Resident Profile:
Mrs. Fran Bernau

Fran Bernau was born April 5, 1928, in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin. Her parents, Phillip and Gertrude, were blessed with a large family: they had seven girls and three boys. Her family owned and worked a dairy farm. Fran remembers the hard work required on the farm: "We had to get up at 5:00 A.M. every morning to milk the cows. Then, in the evening, we had to milk them again!" Fran's family lived in Fond Du Lac until 1935, when the hard times of the depression caused them to lose the farm. They then moved to Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Ultimately, after the depression, Fran's father was able to move back to Fond Du Lac and own and work another farm.

Fran's childhood and adolescence were so busy with farm work that she had little time for play or other outside social activities. "We liked to play when we could!" recalls Fran.

At 19 Fran got a job at the Oak Sanitarium in Pewaukee, where she worked in the dining room. The Sanitarium specialized in treating patients with tuberculosis. While working at the Sanitarium Fran met a patient there, Rollin Bernau. Rollin had tuberculosis, but he recovered from it relatively quickly. Soon after they met, Fran and Rollin began dating. "I remember thinking 'This guy is really handsome!'" recalls Fran.

They moved to Milwaukee and married in 1941. Rollin found work as a machinist. They moved into a house on 38th and Burnham, right across from the metal shop where Rollin worked. In 1945 they bought a house on 60th and Mitchell Street where they lived for thirty three years. The couple had six children: a son, Daniel, and daughters Mary, Virginia, JoAnn, Janice and Joyce. Today, Fran has fifteen grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. When her children were of school age, Fran took a job supervising the food service for a local school system. Rollin passed in 1978, and Fran continued working in the food service departments of various schools.

Fran's found out about Carnegie Place when it was being renovated. Built as a library by a grant from the Carnegie Foundation in 1913, the building had been vacant for a long period of time when, in 2001, Capri Communities bought the structure and renovated it for senior housing. One of Fran's friends, Eleanor, had noticed the renovation, and they both decided to rent units before the renovation was complete. Fran is one of Carnegie Place's original residents; she moved in on September 13, 1991.

Fran loves the lifestyle she enjoys at Carnegie Place. "We're a very tight knit community here." says Fran. "Whenever a space opens up for a new resident, we're very concerned and helpful about making them feel at home with our group." Other aspects of the life Fran enjoys at Carnegie Place are convenience and safety. "We're very close to shops and churches. Everything you need is right in the area. Also, our garage leads right into the building. I feel very safe living at Carnegie Place."