Bernice Newton Fishpaw

Bernice Newton Fishpaw passed away January 3, 2018 at Halifax Health Hospice of Volusia/Flagler Care Center in Orange City.
Bernice was born on the family farm in Rock County, Wisconsin in 1920, the daughter of Clarence and Elizabeth Richmond Newton.
For eight years she attended the one room school a half mile from their farm. It was the same school that her father, grandfather, and great grandmother had attended and where her grandmother came to teach and met her grandfather.
After graduating from Milton Union High School in Milton, Wisconsin and Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in Janesville, Wisconsin in 1941, she worked at Mercy Hospital, Chicago, Illinois and attended St. Xavier's College. She also completed a course in Operating Room Nursing.
In 1942 she joined the Army Nurse Corp and served at Ft. Wayne, Detroit, MI before going to Ft. Jackson, SC where she met Lt. Eli Fishpaw. Shortly after being transferred to Camp Forrest in Tennessee, Eli's division was sent on Tennessee Maneuvers. They were married in Rossville, Georgia on New Years Day of 1944.
In March of 1944, Bernice traveled with the 216th General Hospital to England where she served until July of 1945 when she was discharged.
In 1948, Eli returned to military service and Bernice was able to go with him to Bavaria and later to Fort Benning, Georgia and Meridian, Mississippi. During Eli's military years Bernice enjoyed two deployments to Germany and spent two of his deployments to Korea and Germany in the United States taking care of the family.
She was an active member of whatever community they lived in, acting as a Girl Scout Leader, Den Mother, Red Cross First Aid instructor or PTA president. While in Hanau, Germany she was awarded the Thank You Badge, the highest honor for Girl Scout adults.
After Eli's retirement from the Army they moved to DeLand, FL. Bernice returned to operating room nursing at West Volusia Memorial Hospital in DeLand, Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach and Fish Memorial Hospital in DeLand.
After retiring in 1981 Bernice became an active volunteer with the Red Cross Blood Bank and played hand bells with the Trinity Bells of Trinity United Methodist Church. She was also active with the Southridge Women's Nine-hole Golf Association. With her husband Eli, they were the driving force that successfully organized and held annual reunions of the Florida Chapter of the 100th Infantry Division Association. In 2009 they received the Lt. General Burress Award for outstanding service to that organization.
In 1988 she was elected to the West Volusia Hospital Authority where she served for four years; one year as chairman. During her tenure, the Authority acquired Fish Memorial Hospital in DeLand and later, she played an important role in moving that institution to Orange City.
Her husband, Eli, preceded her in death. She is survived by three children, Virginia Fishpaw Comella (Joseph) of DeLand, FL, Mary of Whitefish, MT and Billy Eli (Kathy) of Lexington, VA. Also three grandchildren, David Comella of Swansea, IL Terrence Comella of Waldorf, MD and Heidi Fishpaw of Washington, D.C.
For the last 11 years Bernice lived at the Woodland Towers, DeLand. She was a member of the Resident Council and chairwoman of the employees Christmas fund.
The family would like to thank her caregivers, Mary Core and Sharon Sharp, as well as the staff of Woodland Towers for their devotion, dedication and help caring for Bernice.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Bernice N. Fishpaw Nursing Scholarship with the Daytona State College Foundation.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Wednesday, January 17th at 1pm in the Piano Room of the Woodland Tower, 113 W. Chipola Ave. DeLand, FL 32720. Online condolences may be made at www.allensummerhill.com. Allen-Summerhill DeLand is in charge.