Bernice Lovell Oswalt Moore McGee
United States Navy Reserve, World War II, Yeoman Second Class
Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES)
Early Life in Rural Texas
April 14, 2025 - Bernice Levell Oswalt was born on November 4, 1921, in Huxley, Shelby County, Texas, to Joseph Littleton “Lit” Oswalt, Sr., a farmer, and Martha Ida Metcalf Oswalt. She grew up in a bustling household as one of ten children. Her siblings included brothers Jimmie Aaron Oswalt (1914–1978) and Joseph Littleton Oswalt, Jr. (1934–1938), and sisters Nannie Oswalt Windham (1909–1990), Ruth Oswalt Vaughn (1911–2008), Alma Oswalt (1917–1921), Selma Marie Oswalt Owens (1919–2006), Geneva “Genny” Oswalt Wiedemann (1923–2009), Grace General Oswalt Moore (1926–2014), and Wreatha Ann Oswalt Permenter (1928–2023).
In 1930, at the age of eight, Bernice lived with her parents, six siblings, and a cousin in Precinct 2, Shelby County, Texas, along Lower Logansport and East Hamilton Road. Her father owned their home and worked the land. The family, like approximately 55% of their fellow citizens of the time, did not own a radio set, a reflection of their modest rural life.
Tragedy struck in 1938 when Bernice’s mother, Martha, passed away on April 15 at the age of 44. Bernice was just 16, and the loss left a significant mark on her teenage years. By 1940, the census recorded 18-year-old Bernice living with her widowed father, six sisters, a nephew, and a lodger on the same family farm. She had completed three years of high school and soon graduated from Joaquin High School that year.
A New Chapter in Beaumont
After graduation in 1940, Bernice left rural Texas for Beaumont, where she lived with her aunts, Virsie O’Quin and Verna Stag. It was in Beaumont that she met Glenn Edward “Buck” Moore, a young man stationed in Louisiana, at a dance. Their connection deepened through letters exchanged during the escalating years of World War II.
Service in the Navy WAVES
On January 26, 1944, at the age of 22, Bernice enlisted in the U.S. Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) in Beaumont, Texas, with her younger sister, Genny. They underwent basic training at Hunter College in the Bronx, New York, a standard starting point for WAVES recruits. On April 30, 1944, Seaman Second Class Bernice Levell Oswalt arrived at the Headquarters of the Tenth Naval District in San Diego, California, where she worked in the film library on B Street Pier. Her service number was 7648384, and she eventually rose to the rank of Yeoman Second Class.
While stationed in San Diego, Bernice’s personal life took a joyful turn. On April 28, 1945, she married Glenn Edward Moore in Salt Lake City, Utah. By July 1945, her Navy records officially reflected her new surname, Moore. Following the end of World War II on September 2, 1945, Bernice was honorably discharged and awarded the World War II Victory Medal for her contributions to the war effort.
Family Life in Oklahoma
After the war, Bernice and Glenn settled in Lawton, Oklahoma. The 1950 U.S. City Directory lists their address as 335 Ferris Avenue, and the 1950 census shows them living there with their three-year-old daughter, Gwendolyn. Glenn worked as a Fire Insurance Adjuster, while Bernice managed the home as a housekeeper. The couple later welcomed two sons, Scott and Wayne, though the exact birth dates are not specified.
Losses and Resilience
The family faced significant losses over the years. In 1961, Bernice’s father, Joseph, passed away on January 20 at age 77 while visiting his son, Jimmie Aaron in Orange, Texas. He was buried beside his wife in Strong Cemetery, Huxley, Texas. Another blow came on October 7, 1969, when Glenn “Buck” Moore died at age 53 in Long Beach, California. A decorated U.S. Air Force pilot during World War II, Glenn had flown combat missions in the European Theater, earning the Air Medal with nine oak leaf clusters and the French Croix de Fer with four battle stars for his valor.
A Second Marriage
After Glenn’s death, Bernice found love again and married Sam Milton McGee. Together, they had a daughter, Janice McGee Bruce. This second marriage brought new joy, though it too was touched by loss when Sam passed away on February 25, 1990, at age 68. He was buried in the Letitia Cemetery, Lawton, Oklahoma.
Later Years and Legacy
Bernice lived a long and resilient life, passing away on January 28, 2015, at the age of 93 in Arlington, Tarrant County, Texas. Her funeral services were held on February 2, 2015, at the Letitia Baptist Church east of Lawton, Oklahoma, followed by burial in the Letitia Cemetery under the direction of Dutton Funeral Home of Iowa Park, Texas.
Her obituary noted that she was preceded in death by her parents, all 11 siblings (including two who died young, Alma and Joseph Jr., and nine who lived into adulthood), her first husband Glenn Moore, her second husband Sam McGee, and two children from her first marriage—likely sons Scott and Wayne, as they are not listed among survivors. She was survived by daughters Gwendolyn Moore, one grandson and two great-grandsons from her first marriage, and a daughter, Janice Bruce, by her second marriage, along with six more grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Memorials were suggested to St. Jude’s, reflecting her legacy of care and generosity.
A Life of Strength and Service
Bernice Levell Oswalt Moore McGee’s story is one of perseverance through hardship, dedication to family, and service to her country. From her rural Texas roots to her wartime contributions in the Navy WAVES, and through the joys and sorrows of raising a family across two marriages, she left behind a rich legacy carried forward by her daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Day is done, God is nigh.
Larry E. Hume, VFW Post 8904, Center, Texas, researched the information for this biography, see sources below. Using this research and sources, the AI of Grok.com formalized and wrote the story with some minor editing by Hume.
SOURCES:
(1): Year: 1930; Census Place: Precinct 2, Shelby, Texas; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 0005; FHL microfilm: 2342124
(2): Year: 1940; Census Place: Shelby, Texas; Roll: m-t0627-04136; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 210-7
(3): https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/39091393/person/28036841163/facts?_phsrc=ITX150&_phstart=successSource
(4): Ancestry.com. Utah, U.S., Select Marriage Index, 1887-1985 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
(5): The National Archives at College Park, Maryland; College Park, MD, USA; Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities, 01/01/1939 - 01/01/1949; Record Group Title: Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, 1798-2007; Record Group:: 24
(6): National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Lawton, Comanche, Oklahoma; Roll: 6140; Page: 7; Enumeration District: 16-25D
(7): https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/39931057/bernice-levell-mcgee
