Bernice Frisby

Bernice Ann Frisby
(April 25, 1919 – October 25, 2020)

Bernice Ann Infeld Frisby, age 101 years, passed away peacefully in American Fork, Utah on Sunday, October 25, 2020. Bernice, the oldest of 6 children, was born on April 25, 1919 to Samuel Walker Infeld and Barbara Agnes Lala Infeld at her family home near Fordville, North Dakota.

Bernice grew up on the family farm and attended elementary school through high school in Fordville. She graduated from high school in 1938 after staying home for one year to care for her ailing mother and a new baby sister. As a child, she was curious about everything around her and loved to explore new things; a trait she carried into her adult years and throughout her life. When she had barely learned to walk, she managed to escape her mother’s watchful eye and toddled out into the pasture. When her mother looked out the kitchen window and saw Bernice sitting directly under the milk cow’s belly happily playing, she was horrified! Not wanting to startle the cow but also wanting to get Bernice out of danger, she carefully walked over to the cow and retrieved Bernice unharmed. When the winter snows got too deep for the school bus to pick up Bernice and her siblings for school, her father would hitch the horses to their sleigh and off they would go for a sleigh ride to school. After Bernice graduated from high school, she worked as a nanny and then when her aunt was going to visit California, she invited Bernice to go. After consulting with her parents and realizing it was an opportunity this farm girl may not get again, off she went on an adventure to San Diego, California. One of the first things she did is to start looking for a job. She got employment as a waitress in a Chicken Pie restaurant and while there, she caught the eye of a young aerospace employee who worked nearby. This young man, Don Frisby, invited Bernice to attend his company’s Halloween party. With some trepidation, she accepted and their romance began, culminating in them being married just 2 months later on December 28, 1939 in Salt Lake City, Utah, near where Don was raised.

Don and Bernice enjoyed many adventures together as they explored new things and new places. They loved camping and trout fishing in the rivers of northern California. They would hold a fish fry at their camp inviting other campers they had befriended. When they had caught their limit, they would can the fish at the campsite so they could catch more. They tried their hand at prospecting for uranium in the Mojave Desert and had a great time but never hit the mother lode. Don had learned to fly while attending Parks Air College and so he and Bernice bought their first airplane, a Cessna 150. After getting off work on Friday afternoon, they would often make a weekend visit to Don’s parents in Provo, Utah or Bernice’s parents in North Dakota. One adventure Bernice tells about is when they had to make a forced landing during a snow storm on their way to North Dakota. It wasn’t a smooth landing with some damage to the landing gear but they were safe. Don, also a licensed airplane mechanic, was able to secure the parts and made repairs so they could continue their trip. They flew so much that their friends started calling them “The Flying Frisbys”. They later bought a larger plane, the Bonanza, because Don said they needed more room for Bernice’s shoes. Bernice was always a stylish dresser.

Bernice loved cars and car racing. While she and Don were at the airport preparing for a flight, a friend drove up in his brand new 1955 Ford Thunderbird. He gave Bernice a ride. She immediately fell in love with this little sports car and began saving money to buy one. She saved enough money quickly but decided a sedan was more practical and bought a Buick Roadster instead. Later, Don bought Bernice a used 1955 Ford Thunderbird which she loved! They took many trips with the new friends they made in the T-Bird Club. Bernice kept this car until she could no longer drive, selling it in 2017.

Bernice and Don moved from San Diego to Cocoa Beach, Florida in 1957 and then to Lompoc, California in 1959 where they lived for many happy years. Don continued to work in the Aerospace industry and Bernice worked as an executive secretary for The Boeing Company. It was in Lompoc where Bernice embraced the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on May 8, 1994. She and Don were sealed as husband and wife for time and eternity in the Salt Lake City Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Dec 27, 2008.

As Don’s health declined, Bernice took loving care of him until his death in December 2006. After 67 years of marriage, Bernice continued life’s adventures alone. She loved to visit family in San Diego. She and her sister, LaVerne, did family history research on both her line and her husband’s line seeking out ancestors and their histories filling many volumes with the results of their research. Each Christmas for many years they made hundreds of potholders to raise money for charity. When Bernice was nearly 90 years old, she could be found sledding down the snow-covered slopes with her “adopted” grandchildren in Utah Valley or driving a dune buggy through the desert of Arizona. At 93 she was riding four-wheel ATVs in the beautiful foothills of Lompoc, California. She loved nature and the beauties of God’s creations and was always eager for an adventure in the great outdoors. Yes, Bernice had a full life of joy and adventure and faith in God.

Bernice was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph Donald (Don) Frisby, her parents and her siblings, Dorothy Kilmartin, LaVerne Miller, Robert Infeld, Allan Infeld and Shirley Birkelo. She is survived by nieces and nephews.

Bernice will be buried next to Don in the Provo Utah Cemetery following a graveside service on November 5, 2020 at 11:00 AM.