Berniece Mildred Blum

Berniece Mildred Blum, 90, of rural Thornton died April 12, 2016 at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit. Graveside services will be held at 3:00 PM Saturday April 16, 2016 at the Rockwell Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 11:00 AM til 1:00 PM Saturday at the Major Erickson Funeral Home, 111 North Pennsylvania Ave., Mason City. Memorials may be directed to the Berniece Blum Memorial Fund in care of the family.

Berniece Mildred Halfpap was born in Meservey, Iowa on July 2, 1925 the daughter of Fred and Lydia (Gartz) Halfpap. Her mother, Lydia, died in 1927 when Berniece was 11/2 years old. She then lived with her grandparents, Ferdinand and Hannah Halfpap until her father remarried Bertha Gartz Barker in 1929. (Berniece’s mother’s sister.) Berniece graduated from Alexander High School in 1943.

Berniece married Charles Blum on December 17, 1944 at her parents’ home in rural Alexander. They started farming in rural Mason City in 1945. They moved to Thornton in 1962 and farmed there until retirement. They were blessed with four children; Roger Alan, Elaine Jean, Donna Kaye and Julie Joy.

She leaves to mourn her passing three daughters and husbands; Elaine and Steve Bram, Thornton; Donna and Wayne Steenhard, Mason City; Julie and Scott Devitt, Vista, California; nine grandchildren; and Twenty-eight great-grandchildren.
Berniece was preceded in death by her husband, Charles; son, Roger; parents, Fred and Lydia Halfpap; stepmother, Bertha Halfpap; baby sister, Marjorie; half-sister, Doreen Engh; brother, Richard; half-brother, Elbert Barker; and six great-grandchildren.