Sister Bernadine Pieper

Sister Bernadine Elizabeth Pieper, CHM, 81, of Davenport died Sunday, Feb?.

Sister Bernadine Pieper

Sister Bernadine Elizabeth Pieper, CHM, 81, of Davenport died Sunday, Feb. 20, 2000, at St. Anthony Care Center in Rock Island, Ill.

The funeral mass will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 25, at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Davenport. Burial will be in the Mount Calvary Cemetery in Davenport. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 24 at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church where a rosary service will be recited at 4 p.m. and a vigil service recited at 7 p.m. Memorials have been established for the CHM Retirement Fund and Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat. Halligan McCabe De Vries Funeral Home in Davenport is in charge of the arrangements.

Sister Pieper was born Feb. 21, 1918, in Mount Hamil, the daughter of Frank William and Mary Nichting Pieper. She entered the Congregation of the Humility of Mary Sept. 8, 1938 and made her final profession Aug. 15, 1944. She attended St. John High School in Houghton and Ottumwa Heights College in Ottumwa. She received her bachelor's of science degree from Marycrest/Ambrose College in Davenport, her master's of science degree from St. Louis University and her Ph.D. in zoology and botany from the University of Iowa. She took her post-graduate work at Penn State, Michigan University, the University of Michigan, the University of Colorado, and the University of Iowa. She was a teacher at St. Mary's School in Ottumwa, taught biology and math at Marycrest College, was assistant dean at Marycrest College, was president of the Congregation of the Humility of Mary from 1966 to 1976, president of Ottumwa Heights College from 1977 to 1979, executive secretary of North Central Region American Friend Service Committee from 1979 to 1986, pastoral associate in Leon and Prison Ministry and a Rainbow Literacy Center volunteer in Canton, Miss.

Survivors include a brother, James Pieper of Houghton; and three sisters, Frances Caslavka of Fort Madison, Lucille Merschman of St. Paul, and Ruth Holtkamp of Hillsboro. She was preceded in death by her parents.