. A memorial will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, November 18, in Janes Hall at Palisades Presbyterian Church (15821 Sunset). Donations may be sent to the Emeritus College at Santa Monica College Foundation, 1900 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica, CA. 90405, or the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles, 3250 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA. 90010-1513.
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