On April 13, 2023, our mom, friend, mentor, and all around wise acre, consulted with God, and probably a handful of saints she was on a first name basis with, and together made the decision to depart in peace.
Born on May 17, 1921 to Jack and Tressa (Hamele) O’Leary, she attended country school and eventually Waterville Public School where she declared to her teacher that she pretty much learned everything already. She graduated as salutatorian in 1939 and went on to graduate from Mankato Business College.
Foregoing a career in Washington D.C. as a private secretary, she chose to stay and help her parents run the iconic O’Leary’s Gas Station and Resort in Waterville for a time, as her brother Johnny was called to serve in WWII. Even though she was teased for wearing his hand-me-down shoes as a kid, she was undaunted in her devotion and friendship to Johnny up until his death. Their routine of coffee and scratch offs every Sunday morning kept both Folgers and the State of Minnesota in the black for years.
Bernadine and her beloved husband Glen “Red” Hildebrant were married on April 19, 1945 and had six children who were lucky enough to call her mom. She made all of us feel special for each of our unique qualities, and every holiday and birthday was an event, especially St. Patrick’s Day which honored her Irish heritage.
She had a variety of jobs over her lifetime including court stenographer in Mankato, and secretary for both Harold Dressel law office and Doc Osborne in Waterville. But her true calling and joy was her 50-plus years working for the Waterville Advance newspaper, known currently as the LifeEnterprise, where she started in 1967. There she wrote hundreds of stories, took thousands of photos, and had a profound effect on people of all ages, especially kids who all called her Grandma Bernie. Attempting to retire at age 83, she returned to the paper as a proofreader and stayed on as a columnist until 2021 when she moved to Traditions of Waterville. There she enjoyed bantering with staff, smart talking with fellow residents, and sitting outside in the sun with friends and family.
Prior to her move to Traditions, she enjoyed four years under the devoted care of daughter-in-law Gail Hildebrant, whose decision to move in with her gave mom several more happy years in her own home, along with a place for us all to gather, laugh, and make music on the screen porch, which she especially enjoyed, along with a glass of wine or two.
She was a lifelong member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Waterville. Her faith was unshakable, her rosary collection unmatched, and her volunteerism at the church was especially meaningful for her—most notably when she could sell the most Fall Festival raffle tickets.
Bern was honored with several accolades including Honorary Miss Waterville, Minnesota Green Thumb Worker award which won her a trip to Washington D.C., Minnesota Newspaper Assn Half Century award, Bullhead Days Grand Marshal, and was featured twice, once with her brother, on KEYC TV for longevity and career efforts.
She enjoyed doing crossword puzzles and word find games, watching sports, going out to eat, viewing birds and other wildlife, her cats Midnite and Jinx, and likely made nearly a million cookies over her lifetime.
She had a love for living, and life loved her back.
She is survived by four children, Kathleen (Glen) Schoaf, Mike Hildebrant, Mary (Larry) Laski, and Eileen (Mitch) Madsen, and daughter-in-law Gail (John) Hildebrant, grandson Grant (Jenn) Schoaf, granddaughter Natalie (Zack) Smith, seven great-grandchildren, and six great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Glen in 2006, daughter Lisa in 1958, son John in 2004, brother John O’Leary in 2018, and her parents.
Funeral service is at Holy Trinity Catholic Church on Saturday, May 6, 11 a.m. with visitation one hour prior to service in church common area. Lunch will follow service. She will be interred at Sakatah Cemetery at a later date.
Bernadine O’Leary Hildebrant
