Burnetta ‘Bea’ Bauerle

Burnetta “Bea” Silvester was born on Dec. 12, 1932, in rural Champion, Nebraska to Frank and Hattie (Bevans) Silvester. She was the eleventh child of 12 children, seven boys and five girls. Bea passed away at the Chase County Community Hospital on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021 at 8:15 p.m. The doctors, nurses and staff at the hospital took wonderful care of Bea until the end.
Bea experienced farm life of a large family growing up. She played softball and later coached several years of softball teams at “Wagon Wheel” park west of Champion, including young girls, junior high and adult women.   
Bea graduated in 1952 from Chase County High School. After taking “normal training” during her junior and senior years, she taught two years at District 25, known as the Crete School, which was first through eighth grades. One of her seventh and eight grade students, Jerry Goddard, was a lifetime friend and fellow quilter.
Bea married Don Bauerle on May 15, 1954, at the Crete Church. Don and Bea had five children: David, Debra, Dirk, Dorothea and Darice.  
Bea worked alongside Don on the farm, helping with irrigation. The family raised chickens, ducks, geese, ginny hens, turkeys, chinchillas, sheep and milk cows.  The large garden helped feed the family, and produce was also sold to others.
Bea was very active in her children’s activities, watching sports games, helping with plays and musicals, attending band and choir concerts and speech contests. Bea served on the Imperial Senior Center board for over 30 years, helping with fundraising activities, including Sunday buffets.   
Bea helped teach 4-H sewing and started the 4-H cake decorating club. She also taught adult sewing and cake decorating classes. Later when the children were older, Bea started quilting on her own after taking a “quilt in a day” class and later taught many quilt classes. She taught many adults and youth to quilt, including her daughters and granddaughters.
She has taught classes in Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas and has given many “trunk show” presentations. She judged quilts at county fairs for several years. She displayed quilts at the Imperial Senior Center, Imperial Heights, Champion museum and Crossroads Wesleyan Church. She also entered her quilts at quilt shows at the Chase County Fair, Nebraska Land Days, Threads Across Nebraska and the Nebraska State Fair.  
Bea was active in the Nebraska State Quilt Guild, teaching classes during the annual convention and serving as district representative. She received the “Golden Thread Award” in 1994 and served as president in 2008. In 2016, she made 15 patriotic quilts and presented them to veterans or veteran families in the Crossroads Wesleyan Church family. She also makes quilts for high school graduates and babies from the church.
For Christmas 2020, Bea made lap-sized quilts for all of her immediate family, giving them out during the family Christmas Eve supper.  She continued to make quilts even to her last days at home.
Bea was the last surviving sibling in her family for the last several years. She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers: Lee, Glen, Frank, Bill, JB, Mark and Jack; and sisters: Helen, Bertha, Daisy (Dee) and Emma (Tiny); and her beloved husband, Don, who passed away peacefully on Feb. 11, 2021.
Surviving to remember and celebrate her life are Bea’s children: David (wife Jayne) Bauerle of Champion, Debra Bauerle of Imperial, Dirk Bauerle (Dawn Weber) of Imperial; Dorothea (Bauerle) Quiring of Henderson and Darice (Bauerle) and Greg Cecil of Lincoln; grandchildren: Adam and Lindsey Bauerle of Rapid City, South Dakota, Jamilah (Bauerle) and Nelson Rosas of Champion, Alisa Bauerle of Champion, Daniel Quiring of Chapman, Kansas, Lydia Quiring of Columbus, Alia Cecil of Omaha and Jonah Cecil of Lincoln; great grandchildren, Graham and Brynn Bauerle of Rapid City, South Dakota; and many extended relatives and friends.
A Celebration of Life memorial service will be held on Saturday morning, Nov. 27 at 10 a.m. at Crossroads Wesleyan Church in Imperial with Pastor Alex Gebert officiating. Inurnment will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery, Imperial. A luncheon and program will follow at the church.
A memorial in Bea’s memory has been suggested to the Imperial Senior Center.
Online condolences may be left at liewerfuneralhome.com. Liewer Funeral Home is entrusted with arrangements.