Bernadine C. Bednar, 93, of Wyoming, passed away on Monday, September 16, 2024, at the Meadows Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Dallas, PA.  Affectionately known as Bernie to most people, she was Dina to family.

Born in Wilkes-Barre on May 12, 1931, Bernie was the daughter of the late Joseph and Catherine (Kisloski) Papka.

Bernie was a 1949 graduate of Marymount High School where she enjoyed playing basketball.  But because it was half-court basketball and she played defense, she "never scored a basket."

A beautiful and intelligent woman, Bernie had a successful career as a professional telephone operator for the Bell Telephone of PA.  She held various positions throughout her career, including being a switchboard operator, hiring, accounting, and investigations.  Towards the end of her career, she returned to the role of operator and handled the completion of collect calls and directory assistance.

After her retirement, she used her operator skills and helped her son August by answering calls for his new startup business. She eventually hung up her "cords" and took on the rewarding role of babysitting her grandchildren. Bernie enjoyed going to water aerobics and dinner with friends as well as watching her grandchildren participate in various sporting events and concerts.

Bernie was an active member of the Christian Mothers Group of the former St Joseph's Church of Wyoming. She also traveled the country attending conferences for the National Council of Catholic Women and was a member of the Scranton Diocesan Council of Catholic Women attending meetings and Inter-faith Teas throughout the area.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Walter J. Bednar; daughter, Lois Jean; and her brothers, Reverend Joseph Papka; and Matthew Papka.

Surviving her are her children, Richard Bednar and his wife, Melissa, Harding; Kathryn and her husband, Michael Kopelcheck, Danville; Claire and her husband, David Malarek, Media; and August Bednar and his wife, Lori, Dallas; seven grandchildren; sister-in-law, Irene Papka, Bluffton, SC; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at the Bednarski Funeral Home, 168 Wyoming Avenue, Wyoming, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 10 a.m. in St. Frances X. Cabrini Church, 585 Mount Olivet Road, Carverton, with the Reverend Joseph J. Pisaneschi, officiating.

Interment will follow in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Carverton.

Family and friends are invited to attend Bernie's visitation, which will be held on Friday, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.

To share a memory or a message of condolence with the family, please visit www.bednarskifuneralhome.com