Bernadine A. Reed

Bernadine A. Reed, longtime Casper resident, passed away peacefully in her sleep March 15, 2014 at Meadow Wind Assisted Living Facility in Casper, Wyoming at age 101.

Bernadine was born June 6, 1912 in Douglas, Wyoming to Benard L. Scherck, Sr. and Burchell Alameda (Clark) Scherck. Although the Schercks lived in Casper, Bernadine's mother's favorite doctor was in Douglas so Bernadine's mother traveled to Douglas, Wyoming to have her baby girl. Bernadine was the oldest child of three children, her brothers Benard, Jr. and Buell preceded her in death. She grew up in Casper and went to Natrona County High School graduating with the class of 1931.

Shortly after high school Bernadine moved to Washington, DC where her brother Benard was a page in the United States Senate. She got a job working in the Office of Reconstruction Finance. She always claimed she got the job by hanging around the office sharpening pencils, emptying trash and changing typewriter ribbons until they gave her an actual position. She had learned how to file and type by working for her father in his real estate office in Casper, Wyoming "See Ben Realty Company" while in high school. In Washington, DC she lived in a rooming house until her cousin Helen Condon came to town. Helen didn't want to live in a rooming house and wanted to get an apartment together with Bernadine. Bernadine wasn't keen on cooking so Helen agreed that she'd do the cooking if Bernadine would clean the bathroom. Apparently it worked out great and it was an arrangement they maintained the entire time they lived together in Washington. DC. They had many great adventures during the prohibition era which allegedly included a couple of narrow escapes from Speakeasies in the Washington, DC area. She had a saucy sense of humor all of her life. She also enjoyed teasing people, many of whom never realized she was only kidding much of the time. Some family members lived half in fear of her.

Bernadine loved baseball. One of her assignments at Reconstruction Finance was to listen to the baseball game on the radio in her office and then go into the meetings to report on the scores. While in Washington, DC she attended Columbia University Law School for two years but did not graduate. She also attended the inauguration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1933. After Helen moved away from Washington and Bernadine's brother Benard returned home to Wyoming, Bernadine tired of Washington and moved back home to Wyoming where she worked in Cheyenne as the Chief Clerk at the State Engineer's office for State Engineer Clark Bishop. While in this job she co-authored the first comprehensive listing of owners of Wyoming water rights. Bernadine learned of the job from her former 8th grade teacher Esther Anderson who was then the State Superintendent of Schools in Wyoming. It was in Cheyenne where Bernadine met her husband Frederic F. Reed. They married in her parents' home on CY Avenue in Casper, Wyoming on November 3, 1940. Bernadine was a lifelong Presbyterian and Fred was a lifelong Episcopalian, so they determined to be married by a Methodist minister! They were happily married until Fred's death in 1986.

Bernadine and Fred lived in Cheyenne from the time of their marriage until 1946 when they moved back to Casper. During their time in Cheyenne they had their only child Frederic C. Reed, now an attorney in Cheyenne. Bernadine took after her mother because even though she lived in Cheyenne, she liked Dr. Morad in Casper and traveled there to have her son. The "C" in Frederic C. Reed is for "Clark." When Bernadine had her son, her boss Clark Bishop mistakenly believed that the baby had been named for him and he gave him a $25.00 savings bond. Bernadine didn't have the heart to tell him that Clark was her mother's maiden name and her son was named for her family. Frederic Clark Reed also continued the family tradition by using the family name when naming his son Michael Clark Reed.

After Bernadine moved back to Casper in 1946 she joined her father in business and took over the insurance portion of the agency which later became the B.A. Reed Insurance Agency. She was the first woman board member of the Wyoming Independent Insurance Agents Association. She was also instrumental in forming the Insurance Women of Wyoming. She sold her insurance agency to Don Burgess in 1986 when she was 84 years old but they kept a desk for her in the office for a number of years until the business was later sold by Don Burgess.

Bernadine was a great lover of history, especially Wyoming history, and was a member of the Natrona County Pioneers Association. She was credited with saving the statue off of the old courthouse that can now be seen in the lobby of the existing courthouse. At the ribbon cutting ceremony she was surprised when they handed her the scissors to dedicate the statue at its new location. She was the curator of the original Natrona County Pioneer Museum until it closed and actively protected Casper's oldest church that now sits at the Natrona County Fairgrounds. It was her love of history that led her to begin her "Women of Wyoming" program and fashion show which she put on a number of times around the State of Wyoming. She was aided in this effort by family members and insurance women who portrayed characters from Wyoming history and wore vintage period costumes for the show, many of which were either collected or inherited and owned by Bernadine.

Bernadine also loved the outdoors and loved spending time on Casper Mountain where her family owned property. She was a member of the Casper hiking group. She also loved fishing and went fishing as often as possible around Wyoming with her husband, her son, and her mother-in-law Agnes Reed. She claimed to have gone off more than once with Agnes to fish while they let the men do the dishes!

Bernadine was preceded in death by her husband Fred, her parents, her brothers, and two nieces and three nephews.

Bernadine is survived by her son Frederic C. Reed and his wife Dawn of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and her grandson Michael Reed, his wife and two daughters of Casper, Wyoming. She is also survived by her niece Renee Rodgers of Alcova, Wyoming, and numerous great nieces and nephews.

Bernadine was an original and one of a kind. She was an inspiration to us all and she will be sorely missed.

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