James L. Bernard, 93, beloved husband, father, brother, grandfather, uncle and friend, went to be with the Lord on Monday, September 26, 2022. A son of the late Stanley and Helen (Broskin) Bernard, he was born at home in Lucernemines on October 17, 1928, the youngest of seven children. He was married to the late Virginia (Williams) Bernard, spending over 64 years together.
After graduating high school, Jim enlisted in the U. S. Army to serve in the Korean War. He later graduated from Penn State University, where he focused on Animal Husbandry. He secured a position as a foreman at Millarden Farms, an award-winning Black Angus ranch located in Annville, PA, not just managing the nutrition and general well-being of the show cattle in his charge, but also taking them on the road to demonstrate their finer points to other breeders. Jim eventually moved his family back to western PA to further his education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, (then known as Indiana State College), and secured a position with the Department of Environmental Resources from which he retired in 1990.
Jim loved gardening, fishing, reading and traveling. He and his wife, Virginia, loved to camp. They traveled through Alaska twice, even taking 4 of their (then) 6 grandchildren with them in the 90’s, as well as visiting Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Jackson Hole, Arches NP, the Grand Canyon and many other historic and natural wonders of the West; when one of their daughters was homeschooling, he and Virginia took them on a six-week history and foliage motor-home trip through the New England states. They also traveled regularly throughout Pennsylvania, including a trip to Parker Dam every year to see the elk.
His love of gardening led him to become a Master Gardener where he earned Emeritus status with the local Extension Office, accruing 522 hours over 15 years of volunteer service. Some might remember the large “flags” he would make out of red, white and blue potatoes; he grew, cleaned and arranged them in a wooden frame for a yearly exhibit at the county fair. He was known for sharing vegetables whenever he could. Jim passed his love of gardening on to his daughters and his grandchildren. All of them have something growing somewhere on their windowsills or garden or in their yard.
Jim not only taught his daughters about gardening, he also taught everyone in the family to fish; brook trout was one of his favorites. He would even take the younger daughters fishing for bluegills at a nearby pond Sunday mornings before Mass.
He was a teacher at heart. Jim would take vacation days from his regular job to substitute teach at Homer-Center High School. “Mr. Bernard” was not the baby-sitting type, either. If he substituted in your class, you were bound to learn something that day!
Although Jim never visited Poland, he was proud of his heritage and knew a lot about Polish history, often pointing out people he knew were of Polish descent as well as reminding his family of the Polish resistance to Hitler’s onslaught – “Poland, First to Fight”
He was a member of the Church of the Good Shepherd Catholic Church, Kent, volunteering in the parking lot for their famous fish dinners; besides Master Gardeners, James also volunteered with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and AARP during tax season. In addition, he was a member of the National Guard.
He is survived by his children: Marguerite “Margi” Rice and husband Thomas Rice, Jr., of Carlsbad, NM; Kathleen “Kathy” Ressler and husband Jeffrey, of Petersburg, PA; Roberta “Robin” Gordon and husband Brian, of Medina, OH; Annette Bernard, of Indiana; Bernadette Sheaffer and husband Thomas, of Akron, PA. He is also survived by 8 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren as well as many nieces and nephews that called him Uncle Jimmy.
Besides to his wife and parents, he was preceded in death by his siblings: Mary, Edward, William, Stanley, Joseph and Florence.
Friends will be received on Saturday, Oct. 15th from 10:30 until 11:30 AM at Church of the Good Shepherd Catholic Church, Kent, with a Mass of Christian Burial immediately following with Father Andrew Corriente, celebrant. Entombment will follow at St. Bernard Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Penn State Master Gardener’s of Indiana County: 827 Water Street, Indiana, PA, United States, Pennsylvania.
Online condolences may be offered by visiting: rbfh.net
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