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Published in The Sierra Vista Herald (July 31, 2015): Bernice H. Pitts, 90, a resident of Sierra Vista, Ariz., passed away at Hacienda Nursing Center on Tuesday, July 28, 2015. She was born in Philadelphia, Pa., to Max and Elsa Gertrude (Uhlig) Dietrich, both of Germany. She moved to Vineland, N.J., at the age of 6 with her family. Bernice relocated to New Mexico in 1995 to be closer to her family and then to Sierra Vista in 1995 to be with her son, James E. Pitts III and wife Lori Pitts and family. Bernice was with her son and family until she moved to Hacienda Nursing Home in Sierra Vista. Bernice worked at Shapiro Coat Factory in Vineland, N.J., making military uniforms during World War II, then at Precision Electronic Glass in Vineland, N.J. In New Jersey, Bernice was a member of the First Baptist Church in Newfield and Faith Bible Church in Vineland, N.J. In Arizona, she attended the First Church of the Nazarene with her family. In March 2015, through Ancestry.com, she became aware of a first cousin, Hildegard Uhlig Kramer; second cousins, Regina Uhlig Kramer, Sylvia Uhlig Schikarski, and numerous other family members still living in Esch Germany. This news brought her a lot of joy, and she was able to communicate with them via Skype on several occasions. She is survived by her son, James E. (Lori) Pitts, III; grandsons, James E. Pitts, IV, serving in the United States Navy, and Daniel R. Pitts, an aviation student at Cochise College. Bernice is preceded in death by her husband, James E. Pitts, Jr; mother, Elsa Dietrich; father, Max Dietrich; and a twin sister, Doris Dietrich in 1949. A memorial aervice will be held 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2015, at the Sierra Vista Church of the Nazarene. Burial will be at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Newfield, N.J., at a date to be determined. Arrangements have been entrusted to Jensen's Sierra Vista Mortuary.

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{Deo Optimo Maximo, Deo Gratias} {Si Deus Nobiscum quis contra nos?}