Bernice Ewing was born Bernice Hand in St. Johns, Ore., in 1911. She was the third of six children. Bernice was my aunt — my father’s sister.
Bernice’s father was a logger and a farmer, and the family traveled from town to town, and state to state, following work. But when Bernice was 10, her father ran off, leaving her mother to care for six children by herself. Bernice and her two older siblings quit school to help feed the family. Bernice worked as a “mother’s helper,” and the older children worked in the fields, as did their mother.
During the Depression, Bernice found she could not get a job. What few jobs there were went to men. So Bernice decided to dress like a man and call herself “Bernie.” As Bernie, she applied for and got numerous jobs. She worked on cattle ranches and as a farmhand, even bucking bales of hay and riding horses as good as any man.
One job she really liked was being a sheepherder in eastern Washington, because she was by herself all summer and did not have to be on guard about being a woman dressed as a man. I asked Bernice if she was ever scared to be all alone so far from others. I loved her reply: “Honey, we are never alone if we trust in the Lord.”
Bernice did tell me she was nervous a few times. When she was working alongside men on a cattle ranch and had to use the bathroom, she would just spill water on herself and wet her pants. That way no one would know the difference. Also, once in a while someone would want to wrestle. She would beg off with a headache or some other illness. She wasn’t afraid that they would win, but Bernice didn’t want anyone that close to her — to find out who she really was.
Bernice told of life as a sheepherder. She had all the staples of food, that is, dried meat, flour, sugar, coffee, rice, beans, baking powder, eggs and salt. She was used to making the most of what she had. She told of boiling some of the dried meat, then adding rice to make a very tasty meal. One time she milked one of the sheep that was nursing her young and made herself rice pudding. Since there was no refrigeration, Bernice dug a hole and put leftover food in the hole in the ground. This was mostly only good for overnight.
When World War II broke out, Bernice got a job, as a woman, in Longview. She was glad her “man” days were behind her.
Around 1946 or so, Bernice fell ill and was diagnosed as having tuberculosis. At that time there was no cure, and it was considered to be very contagious. After much thought, Bernice traveled to the desert in Arizona to see if the fresh air, sunshine and rest would help cure her. It worked.
After getting well, Bernice went to San Francisco, changed her name from Hand back to Ewing and opened a locksmith shop. Life was good — so good that she bought her mother a one-room house at Duluth corner in Ridgefield. Bernice loved that house, and was very proud of it. Years later, friends and neighbors built two more rooms onto that house for her. Eventually Bernice’s mother needed her care, so she moved up from California to Duluth.
Bernice was known around Duluth as “Sunshine.” The name really fit Bernice. She was always happy and upbeat. I believe the people who owned the hamburger stand in Duluth gave her that name. They gave Bernice a job when she was in her 70s.
In 2000, Bernice moved to Battle Mountain, Nev., to be a caregiver to her niece, who passed away in 2002. Bernice died in 2005 at age 94.
She gave much credit to God for providing for her and protecting her. She was homeless many times, but she explained that the Lord always met her needs. Through her hardships and experiences, she became a very caring, humble person and cultivated many friends through her life. She was awarded the Senior Samaritan Award in May 2003 for her tireless volunteer work at the senior center in Battle Mountain.
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