Wednesday, November 29, 2023
I know Bernie from Loretta. I met him after my lowest point. When I showed up at Loretta, Bernie was a really nice, polite and almost shy person who was keeping to himself there. He was a bunkmate to my friend Anand.
Another friend Willy suggested that I get a job at the food and clothing warehouse. People warned me that it was hard work, but I wasn’t afraid of that and apparently neither was Bernie. Bernie was such a mild mannered, hard-working guy that I felt lucky to be in a position to work with him. It’s a very unusual thing to go to the worst place and meet the best people. Bernie and I were friendly every day at the warehouse because we were stuck there together and he had such a strong work ethic.
We talked about things that we had been through and friends we had And our families. We talked about so many things, and one of them was his desire to be an extreme athlete to be a senior and bicycle enthusiast. I said I would come and visit him after our Loretto days. Just today, I looked online and was blown away about Bernie’s passing. I know that his family that was so dear to him was devastated and I feel sad that all of those people that were close to him and so proud of him would have been devastated too.
Bernie was the coolest guy I ever met and I felt so lucky to have known him. I wish I could have seen him just one more time.
It’s a blessing to have known Bernie. I’m so lucky!
