Dad's Navy Photo
About 18 Years Old
Colonel of Idaho State Police
Dad and Mom On Their Last Trip Together Visiting Missouri Cousins
Dad was born August 2nd of 1924 . He died almost 20 years ago after a 6 year battle with cancer at age 66 on a Sunday morning, October 14th of 1990. I could write pages and pages about him, the influence he had on my life, how I knew he loved me and of the love and kindness he gave to everyone that knew him. My sister Kathy and I were both daddy's little girls. Kathy was 10 years old when my parents adopted me. I was less than a day old. My sister Andrea who was just 2 or 3 years younger than Kathy lived only 11 hours, and returned to heaven.
When I was a little girl I wanted to grow up and marry my daddy. For me, he was perfection. He loved my mother with all his heart and he loved his girls, just as much. Every day after work when he came through the door, he found my mother, hugged her and kissed her, and then he would find Kathy and I and do the same. I remember him always doing this while I lived at home. And from then on when ever I entered his home or he entered mine we would greet each other in the same manner, including all of his grandchildren. It was easy for all of us to show affection for each other because of him. I remember fishing trips to Hagerman , pheasant hunting, camping near Featherville, and brownies, meatloaf and rhodes bread every week on his day off. There were many family picnics and reunions. He came from a family of 13, so the Bernard gatherings were great fun.
He worked hard as a peace officer. First as deputy, and Sheriff in Emmett Idaho, and then as a patrolman in the Idaho State Police, where he worked his way up the ranks until he was at the very top as Colonel of the State. There he retired at age 60.
In his life he served his God, his Family , his Country, and any who crossed his path.
For most of his adult life he was very well acquainted with physical pain, but very seldom let it stop him from what he was doing.
The legacy of love, kindness, and service he left to me, I hope is felt by those in my own family, and by any who enter my home.
One of the great lessons I learned from him was "Never judge one by his outward appearance,
never judge another by someone else's words. Come to your own opinion of a person, by your own experience with them. Be quick to forgive, trust someone until they give you reason not to trust them. Be kind to every-one, in every- way that you can....."
Though I have missed him now for nearly 20 years, I continue to Remember him, everyday....
