The Miracle of the Bierschenk Girls

Daniel Segraves

Let me share with you the miracle of the Bierschenk girls. I’m keenly interested in this story, because one of these girls, Susan [lower right] is my wife of 5 years as of yesterday.

The Bierschenk girls – Wally Ann, Rosalie, Mary Ruth, and Susan Jean – were all born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. Their father, Walter J. Bierschenk, was a successful businessman who owned Bierschenk Brothers Plumbing with his brother, Chris. Walter was also the director of the Kosair Temple Band, which played at events for the Kosair Crippled Children’ Hospital in Louisville. He was also the commander in chief for the VFW. Walter and his wife, Virginia Jean, the girls’ mother, were well known on the social scene in Louisville.

Walter was buried in the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery by his wife. He had served in World War II.

Susan, the youngest of the girls, was born on June 11, 1944. Her father died at the age of 51, when Susan was 20 months old. She has no memory of him. Susan’s mother was 44 when she passed away. Susan was 8 years old. The Bierschenk girls were orphans.

From left, Wally Ann, Rosalie, Mary Ruth, Susan Jean

Neither Walter nor his wife attended church regularly, but a relative took the girls to St. Paul’s Evangelical and Reformed Church. Wally and Rosalie completed the requirements for Confirmation.

Walter had the wisdom to provide a trust for his daughters in the event of his death. In today’s dollars, the value of the trust was about $850,000. This was enough to provide for all four until they reached adulthood.

The Louisville Trust Company administered the funds, hiring a lady to live with and raise the girls. She was experientally and doctrinally a Oneness Pentecostal. The result: all four embraced the Pentecostal life; three married preachers.

For 41 years now, the girls and their families have gathered for a reunion each year. The following pictures, and those above, were taken on September 29, 2018, on the occasion of the 41st reunion, held at the Governor’s Mansion in Charlestown, Indiana.

From left: Austin Christman, Susan’s grandson; Michael Christman, Susan’s son-in-law; Lisa Mustread, Wally’s daughter; Susan; Daniel Segraves, Susan’s husband; Jimmy Soberg, Mary Ruth’s husband; Mary Ruth; Rosalie; Willis Thoen, Rosalie’s husband; Becky Christman, Susan’s daughter, took the picture.

If you would like to read more of this story, see Susan’s article, “Blooming in Brokenness,” in the October 2018 issue of the Pentecostal Life magazine, available at pentecostallife.com.