Bernice Walthall

Bernice Walthall, beloved wife, mother, sister, and friend, departed her earthly life on May 25th, 2026 in Canmore, Alberta (AB) after a brief but fierce battle with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). She is survived by her loving husband (Richard (Tex) Walthall), her 2 sons (Jason and Christopher Fraser), and her three brothers and sister (Richard, Bryon, and Kevin Opfergelt, and Donna Bay). As the diagnosis of CJD is certain & definitive, Bernice was visited and supported by family and friends from all over the globe in Canmore before her passing. The support and demonstrations of love and friendship were greatly appreciated by Bernice’s close family. Bernice’s family would like to take a moment to personally thank all those that visited, called, texted, or sent well wishes. Each of you brought her some joy during her final days and, for this, we are sincerely appreciative.

Bernice was born into a farming family and lived her early years in Annaheim Saskatchewan (SK), which has a population of 206 as of the 2021 census. Her father and mother (Vernon and Helga Opfergelt) moved the family to a small farm homestead in 1967 just east of Naicam SK, which is another small town of less than 1000 population just south of Melfort. She grew up in small rural townships, but she never lost her “small town sensibilities” despite a drastic change in her lifestyle & international experiences a bit later in life.

Bernice has 2 children (Jason and Christopher Fraser, who are married to Kristen and Cheryl, respectively) with 4 grandchildren (Krysta, Kyler, Mason, and Jackson) and her very first great grandchild is due in July, 2026 via Kyler and MazaRae Fraser. Hopefully, many more great grandchildren will be born in the future and continue to expand Bernice’s remarkable legacy.

Bernice met the love of her life – Richard (Tex) Walthall in 1984 in Red Deer, AB and they married in April 1985. This led to the aforementioned change in lifestyle from being a small-town Saskatchewan girl to a well-traveled and seasoned international woman of character & interest. For the next 20+ years, Richard and Bernice moved and travelled a lot. They moved from Red Deer AB to Moses Lake Washington, to Forestburg AB, to Friendswood Texas, to Hannah AB, to London England, to Edmonton AB, to Calgary then back to Edmonton, and eventually in 2004 settled in a small acreage near Cochrane AB, fondly called “the Ghost.” Richard retired in 2008 and they both moved to the lovely destination of Canmore, AB in 2017 nestled under the Three Sisters peaks, but also while spending winters away from Canada in Gold Canyon in Arizona and travelling extensively with both friends and family. A few, but not all, of the international destinations Richard and Bernice travelled to include Mexico, China, France, Italy, Spain, Peru & Easter Island, Egypt, Israel & Jordan, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Tanzania & Zanzibar, & Australia.

Bernice was blessed with a tremendous circle of friends – many of whom Richard and Bernice travelled with to these previously listed foreign countries or had innumerable outdoor adventures. She made friends easily wherever she went & her love of babies is well-documented. There wasn’t a baby that was safe from her affections in any nation or culture. She truly loved games of all sorts, especially card games (a love passed on from her mother Helga) and was wickedly good at word games like Scrabble or Wordscape. However, her joy and life’s triumph resided with her marriage, her family, and her Christian faith. She was immensely proud of her sons, their own families, and especially her grandchildren.

She lived a remarkable and faith-filled life and leaves behind family and friends that are all proud to have been connected with her.