Bernice Klus Smolen

On January 12th, 1923, at Argonne, Wisconsin, Bernice K. Smolen was born Brunya Slava Klus to Paul Klus and Anna Fatla, both late of Zakopane, Poland in the Carpathian Mountains.

Before Bernice was ten, her older brother Louis found their Father, a government revenue agent, dead, shot in the back by bootleggers. Four years later, their Mother Anna died of pneumonia.

At age 15, Bernice took from her older sister Mary, full responsibility for the family dairy farm plus three younger sisters - preventing herself from attending High School more than two or three days a week; yet Bernice still participated as basket ball cheerleader, and graduated Valedictorian, earning a full University Scholarship she never had the chance to use.

While dancing to the Lawrence Welk Orchestra at Chicago's Trianon Ballroom, Bernice met Joseph Smolen. She warned him, "You asked me to dance - not talk." He grasped her hand and grinned, "I'll make you happy," so she married him anyhow on July 1, 1943 - where living changed from the story of Bernice's life - to theirs. Newly-wed, they had only ninety days together. Joe didn't return from WWII in Europe until September, 1945. But over more than fifty married years, their song remained Perry Como's "Sunday, Monday or Always."

Because he knew he would be needed, Joe went back in the Army in 1949. Their youngest, Susan, was baptized Catholic at Ft. Lewis' Chapel 15 in 1950. All of 1951, while Joe was Missing in Action in North Korea, Bernice was the entire Catholic Altar Society at sprawling Fort Lewis, Washington, responsible for the repair and cleaning of all of several Priests' vestments as well as all altar linens. While neighborhood brats taunted Joe, John and Susan with "My dad says the Chinese killed your dad a long time ago," Bernice shielded her little ones' hearts by reading them dozens of impromptu versions of their Dad's last, nearly year-old letter. During that same year, Bernice climbed Mt. Rainier as part of a party lead by the then up-coming climbing guide and outdoor entrepreneur Jim Whittaker who later became the first American to scale Mt. Everest.

Five days before the U.S. Army was to declare Joe dead, Bernice learned of his living POW status, but she didn't see him again until 1953, when she continued alone to raise her three children while working hard to force the light of life and love through the opaqueness of Joe's heavy heart and severely damaged body.

Late in their 1950s, now proud Mother of five, Bernice first became politically active on the Tacoma News Tribune Editorial Page by frustrating a then Washington State Senatorial Candidate so effectively that the FBI visited Bernice's home and warned her and Joe that because of the public debate with the woman senatorial candidate, actual physical reprisal by "lesser communists" was possible.

By their early 1960s, when asked how many University Degrees she had earned, Bernice would laugh happily and say "Eight!" and list her kid's names - Jenny, Matt, Mark, Anne, Veronica, Susan, John and Joe, Jr.

During their 1970s, Bernice was a Seattle, Washington political force as Republican Precinct Chair, award-winning Catherine Blaine PTA President and personal friend and collaborator of William F. Buckley, Jr.

Their 1980s and 90s were a time of Bernice caring for Joe as he duked it out with Lung Cancer. This period also included Bernice's personal retro-journeys to her European roots in her parents' Carpathian Mountains at Zakopane, Poland - not all that far from the birthplace of John Paul II - Joe and Bernice's dream-come-true Polish Pope.

Beyond Y2K, Bernice remained at her large Magnolia home - as a true island of safety and as Acting Psychiatrist Emeritus for her kids and grand kids - none of whom have ever been arrested. Mom continued to be a conservative political activist throughout her life and a truly devote Catholic. She always strived for love, kindness and learning thru hard work and wholesome living. She succeeded on all fronts.

After a long life Bernice died peacefully on October 17 watched over still by Chapel 15's statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her daughter Veronica and grandson Christopher. Her body lies now beside her much loved Joe, at Holyrood Cemetery - Seattle.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to

St. Alphonsus Parish

5816 15th Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107

St. Vincent de Paul

https://svdpseattle.org/give-today/

or a charity of your choice.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on

Friday, October 25th at 11am at
St. Alphonsus Catholic Church
5816 15th Ave NW, Seattle, 98107

Reception to Follow
Private Interment, Holyrood Cemetery

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