In Memoriam
Forever a Warrior!
Bernice Mae Dyck
April 4, 1928 - September 14, 2022
Bernice Dyck, born in Fresno on October 18, 1919, died peacefully at the age of 104 on July 25. Bernice was predeceased by her husband of 70 years, Harry Dyck, in 2008. After Harry’s death, she moved from the family home in Fresno to an apartment at Solstice Senior Living facility in Clovis, where she continued her many activities and enjoyed frequent visits from friends and family.
Bernice and Harry are survived by two sons: Harry, Jr., a career officer in the US Navy who retired as Captain and currently lives with his wife, Shari, in Michigan, and Richard, who spent his career in the electronics industry in Asia and now lives in Tokyo with his wife, Ikuko. Bernice always longed for a daughter, and in 2014 she adopted Chenda, a student from Cambodia who lived with the family while studying at Pacific College and CSFU. Chenda Dyck Alexander is now a licensed marriage and family counselor and lives with her husband, David, in Visalia. Bernice was 95 when she adopted Chenda, making her the oldest person on record in California to adopt a “child” (at the time, Chenda was 29). With one son in Michigan and the other in Tokyo, frequent visits from Chenda and her son, Maxwell, were a joy for Bernice in her last decade. Bernice also leaves two grandchildren in Michigan, Lauren and Scott; two grandchildren in Tokyo, Kana and Oliver; one grandchild in Oakland, Pamela Momoko; and four great-grandchildren, with a fifth great-grandson on the way in October.
Bernice and Harry first met as students at Fresno High, class of 1936, and maintained a lifelong commitment to the FHS Alumni Association. During their 70 years together, they were active in various professional and fraternal organizations. Harry spent his career in the Fresno Fire Department and was active in the California State Firemen’s Association (CSFA), serving as president and as a member of the Governor’s Fire Advisory Board. Even after Harry’s retirement from the fire department, he and Bernice continued to attend CSFA activities throughout California.
Bernice joined Raisina Chapter, Order of Eastern Star, in 1945, and Harry, a member of Las Palmas-Ponderosa Masonic Lodge, later followed her into Raisina Chapter. In 1986, when Raisina celebrated its centennial, Bernice and Harry served together as Matron and Patron, presiding over a major celebration at the Fresno Fair Grounds. Raisina later merged with several chapters in the Valley to become what is now called Legacy Chapter. Only in the last few years was Bernice unable to attend meetings, but she kept in contact with her many Eastern Star friends in Fresno and throughout the United States. She took pride in her 70-year pin and was only one year shy of her 80-year pin when she died.
The most rewarding activity for both Bernice and Harry was their role as adult leaders of the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, a Masonic-affiliated service organization for girls between the ages of 14 and 20. Bernice was a charter member of the Fresno Assembly of Rainbow Girls when it was organized in May 1937. From 1973 to 1980, she served as the Supreme Deputy for California. At the time, California had the largest membership in the world, with 13,000 members and 273 individual assemblies. The annual statewide meeting of Rainbow Girls, often held at the Selland Arena in Fresno, was attended by 5,000 to 6,000 girls, along with an additional 1,000 parents and adult advisors. In its day, it was one of the largest meetings at the Selland Arena Convention Center.
Both Bernice and Harry were only children of single, working mothers, so their sons, Harry and Richard, grew up without aunts, uncles, or cousins. However, the life they built together grew into a vast network of friends who became an extended family, serving as the aunts and uncles to their two sons. Their home was usually filled with visitors. Up until Bernice’s last days in July, not a week would go by without visits from current and former Rainbow Girls or retired firemen and their families.
Bernice’s ashes will be interred beside Harry’s in the Chapel of the Light Columbarium on Belmont Avenue. Notice will be given of a memorial service. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Bernice M. Dyck, please visit the Chapel of the Light website.