Bearwald was born in Forest Park, Illinois, USA on 10 August 1910, the first of two children born to parents Ladislav, a printer for International Harvester Company, and Rose Stanley. She was baptized and confirmed in St. John’s Lutheran Church in Forest Park, and would remain a lifelong Lutheran.

She met her future husband, Erwin Bearwald, in 1929, although the couple wouldn’t marry until six years later due to the economic constraints of the Great Depression. The couple had one child, Ronald. In 1942, they moved to Maywood, Illinois, and resided here until 1956, when they moved into a new home in Addison. The pair were frequent travelers; they visited all 50 capital cities in the United States, in addition to 13 countries in Europe. They remained married for 49 years until Erwin’s death in 1984.

Bearwald’s hobbies included reading, record collecting, knitting, and playing her Hammond organ. She also participated in many local craft fairs with her husband. She continued to live independently in her own home until she was 94, when she moved into a retirement community. She passed away in Northbrook, Illinois on 3 October 2020, aged 110 years, 54 days.