Berneice Laurene (Lauber) Fritz, 91, of Old Green-wich, CT, and formerly of Grinnell, died Mar. 13, 2019, at her home. Funeral services are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Friday, Mar. 29, at Grinnell United Methodist Church. Burial will be in Bethel Cemetery, north of Lynnville.
The Fritz family will receive friends for lunch and fellowship following the service in the Friendship Hall of the church.
Berneice married Richard M. Fritz on July 26, 1952, with whom she shared 66 years of life together. After living in El Paso, TX, and San Francisco, CA, the couple settled in Newton, IA, where they started their family. In 1974, they relocated to Nebraska, and then to Florida in the mid-80s where they ultimately retired. Berneice and Dick lived in Palm Harbor, FL, until moving to Old Greenwich, CT in 2015.
Born on June 2, 1927, in the community of Rock Creek Township (near Grinnell), Berneice was the daughter of Henry Lauber and Pearl (Young) Lauber. She graduated from Grinnell High School in 1945 and worked for Equitable Life Insurance Company in Des Moines before focusing full-time on her family. After relocating to Florida, Berneice enjoyed a 20+ year career in retail, ultimately retiring from Dillard’s Department Store in Clearwater, FL, at the age of 82.
Berneice is survived by her husband Richard “Dick”; children Pamela (Martin) J. Wood of Colorado Springs, CO, Margaret “Peg” (Barry) Fritz Wentworth of Old Greenwich, CT, and Richard Moyle (Trudy) Fritz, Jr. of Wellington, FL; five grandchildren; and six siblings. She was preceded in death by her parents and four siblings.
