Berniece Ketcherside passed away peacefully at the Warrensburg Manor Care Center on December 13, 2021, with family at the bedside.

Berniece E. Vinyard Ketcherside was born on July 19, 1931, in Leadwood, Missouri to Earl J. and Myrtle O. Vineyard.  She attended the Leadwood Public Schools where she was an active participant in school activities. She was a cheerleader, played in the band and played the piano for the chorus and glee club, graduating from Leadwood High School with the class of 1949. After high school she attended the Flat River Junior College (Now Mineral Area College) where once again she was the pianist for the vocal groups.  During this time, she was active in the Leadwood Methodist Church, playing piano for church services.

On November 29, 1951, Berniece and William J. (Bill) Ketcherside were united in marriage at the Leadwood Methodist Church. For the next four years they lived in Florida, Tennessee and Hawaii while she accompanied bill as he served at the Naval bases in those areas. While living in Honolulu in 1955 she gave birth to their first child, JOE. After returning to the states in late 1955 they settled in Cape Girardeau and then to Perryville, MO., where in 1957 John was born. After three years in Berkeley, Mo, as a stay-at-home Mom raising small children, she found herself in Columbia living in married student housing. An excellent typist she mastered all the fine points of research papers and was self-employed typing master theses and doctoral dissertations for students in the graduate school. She developed a reputation of "If you want it done right, take it to Mrs. Ketcherside." From Columbia it was to Tucson, Arizona where in 1965 third son Jeffrey was born.

The family found a permanent home in Warrensburg when Bill assumed the position of Chairman of Psychology Department at CMSC in 1967. While raising her family, Berniece continued to work from home, typing research papers and master's theses for CMSU students. When Jeff started to school, she assumed a position with the Warrensburg School District as a school secretary. Over the years she served the Kindergarten Center at Reese Elementary, at Southeast School, the Junior High School and Ridgeview Elementary, until her retirement in 1989.

Berniece enjoyed traveling and she and Bill drove to nearly every state and to Canada and Mexico. They took trips with their travel trailer, sometimes with the local R.V. Club, and spent many weeks and weekends with their trailer parked at Weaver's Campground at Bennett Springs where she loved to fish. She enjoyed spending tiem with her family, especially her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

She is survived by her husband Bill, of the home, sons Joe (Linda) and John (DeeAnn), daughter-in-law Deeanna, six grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her mother and father and by brothers Melvin and Lloyd and by son Jeffrey.

Funeral arrangements have been made by Sweeney-Phillips and Holdren. A graveside service will be held at 2pm on December 20, 2021, at the Warrensburg Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers a memorial donation can be made in her name to The Shriner's Hospitals for Children and left with the funeral home.