Jean (Bergdale) Eilers

Jean Lois Bergdale Eilers, age 90, of Maysville, Georgia died April 29, 2024, at Northeast Georgia Hospital in Gainesville, Georgia.

Jean was born on April 25, 1934, at home in rural Union County, South Dakota near the town of Alcester to parents Leslie Bergdale and Ruth Wilson Bergdale. She grew up in the same home, attended Miller country school and graduated from Alcester High School in 1951. After high school, she attended nursing school at Sioux Valley Hospital School of Nursing in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and graduated in 1954.

On September 7, 1954, she married Eldon Ray Eilers, in Columbus, Georgia. In June of 1955 they moved to Athens, Georgia where Jean became an avid Georgia Bulldog fan. While living in Athens they were blessed with daughters, Traci Jean and Roxanne Rae. Jean and Eldon divorced in Jacksonville, Florida in 1973.

Jean was a practicing registered nurse for over 45 years. She was especially proud of the fact that she took care of baseball legend, Ty Cobb, while working as a private duty nurse at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. She lived in Neptune Beach, Florida for 27 years and was the head nurse at Children’s Medical Group for many of those years. She retired from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida in 1999.

After retirement in 1999 Jean moved to Valdosta, Georgia, near her daughter Roxanne and her family. She restored a home in the Fairview Historical District and was a member of First Baptist Church in Valdosta where she was active in the clothing ministry, the food ministry, Women in Action at Holly Hill Nursing Home, Joygivers choir, WeCare ministry, and Joy-Fidilis Sunday school class. Over the years at FBC Valdosta she went on mission trips to Zambia, Israel, and Guatemala. Jean was also instrumental in organizing a mission trip to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, which was the mission trip that she loved most. She helped establish Lillie’s clothing ministry by building the clothing racks and spent many hours donating her time helping to provide clothing to the needy.

Jean enjoyed antiquing, restoring furniture, upholstering, sewing, gardening, and decorating. She was the ultimate do-it-yourselfer. She loved sports and was a big Atlanta Braves baseball fan and, of course, a University of Georgia football fan. She was very proud of her Swedish heritage and visited her ancestral homeland twice. She loved visiting with cousins in Sweden.

In May of 2018 she moved to Homer, Georgia, near her daughter Traci. There she attended Homer Baptist Church.

Jean was a devoted mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, cousin, and friend. She kept in touch with family and friends from near and far. She traveled back to Alcester, South Dakota nearly every year to make sure her two daughters knew and loved their grandparents. She helped plan a few family reunions as well.

Jean is survived by her daughters, Traci Pritchard (Jim) and Roxanne Newton (Milledge); granddaughters, Danielle Beaty Jackson (Joe) and Sarah Pritchard; grandsons, Noah Beaty, James Pritchard (Niki) and Zach Pritchard; six great grandchildren, Isabelle and Allie Jackson, Josie Kaeck, and Elijah, Thomas, and Olivia Pritchard; sister, Marge Eilers (Jerry); and sister-in-law, Sherry Bergdale (Kelvin). Also, many loving nieces, nephews, and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Bernard Bergdale (Phyllis) and Kelvin Bergdale (Sherry), sister Muriel Goettsch (Duane), and granddaughter Kristen Leigh Pritchard.

Her funeral will take place on Thursday, May 9th, in Alcester, South Dakota at the Alcester Baptist Church at two o’clock in the afternoon. Following the service, she will be buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Alcester.