In Loving Memory of

Hermine Mayer

(Maiden: Bernhardt)
of Edmonton
Mar 28, 2022

 

It is with great sadness that the family of Hermine Mayer (née Bernhardt), loving wife and caring mother of four children, announce her passing at the age of 88 on March 28, 2022, due to a stroke after surgery at the University of Alberta Hospital.

She will be lovingly remembered by her husband, Max; her children: Harold, Susan (spouse Peter), and Robert (spouse Sandy); daughter-in-law, Debbie; her brother, Hermann (spouse Sharon); sister, Eva; and several cousins, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren.

Hermine was predeceased by her son, Ken; daughter-in-law, Liz; parents, Johann and Elisabeth; brother, Andreas; sister-in-law, Marlene; sister, Helen; brother-in-law, Heinz; mother-in-law, Katherina; father-in-law, Ignatz; and brother-in-law, Walter.

In October of 1933, Hermine was born in Komletinci, Yugoslavia, a small village in eastern Croatia. She immigrated to Canada in June of 1953 with her parents, Johann and Elisabeth Bernhardt, and two brothers, Andreas and Hermann, leaving behind her only sister, Eva. Sponsored by the Lutheran church, they arrived in Quebec and eventually made their way to the Edmonton area where their father worked on a farm.

Soon after that, Hermine moved into the city where she worked as a live-in housekeeper and nanny for a doctor, his wife, and two children. One Sunday afternoon she went to a movie with a girlfriend who had arranged a blind date, there she met the love of her life, Maximillian (Max). After a short courtship, they married on October 10, 1953 and would go on to raise their family of four children together.

In the years that followed, Hermine helped make ends meet by earning extra money crocheting and knitting handicrafts that were sold in a local craft store. She hand-knitted socks for Highland Dancers without the need of a pattern; she knew what to do just by looking at the tartan kilts that clients brought as samples to match. Some of the clients were from the RCMP Marching Band and others were in Scotland. Hermine was extremely gifted at her craft.

Never having worked outside the home, Hermine provided the best upbringing for her children. She was also an excellent cook, especially known for her potato salad which was the request at most family gatherings. Her secret to preparing it will never be revealed as it lives in her mind - maybe that was a way of getting everyone to come and visit often. Most of her cooking was created without the need of a recipe - all was what she learned from her mother. She told stories often of having to cook stacks and stacks of potato pancakes for several workmen when she was a young girl. Preparing this delicious meal required strong arms and great stamina to grate the potatoes and onions for the dish. One time the task was delegated to her son and son-in-law at a family meal after which they both had sore arms for a few days.

We all knew Hermine as a person who enjoyed being in her garden more than anything. Her orchids were her pride and joy and she had such a talent for growing them. She proudly displayed them in her house and could talk for hours about them. She had a special green thumb when it came to gardening and even after she and Max moved away from their home in West Edmonton into a condo in 2018, she still talked about her garden and how much she missed it.

Hermine's family wishes to send a special thank you to the staff at the University of Alberta hospital for their care and compassion. Hermine will be cremated and a private family event will be planned at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any memorial donations in Hermine's memory be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

We will grieve our loss in the days to come, but we will hold our fond memories close to our hearts and never forget...

Love from all of us... you will live forever in our hearts