Bill C. Bernhardt (1943-2011)
(Bill was the son of William Crawford and Bertice Drake Bernhardt, grandson of Ira Leo Bernhardt.)


Bill C. Bernhardt, 68, passed away September 24, 2011 at his residence here in Panama City with his family by his side.

Bill was born in Salisbury, North Carolina to the late William C. Bernhardt and Bertice I. Drake in February of 1943.

He proudly served his country in the United States Air Force for 26 years, receiving many ribbons and awards for his duties, also being a Vietnam veteran, a model aircraft builder of scale models and an avid giver of blood to the American Red Cross. He moved to the Panama City area in 1988 after retiring from the United States Air Force.

Survivors include his wife of 16 years Cathy Bragg Bernhardt of Panama City, Florida; two sons Michael C. Bernhardt and his wife Mary of Panama City, Florida, Daryl R. Bernhardt and his wife Diane of Colorado Springs, Colorado; two daughters Renee Cumbie and her husband Andy, Michelle Broadway and her husband Randy of Panama City, Florida; one brother Gary Bernhardt and his wife Carol, a sister Brenda Lowder and her husband Johnny of North Carolina; eight grand children and two great-grandchildren.

Funeral services for Mr. Bernhardt will be held at Southerland Family Funeral Home on Tuesday September 27 at 11:00 a.m. with Reverend Virgil Tillman officiating. Interment will follow in Garden of Memories Cemetery. Friends may visit with the family at the funeral home on Monday night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Honorary Pallbearers for MSgt (ret) Bernhardt will be Robbie Roberson, Fred Padgett, Richard Bentley, Bill Blake, Dean Holliday, and Jay Goss.

In lieu of flowers the Bernhardt family request that donations be made to Covenant Hospice or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Bill's memory.

Barbeque

We're Bernhardt's so of course we have to eat,

and talk,

and laugh!

2011 Bernhardt Reunion

We had a wonderful time at the reunion this year beginning on Saturday afternoon with a trip to The North Carolina Transportation Museum.

There was something for young and not so old a like!

Pvt. Joseph C. Bearden Completes Basic, Advanced Training

Pvt. Joseph C. Bearden of Kannapolis graduated from U.S. Army Basic Combat Training and Infantry Advanced Individual Training July 8 at Ft. Benning, Ga., where he was in the 3rd Platoon Bravo Company, 2-19 Infantry Division. He was qualified as a sharp shooter.

Bearden will be stationed in Fort Louis, Wash., in the 2nd Infantry Division until February 2012, when he will deploy to Afghanistan.

He is the son of Charles T. Bearden Jr. and Julie Fink Bearden; the grandson of Brenda Bernhardt Lowder, Charles T. Bearden Sr., and Milford and Theresa Fink; and the great-grandson of Joann and Percy Johnson. He has one sister, Shea Nicole Bearden

Joseph is the great-grandson of Crawford Bernhardt, great-great grandson of Leo Bernhardt.
We are proud of you Joe.

Bernhardt Family Reunion - August 6 & 7, 2011

Yes! It’s Bernhardt Reunion time again. Time is really flying by. We hope that you will be there and bring your whole family. Activities have been planned for all ages.

As years pass and our numbers grow, we move farther from our roots, losing contact with many family members. The reunion, that our great grandparents initiated over 50 years ago, was an attempt to strengthen family ties. We honor those intentions by working to maintain those family bonds and attending the family reunion.

But, that doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy ourselves, after all, the Bernhardts are a fun lot. Let’s get to know our relatives, introduce our children to their Bernhardt cousins and have a great time. If you and your children don’t enjoy the reunion, we are doing something wrong and it needs to be changed, so get involved and let us know what you want to do. We hope the activities planned for this year will be fun and give you a chance to reconnect with your family.

Are you enjoying the JC Bernhardt blog? If you haven't seen it, please check it out at www.jcbernhardt.blogspot.com. You’ll find lots of pictures and stories from the past, recent family news and plans for the reunion.

Please let Glenna Sears know of births, marriages and deaths so that they may be recorded. glennasears@bellsouth.net

If you have any questions please contact me at kmacc@carolina.rr.com or call 704-797-8964.

Here are the plans for this August. Please let your family members, whose contacts I may not have, know of our plans.

I hope to see you soon!

Karen McConnell

Saturday, August 6

•  North Carolina Transportation Museum Tour (Spencer, N.C.) 4:00 pm

 We will meet at Barber Junction Station, which is the first building you come to when you enter the Museum grounds and parking area (off North Salisbury Avenue/ Spencer’s Main Street), at 4 pm. Glenn Ketner has arranged for the admission fee to be waived for our group. The tour will take about one and a half hours and will include the Roundhouse, the simulated Wright Brothers “first flight” plane, vintage train engines and cars, the “Back Shop” and special exhibits in the Museum proper. I believe the tour will have something of interest for young and old and all those in between. Please let Glenn know if you would like to join us. glenn@ketnerlaw.com A head count would be helpful but you can still come if you have not made reservations. You can read more about the museum at http://www.nctrans.org/

•  Hendrix Barbecue - 6 pm - Dutch treat supper.

Join us at Hendrix, about a mile North of the Museum entrance at 615 North Salisbury Avenue, Spencer. Again, a head count would be useful and you can still join us even if you don’t take the tour of the Transportation Museum. Email Glenn if you would like to join us. glenn@ketnerlaw.com. Don’t hesitate to come even without reservations.

  

Sunday, August 7

•   Worship Service – 10:30 am - St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Salisbury, NC

 Covered Dish Luncheon –12:30 pm - St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Salisbury, NC

 A entertaining and educational program is being planned by Stan Sebastian; and we know those are always fun. Activities for the younger set are planned as well.

•  Tour of the 1845 John Crawford Bernhardt Home – 2:30 – 350 Glover Road, Salisbury, NC

 A tour of the house with some juicy family stories and gossip will be given by the Leo branch of the family.  You will have a chance to sit and talk. Beverages and what dessert might be left from the church will be served. Yard games will be available for the young and young at heart.

Laura Fritts Bernhardt (1916 - 2011)

Glenna Sears sent is this sad news and obituary:

Karen, don’t know if you heard that a member of the Joseph Clarence Bernhardt family died this week.  Laura Fritts Bernhardt died Sunday, July 3, 2011 in Wilson.  She was married to Mother’s brother, Carl Bernhardt, and her children are Kitty Thomas (of Wilson) and Charles Bernhardt (of Lexington).  Her service and visitation were yesterday, July 6^th, in Lexington.  She’s buried beside Uncle Carl at Forest Hill Memorial Park in Lexington.  The service was a celebration of a long life and a wonderful teacher, with lots of stories.  We were out of town until Tuesday evening but retrieved messages in time to head over to Lexington yesterday for the service.  I’ve attached the funeral home obituary.

Laura Fritts Bernhardt, 94, formerly of Yadkin College,NC, died July 3,2011, at Wilson Medical Center.


A graveside service will be held in Forest Hill Memorial Park on Wednesday, July 6, at 2:00 PM. The family will receive friends at Davidson Funeral Home from 12:30 to 1:30 prior to the service.

Mrs. Bernhardt was born October 30, 1916, in Davidson County, to David Thomas Fritts, Sr. and Lenora Belle Davis Fritts. In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by her husband, Carl E. Bernhardt, as well as brothers Dr. Olin Grady Fritts, D.T. Fritts, Jr., Charles Ray Fritts, sisters Mary Hoover, Afton Koontz, Willie Carol Brinkley, Ellen Lucille Fritts, Virginia Leonard, and half sister Gladys Wilson. One sister, Wanda Garner of Lexiington, survives, as well as many nieces, nephews, great-nieces/nephews who have memories of being taught in school or tutored by “Aunt Laura”.

Also surviving are her children Catherine (Kitty) Bernhardt Thomas and husband Vincent of Wilson, NC and Charles Bernhardt and wife Carol of Yadkin College, two grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.

Mrs. Bernhardt was a long time teacher in Lexington City and Davidson County school systems. She was an active member of Yadkin College Methodist Church as long as her health permitted.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Yadkin College Methodist Church, c/o Martha Walser, 465 Center Church Road, Lexington, NC 27295 or to Friends of Barton Library, Endowment Collection, P.O. Box 5000, Wilson, NC 27893, or to the charity of one’s choice.

Reunion August 7th, 2011

Everyone is working hard on plans for the Bernhardt Reunion this year. Details of all events will follow, but for those of you following the blog here is a sneak peak of some of the plans.

Saturday August 6th
We will be taking a tour of the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer. Many Bernhardt men worked on the RR so this will be a special treat for us. We'll see the Wagon Wheels to Wings Exhibit, Tour the Roundhouse and much more. Great fun for all ages.
Afterwards we'll have a great family dinner at Rick's Barbeque; you know about Bernhardts and Barbeque!

Sunday August 7th
Worship at St. Paul's is at 10:30 and it's always wonderful to see the whole family in attendance.
Covered dish dinner will begin at 12:30. We are in for a treat with the program focusing on Bernhardt family sites and scenes. There will be special activities for the kids!

Sunday Afternoon
After lunch you are all invited to the Bernhardt Family Homeplace. Sit on the porch and catch up with your cousins, walk through the rooms your ancestors spent time in, play a game of Corn Hole or Horse Shoes, or take a lazy walk down to the meadow. We might also finish off that dessert that was leftover.

I hope that whets your appetite, it's a full schedule, but remember it's all about family and it won't be the same if you aren't here!

It's Time to Start Thinking about the Reunion 2011

August is fast approaching and we need to get busy on our plans for the reunion. Hopefully we'll have a great crowd and get to renew family ties with those we seldom see. I hope that you are making plans to be with us at St. Paul's on Sunday, August 7th.

If you remember last year we assigned a different activity to different branches of the family. On Saturday afternoon there will be a family oriented event. On Sunday the luncheon and then a event aimed at learning more about the history of our family. We may even throw in an Friday evening event for the 20, 30 & 40 somethings.

Please send me the details about what your group is planning so that I can get the information out to everyone as soon as possible. Let's get this on our calendars and make it a great year for the Bernhardt Reunion.

Floyd Gilbert Bernhardt

SALISBURY - Mr. Floyd Gilbert Bernhardt, 68, of Salisbury, passed away Friday, May 6, 2011 at Rowan Regional Medical Center in Salisbury.

Born on Aug. 27, 1942, in Rowan County, Mr. Berhardt was the son of the late John Cecil Bernhardt and Ruth Canup Bernhardt.

He was a graduate of East Rowan High School and East Carolina University with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technologies. Mr. Bernhardt was a veteran of the United States Air Force and worked for Burlington Industries for 34 years where he worked up to Executive Vice President. He was a member of Shiloh Reformed Church in Faith, the American Legion and the Masonic Lodge.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Donna Joyce Ludwig Bernhardt, and brother, Phil Bernhardt.

Mr. Bernhardt is survived by his sons Van Bernhardt and wife Wendi of Lexington, and Britt Bernhardt and wife Christy of Ellenboro; brothers J.C. Bernhardt, Vernon Bernhardt and Claude Bernhardt; sisters, Barbara Deese, Judy Bernhardt, and Bonnie Lawlor; and four grandchildren.

Service: 11 a.m. Monday, May 9, 2011 at Shiloh Reformed Church in Faith conducted by Rev. Wayne Trexler. Burial will follow at the church cemetery.

Visitation: The family will receive friends from 4-6 p.m. Sunday, May 8, 2011 at Powles Funeral Home in Rockwell.

Memorials: In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Shiloh Reformed Church Building Fund at P.O. Box 308 Faith, NC 28041.

1989 Bernhardt Reuion - St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Salisbury

Clonnie "David" Deese Jr.


SALISBURY - Clonnie "David" Deese, Jr., 69, passed away Sunday afternoon, March 13, 2011, at Rowan Regional Medical Center.

Born July 9, 1941, in Rowan County, he was the son of the late CD "Tom" Sr. and Lizzie Ludwig Deese. He was a 1959 graduate of Granite Quarry High School, a graduate of Salisbury Business College and a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church.

Mr. Deese served our country in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam era and was an accountant and tax service preparer for more than 37 years, owning Deese Accounting and Bookkeeping.

David began playing and performing music at age 12 with his father, Tom Deese. His love of good music led him to become an accomplished professional bluegrass musician, playing his banjo for people such as Arthur Smith, Bill Monroe, Red Smiley, The Jones Brothers, Betty Fisher and the WBT Briarhoppers.

He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Museum in Owensboro, Ky., and was made a Kentucky colonel. He received several Lifetime Achievement Awards in North and South Carolina, including the N.C. Heritage Award.

Mr. Deese was also a member of Keller Memorial Lodge, Oasis Shrine Temple, Rowan Shrine Club and Order of Eastern Star in Rockwell.

Surviving family members include his wife, Barbara Bernhardt Deese, whom he married June 11, 1961; his daughter, Connie Dee Christman; his sister, Nina Deese Ridenhour and husband Don, both of Salisbury; grandchildren Connor Allen and Strider Lee Christman; and a number of nieces and nephews.

Visitation and Service: The family will receive friends Tuesday from 5-7 p.m. and Wednesday 2-3 p.m. at Linn-Honeycutt Funeral Home in China Grove. Funeral will be at 3 p.m. Wednesday in the funeral home chapel, conducted by the Revs. William Ketchie and George Kluttz. Burial will follow in St. Paul's Lutheran Church Cemetery.

Memorials: May be made to Rowan Regional Hospice, 720 Grove St., Salisbury, NC 28144; St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 205 St. Paul's Church Road, Salisbury, NC 28146; Shriner's Children's Hospital, P.O. Box 560666, Charlotte, NC 28256; Order of the Eastern Star Scholarship Fund, Attn: Fredia Nettles, P.O. Box 61660, Apex, NC 27502-9998; or to the donor's choice.

David Deese

Funeral Arrangements for David C. Deese, Jr.: husband of Barbara Bernhardt Deese.


Visitation will be held at Linn-Honeycutt (China Grove) from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 15, and on Wednesday, March 16, at Linn-Honeycutt from 2:00-3:00 p.m.

Funeral Service will be held at Linn-Honeycutt at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16, with Interment following the Funeral Service in St. Paul's Cemetery.

Bernhardt Clan About 1927

Ira Leo Family




Ira Leo Bernhardt Family circa 1930

Includes Martha Jane Brown Bernhardt, Maggie Parks Bernhardt, William and Eliza Parks plus children Crawford, Myron, Howard, Ruth, Charles and Roy Bernhardt.

Lonnie Cletis Bernhardt

Lonnie Cletis Bernhardt the son of Jacob Alphonso Bernhardt was one of 4 siblings: Lonnie was the oldest, then came Gussie, then Allie (“Al”), then Raymond and finally the youngest was Lillian. The only living descendants are from Lonnie and Al, as the rest either did not have kids (Gussie and Raymond) or all the children are gone (Lillian lost her girl at the age of 2 and her son Billy Thomas at midlife).

Al had one child (Shirley Bartlett) who now has grandchildren. But the rest of the descendants from Jacob Alphonso are all from Lonnie.

Jacob Alphonso, the father  (my grandfather), and his wife Ada (formerly Ada Meisenheimer) seemed to never get along. After being married a few years, they split up but didn’t divorce. Jacob Alphonso then went to live in a rail car at the Spencer Shops. People tend to think that his wife, Ada, was bi-polar although that term wasn’t even invented at the time. But her mood could be really up or really down, and when it was down, she could be a real nagger. On the other side, Jacob was the youngest of the kids from Laura Elizabeth Davis (JC Bernhardt’s first wife) and I learned from my aunts and uncles that he was doted on (some say “petted” too much) and thus was used to having his way. So it seemed that this union was doomed from the git-go.

The two eventually got back together and lived in a house in the city of Salisbury, beside of the residence where Ernest Theophilus lived. Uncle Ernest’s house is still there but the house where my grandpa and grandma lived is long gone.

Ada’s brother, Al Meisenheimer, had a farm on what is now St. Pauls Chruch Road. Al used to come to Salisbury to sell livestock and vegetables. My dad decided that he did not want to stay in his own house since his mom and dad fought all the time, so he followed Al all the way out to Town Creek one day as Al was heading back home. Al picked him up and put him in the wagon and my dad never went back home until he was a teenager. So Lonnie was actually raised on the Meisenheimer farm. My father wasn’t close to his dad, but I don’t think he hated him. Dad seemed to be able to see both sides in his parent’s arguments.

Later on, Jacob Alphonso and his wife split again and this time they divorced. Surprisingly Jacob never learned to drive a car until after he was divorced. He would take the trolley car to work (at Spencer) and back, and everything else he needed was close by in the city. But after the two split for good, Jacob Alphonso got his driver’s license and moved to South Carolina. He went to live in a boarding house.

Before he left Salisbury, Jacob Alphonso got my dad, Lonnie, a job in the Spencer Shops when my dad was only 17. Grandpa Jacob himself was a boilermaker at the shops. I had heard my grandpa talk many times of how you would take a flat piece of steel, drill holes in it, then curve it into the shape of a cylinder, rivet it together and then construct the boiler tubes. Since the Spencer Shops were a complete overhaul facility, they had a separate boiler building which meant that the shops were quite a big operation. 

Story told by Oleba Bernhardt Sebastian