Bernita Barnum

Visitation: 3:00 to 7:00 p.m., Friday, September 10th at the First United Methodist Church, 307 W. Ashland Avenue, Indianola. Memorial Service: 1:30 p.m., Sunday, September 12th at The Village, 1203 North E Street, Indianola. Graveside Service: 11:30 a.m., Monday, September 13th at the Leon Cemetery, Leon. Memorials: May be directed to the activity fund at The Village. Bernita was born June 2, 1914 in Greenfield, Iowa, the daughter of Cecil and Zora (Vieth) Barnum. When she was a small girl, her family moved to Leon, Iowa where she attended grade school and graduated from Leon High School in 1932. She attended Simpson College graduating in 1940 and later took graduate studies at the University of Boulder in Colorado and the University of Nebraska. She retired in 1978 as a reading clinician, from the Omaha Public Schools after a career which spanned 35 years. She was one of the original staff and developers of the Omaha Reading Clinic which was one of the first of its kind in the nation. Bernita was never married. After retirement, Bernita and her brother, Elmo moved to Indianola in 1985 to be near their beloved Simpson College where both were in the graduating class of 1940. Bernita and her brother were philanthropic and through the years were very supportive of their home community of Leon and Decatur County as well as Indianola and Simpson College and the college community. Together they funded five endowed scholarships named after friends, financed the reconstruction of the foyer on the first floor of the College Hall which was named in their honor. They also made many gifts to the college theatre program, the Smith Chapel and helped provided financial assistance to many students for study abroad. Bernita was also a pioneer resident at the Village moving into the facilities in 1991. There too, she and her brother continued their generosity in many ways. Bernita is a Lifetime Member of Simpson’s President’s Society because of her lifelong interest and exemplary financial support to Simpson College. Bernita was a volunteer teacher at the Indianola Learning Center for many years and because of her dedication she was awarded the School Board Salute from the Indianola School District in 1994. Bernita was a member of the Women’s Federated Club, American Legion Auxiliary, Eastern Star of which she was a 50 year member and the United Methodist Church of Indianola. Bernita took her first trip to Europe in 1965 and has traveled extensively throughout the United States, Europe, the South Pacific, the Holy Land, Egypt, China and Greece. She especially liked cruises. She also loved the time spent entertaining family and friends at her lake home in Sun Valley near Grand River, IA. Bernita died Wednesday, September 8, 2010 at the Wesley Retirement Village in Indianola. She was 96. Bernita will be lovingly remembered by several cousins and many friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother.