Berniece Green

Oscar and Bessie Hoge were blessed with a little bundle of joy on Christmas day December 25th 1923. By this time Oscar Hoge had quit the mines and purchased a farm in the Cardin, Oklahoma region. Unfortunately, this occurred at the time of the onset of the great depression, and the dust bowl reality, when great dust storms, devastated the farming industry and starved the small time operators off the land. The Hoge's had yet another problem Bessie was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given a death sentence when her two girls Berniece and Inez were only 10 and 7 years of age. The family packed up, leaving all of Berniece's toys, friends and loved possessions behind, since there wasn't room for such frivolity. The family set out for Oregon in an old model T truck that they packed to the gills with their worldly possessions. When they were traveling thru Denver, on their way out, Bernice remembered driving thru a terrible dust storm that completely blinded them, so much so they couldn't travel but were stopped dead in their tracks until the storm ended. After arriving in Oregon the Hoge's settled in the Gresham, Oregon area for a short while before Bessie got sicker and wanted to return to Louisiana to be with her family. The Garsee family came to America in the late 18th century from a town outside of Paris, France, and according to Berniece's great uncle Sydney, they were wealthy, landed people that were well situated in life. Berniece's ancestors fought for the confederacy and her husband's family (Byron Green) fought for the Union during the Civil War, and her great, great, great, great grandfather was killed at Gettysburg. The Hoge family migrated to Mississippi in the mid 18th century from Germany. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; When the Hoge's returned to Louisiana it wasn't long before Bessie passed away leaving Berniece with the burden of doing all of the things her mother did previously. Caring for the family's needs was no easy task for there wasn't a washing machine, just a wood stove, and water that needed to be carried in from the well. Mother had many nightmares concerning her mother's death as the coffin was left in the living room for a week or more before she was buried on the farm land. Almost immediately what remained of the Hoge family returned out West where Berniece and her sister Inez were boarded with a family called the Hicks. In a short while Byron Donald Green came into Berniece's life and she was swept off her feet in marriage soon to have her only son Richard, who was the light of her life. Later her two daughters followed as Berniece worked for Janzens and then later for Owens Illinois Glass Factory. While at Owens she worked a rotating shift of one week days, one week swing shift and one week graveyard; it was impossible to create a biological clock, but Berniece managed somehow. Berniece always exhibited great strength in the face of adversity she never gave up. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; After raising her family Berniece retired and became involved with many fraternal organizations following in her husband's Byron's footsteps. Over the years mother was the presiding officer of the East Gate #116 O.E.S. (past matron); Portland Assembly #41 Social Order of the Beauceant; Past President - Oregon #1 White Shrine - Angelus Court #17 Amaranth - Nydia Temple #4 - Daughters of the Nile to name a few. Quite often mother would say that ""Joining the Eastern Star taught her that she could accomplish anything she set her mind to."" \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; In 1967 Berniece began a new adventure as the manager of Greenfaire Court Apartments, which my parents purchased that year. It was more of the same in that mother had managed rental properties before, but this was just a little bit more intensive. Mother took to caring for her tenants like a hen taking care of its baby chicks! She always had a smile and some words of encouragement for all of her tenants, at Christmas remembering them all with some token gift. When it came time to raise the rents mother was so attached to her tenants that she didn't want to raise the rents, she loved them too. Over the years, Berniece would use her bullhorn to chase off parking violators from her parking lot, and she would scream at the met ridership who thought it was OK to relieve themselves on her sacred Greenfaire Court brickwall. Over the years Tri-Met gave her an award for her stewardship at the corner of 148th and Burnside. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Another aspect of mother's life was her delightful entertainer side. One of her favorite things to do was stepping into the role of Minnie Pearl. Many people remember some of her funny sketches as she portrayed Minnie in her red gingham dress and a straw hat with flowers and with a price tag still attached. Also, Bernie was the announcer at the fiddler's Northwestern Music Jamboree monthly meetings where fiddlers came together and jammed. Growing up with the Grand Ole Oprea Bernie loved fiddle music. The Gresham Hot Shots are also a group that Bernie performed with over the years. The Hot Shots were all dressed up in red vests with barbershop type attire and then they played kookey instruments like saws, spoons, washboards, etc. The players enjoyed entertaining at various nursing homes and retirement communities. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; After the loss of her husband, Berniece continued running Greenfaire Court until 2006 when she sold out and moved to the Hazelwood Retirement Community. Mother loved living at Hazelwood and she became active at first, but soon thereafter, became physically unable to take advantage of a 55 and older facility. After 12 years of living completely independently at Hazelwood Berniece took a fall in the hallway at Hazelwood and was left there all night until she was found after lunch the next day. The doctors gave her hydrocodone, due to a compression lumbar fracture, and for some reason she was left alone when she fell that faithful night. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Congestive Heart Failure ran it's course and on the morning of March 31st around 8 a.m. Berniece took her final breath and she flew away to a better place where she is completely free again - no pain, no aches, no more worries. It was a very peaceful passing and she, yet again, showed us all her grace and faithfulness, even in death."",