Obituary of Dollie Berning

Dollie Berning, 97, currently of Morgantown passed away Tuesday morning, March 10, 2015 at Sundale Nursing Home of Morgantown. She was born Natalia Hofferber on January 23, 1918 to Mary Katherine Eckhardt Hofferber and George Hofferber, in Cheyenne, Wyoming. They were German-speaking immigrants from Frank, Russia on the Volga River. She participated in the local drama club productions for several years. She graduated from Cheyenne Senior High School in 1934 and was married July 3, 1936 to Lawrence Henry Berning, who served in the United States Army, retiring in 1954. As members of the military, they lived in numerous states and Wurzburg, Germany following World War II. While in Germany, Dollie Berning served the local German population by distributing care packages. Upon retiring, they moved to Olympia, Washington, where she was a volunteer and employee of the Girl Scout Council. She was honored with recognition for 50 years of service to the Girl Scouts of America. Following her husband’s retirement from the State of Washington, they traveled extensively around the world and lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Sun City, California. Upon the death of her husband, she moved to Heritage Point in Morgantown, West Virginia. She was a member of the Military Widows Association. She is preceded in death by her husband of 56 years, Major Berning; her parents; and her siblings: Lydia Hofferber Thill and Molly Hofferber Wilson, of California and George Hofferber, Alex Hofferber and Marie Hofferber of Cheyenne, Wyoming. She is survived by her son, Lawrence William Berning, Ph.D. of Mexico; her daughter, Wanda Kay Berning Franz, Ph.D. and husband Gunter N. Franz, Ph.D. of Morgantown, West Virginia; three grandchildren: Lt. Col. Anthony Lawrence Franz, Ph.D. and his wife Theresa Franz, M.A. of Dayton, Ohio; Angela Marie Franz Franks, Ph.D. and her husband, Joel David Franks, Ph.D. of Boston, Massachusetts; and Erika Theresa Franz, M.A., of Baltimore, Maryland; and eleven great grandchildren. The family will receive friends at Hastings Funeral Home, 153 Spruce St., Morgantown, WV on Saturday, March 14th from 1 PM until the time of the funeral service at 3 PM. Following the funeral service, her wishes for cremation will be honored and she will be buried at Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside, California with her husband, Major Berning. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in her name to: West Virginians for Life, 25 Canyon Road, Morgantown, WV, 26508. Send condolences online @ www.hastingsfuneralhome.com