BERNIECE A. PLETKA, age 88, of Thorp, WI, passed away at Oakbrook Health & Rehab on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.  Funeral services will be held at 10am on Wednesday, May 24, 2023 at St. Bernard-St. Hedwig Catholic Church in Thorp.  Rev. Stanislaus Michael Antony will officiate, and burial will follow in New St. Hedwig Catholic Cemetery.  Visitation will be held at Thorp Funeral Home on Tuesday, May 23rd from 4pm to 8pm, and again at the church, on Wednesday, from 9am until time of service.

     Berniece Ann Mendalski was born on March 18, 1935 in Thorp, the daughter of Peter P. and Mary (Wasilewski) Mendalski.  She was raised on the family farm and received her education in the Thorp area.  After completing her education, Berniece remained on the farm until her marriage to Joseph Pletka on June 6, 1963 in Thorp.  She was a homemaker and worked together with her husband in their business, Shady Oaks Salvage Yard.  After retiring and selling the business in 1979, they moved into the City of Thorp.  Throughout the years, Berniece worked for many area businesses, many as a cook.  She worked at the Bel-Aire Motel in Thorp, Meadowview Golf Course in Owen, for the Head Start program at Thorp Elementary School, at the Mesquite, and cooked for many years at the Thorp Senior Center.

     She was a member of St. Bernard-St. Hedwig Catholic Church where she cooked for many weddings and funerals, she served on the board of directors for the Thorp Senior Center and served as the secretary, and was awarded the Channel 13 Sunshine Award for her volunteer for at the Senior Center.  Her interests included cooking and gardening.

     Berniece is survived by two children: Jo Ann (Kevin) Beaufeaux of Huntingdon, TN and Joseph Pletka Jr. (fiancé Grace LaFave) of Thorp; five grandchildren: Rebecca, Kate, Charles, Douglas and Clinton; two great-grandchildren: Kelsey and Emerick.; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

     She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Joe, on May 14, 2010; three brothers: Ted, Conrad and Thomas Mendalski; and three sisters: Rose Sturek, Frances Smoczyk and Martha DiGangi.