Alma Anne Marie Uhing, the oldest of five children, was born Oct. 23, 1916, to Herman Joseph and Anne Marie Promes Uhing, on a farm near Bow Valley, Neb. Alma had one sister and three brothers. She was baptized at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, October 26, 1916. The Uhings were a happy family. Education began at home with their mother reading aloud to them in German and English and their father, with his geography books, opening their minds to the larger world.
Formal education began in a small district school, Bunker Hill. Three years later she attended the parochial school at Bow Valley taught by the MSJ Ursulines. She loved the Sisters and on June 3, 1935, she traveled with them as they returned to MSJ for the summer months. In September, five more young ladies joined her in the novitiate. On August 14, 1936, Alma received the Ursuline habit and the name Sister Mary Bernice.
From 1935 to 1952, Sister Mary Bernice was assigned to domestic service in the kitchen at MSJ and Sacred Heart Academy, New Mexico. She had a thirst for learning and loved to read. She continued her education during the summers and as much as possible during the school year. She earned a high school diploma at MSJ and later a BA at Brescia College in Owensboro. Her graduate work was at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green.
For 34 years Sister taught in Ursuline elementary schools in: Waverly, Earlington, Fredericktown, Jeffersontown, Radcliff, Hawesville, and Louisville in Kentucky; Plattsmouth, Neb., and Grants, N.M. In 1986 she worked with the stamp collections in the MSJ archives. In 1989 she went to Christ the King School, Madisonville, Ky., where she tutored children for three years. She returned to the Motherhouse in 1992 to work with the Sisters in Personal and Pastoral Care until she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in late March.
Sister Mary Bernice was taken to the first floor of Lourdes Hall in June 2001 and a short time later was transferred to the 3rd floor where she died with arms stretched high and eyes wide open on Friday, July 13, 2001. Her remains were brought to the Motherhouse at 4 p.m. on Monday, July 16th. The wake service was held at 6:30 P.M. with Sr. Rose Marita O’Bryan, Major Superior, speaking in remembrance. The funeral Mass was celebrated by Father Joseph Mills, chaplain, on Tuesday the 17th at 10:30 am. in the convent Chapel. She was buried in the convent cemetery.