Bernice A. Kinney

1920 - 2014

Bernice Agatha (Caviezel) Kinney, 94, a resident of Alaska since the early 1950s, passed away on Dec. 18, 2014, at Mission Healthcare in Bellevue, Wash., where she resided since late 2011. Her memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Friday, June 26, 2015, at St Nicholas Catholic Church in North Pole, Alaska. A reception will be held after the services. Burial will be at Northern Lights Memorial Park after graveside attendance at 2 p.m. that day. Bernice was born on Aug. 31, 1920, in Enumclaw, Wash., and grew up in her family's dairy farm in South Prairie, Wash. She graduated from Buckley High School in 1939, and from Central Washington College in Ellensburg in 1943. She was a grade school teacher in Prosser and Bremerton, Wash., before going to work for Associated General Contractors in Seattle, Wash. She came to Alaska in the early 1950s, working as a bookkeeper and as food supply coordinator for construction projects in Kodiak, Whittier and Anchorage. She met James Kinney on a project site. James and Bernice married Feb. 9, 1955, and lived in Anchorage until 1960, when the family moved to Fairbanks, Alaska. Bernice was a homemaker between 1955 and 1970, raising four sons. In 1970, she returned to her career as a construction bookkeeper, working for Modern Construction and later Bonner and Hegdal in Fairbanks, retiring in 1984. Since retirement, she enjoyed her time with friends, often playing bridge multiple times weekly, and with her family. Following the death of James in 2001, she continued to reside in Fairbanks until declining health prompted relocation in 2011. She will be remembered fondly by her family and friends for her kindness and hospitality, and particularly for her excellent baking. She was preceded in death by her parents, Peter and Frieda (Zemp) Caviezel; by her sister, Martha Grab; brothers, Fred, Roy, Clarence, Melvin F. (infant), Melvin M., Victor and Leo; and by her husband, James. She is survived by her sisters, Ellen Linder and Phyllis Steelsmith in Washington; her sons and daughters-in-law, Randy and June Kinney of Anchorage, Greg Kinney and Colleen Durnford of Anchorage, Joe and Debra Kinney of North Pole and Jeff Kinney of Fairbanks; former daughter-in-law Suzanne Lombardi of Anchorage; grandchildren (or spouses), Chris (Monica), Grant and Robert Kinney of Anchorage; and great-grandchildren, James, Alma, Anna Maria and Gregory of Anchorage.