Bernardine Mary (Lawler) Gorman

Bernardine (Lawler) Gorman, 102, of Ogden, Iowa, passed away on Friday, August 7, 2020 at her home in Ogden. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 13, 2020 at St. John’s Catholic Church in Ogden, Iowa. Interment will be at St. John’s Catholic Cemetery in Ogden. A Rosary Service will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 12, 2020 at St. John’s Catholic Church followed with visitation from 5-7 p.m. at the church. Face coverings and social distancing will be required.

Bernardine Mary Claire McCoy was born during World War I on May 4, 1918 on a farm near Woonsocket in Sanborn County, South Dakota. She was the youngest of 9 children born to Dennis Thomas and Bridget Anne (Barker) McCoy. After 8 years of attending one room country schools, she went to high school in Miller and Forestburg, SD for 3 years. In 1934, the family left South Dakota because of the dust storms that made it impossible to raise crops in the dry drifting sandy soil and moved to a farm near Boone. Bernardine then attended and graduated from Sacred Heart Catholic High School in Boone in 1935. She graduated from Madam Kennedy’s Beauty School and worked as a beautician in Boone until her marriage to Joseph F. Lawler of Ogden on January 29, 1941.

Their first child, Patrick Joseph (Pat) was born with severe congenital birth defects. He attended school when he was able to and lived at home until his death at age 38. Pat was joined by four healthy sisters: Mary Ann, Elizabeth Jo (Betty), Kathryn Irene (Kathy) and Helene Marie.

Joe and Bernardine farmed near Berkley in Union township and southwest of Ogden in Beaver township until moving in to Ogden in 1972. Bernardine worked 8 years cooking at the truck stop west of Ogden and 13 years as an assembler at Bourns electronic factory in Ames. She was a charter member of the McGraw Senior Center in Ogden and enjoyed playing cards with her friends there. She also enjoyed quilting and genealogy. Her interest in genealogy inspired her to assemble books on her husband’s and her own ancestors. She was a Sacristan at St. John’s for many years. Her son Pat died in 1981, then her husband Joe died in 1982. On May 4, 1991 Bernardine was united in marriage to Ambrose J. Gorman of Jamaica, Iowa. They lived on his farm until his death in 2002 when Bernardine moved back to Ogden. She still drove till she was over 100 and lived by herself in her Ogden home. Bernardine’s Catholic faith was very important to her. She and her first husband Joe sponsored Father Jacob Varghese (to become a priest) and Sister Jesalin Graicamma Abraham (to become a nun). Her greatest joys in life were her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Preceding her in death were her parents, her son Patrick Lawler, her husband Joseph Lawler and her husband Ambrose Gorman. Also, her brothers George, Jerome, Robert, Walter, and Cleo McCoy and sisters Marian McCoy, Florence Gorman and Olive Shuster.

Bernardine is survived by her daughters Mary Ann (Mike) Combs of Omaha, Nebraska; Betty (Harry) Sechrest of Ogden; Kathy (Randy) Renander of Sedalia, Colorado and Helene (Darrow) Uhlenhopp of rural Nevada, Iowa; her grandchildren: Carrie (Dustin) Heaps, Eric (Jenny) Lawrence, Wade (Andrea) Lawrence, Danny Sechrest, Ben Sechrest, Joe Renander, Jason (Kelly) Renander and Stacy (Jason) Dobbins. Great Grandchildren: Tanner and Kiernan Heaps, John Metcalf, Charles Lawrence, Brennan, Devon and Brooklyn Lawrence, Trinity Godina, Kinley Renander, Leilana and Josiah Shattuck, Genesis and Judah Dobbins; her sister-in-law Jeanne Lawler of Carroll, Iowa and brother-in-law Robert Uthe of rural Boone, several step-grandchildren and step-great grandchildren, many nieces, nephews and friends.