Bernadine Hoeft, age 84, passed away peacefully on May 15, 2026, at Discovery Commons North Shore in Glendale, Wisconsin.

Bernadine was born on February 7, 1942, in Lake City, Minnesota, to the late Mary (Koch) Hoeft and Emery Hoeft. She grew up in Lake City, attending McCahill Grade School and graduating from Lincoln High School in 1960. She then attended the University of Minnesota, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics in 1964.

Following her graduation, Bernadine relocated to Wisconsin and dedicated her career to the Milwaukee Public Schools district. For decades, she shaped the lives of young women and student-parents as a teacher at the historic Lady Pitts Alternative School. At Lady Pitts, Bernadine provided vital mentorship, support, and practical life-skills training to students navigating both high school academics and early parenthood. Beyond the classroom, she was a progressive voice in statewide education, contributing to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction framework to modernize family and consumer sciences. Her commitment to lifting up others, her sharp mind, and her compassionate spirit left an enduring legacy on both her family and generations of students.

She is survived by her loving siblings: her sister, Beverly Nordley of Boulder, Colorado, and her brother, Robert Hoeft, and his wife Sharon, of Seneca, South Carolina. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Victor Hoeft, of Lake City, Minnesota. Bernadine will be deeply missed by her family, former colleagues, and the many friends and students whose lives she touched.

The Funeral Mass for Bernadine will be at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 15, at St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church in Lake City with Father Thé Hoang officiating. The burial will follow the service in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Lake City. Friends and family may visit one hour prior to the service at the church on Tuesday.