Nellie Bernice (Morris) Mack Obituary (1916 - 2018)

Nellie Mack, 101, of Prairie City, Oregon passed away at the Blue Mountain Care Center in Prairie city on October 25, 2018. Nellie Bernice (Morris) Mack was born on November 20, 1916, at the family homestead on Dry Creek; just west of Mt. Vernon. Bernice is the eighth of nine children born to William T. (Tom) and Nellie L. Morris. The family later moved from Dry Creek to Moon Creek. The old school had been converted to a home. She attended grade school at Moon Creek and grade and high school in Mt. Vernon. After high school; she worked for Gertrude McCray, who was the County Clerk. Bernice married Charles Woodrow (Woody or Mack) at her family home on November 6, 1940. They were married by the groom's father; Charles Mack, who was the Justice of the Peace. Bernice and Charles were married for 68 years before he passed away in June of 2009. They lived in several places in Oregon and Washington; while her husband was in the Army during WWII. Bernice learned to play the piano throughout her school years and she took up skiing in her 40's. She held numerous jobs before retiring in 1979 from the BLM and returned to Grant County. She enjoyed sewing, knitting, and quilting and made a lot of her own clothes for her and her family. She enjoyed making quilts for loved ones and liked to donate her quilts to the church for various raffles. Bernice also enjoyed canning fruit, vegetables and making jam and jellies, she had a cellar full of canned fruit. She loved to bake and have family dinners, and she learned and enjoyed ceramics after she retired. She was a dedicated member of the First Christian Church in John Day where her and her husband seriously considering becoming missionaries.