Bernier, David J. If you are reading this, I've recently left the physical world after 85 great years. I have had an enviable life and have been so lucky to have such a wonderful wife, amazing family and lifelong friends. I have been truly blessed. I was born in the usual way on November 5, 1935 in St Paul, Minnesota to Cyril and Gen Bernier. My mother was fabulous. I went to Holy Name grade school in Minneapolis, and then Central High, and on to the University of Minnesota, where I graduated in 1961. I served a two year stint in the Army in between. In 1962, I was married. While I was Penney's boss at work when we met, we quickly reversed roles. Our twins, Jill and Julie, came 9 months and 3 days after the wedding date. Two additional children, Peter and Karen, came shortly after, making it a wonderfully chaotic household. At one point, we had four children under the age of three. I want to thank Penney for being a wonderful wife and for raising the kids better than anyone could have. My career was in real estate assessment, otherwise known as figuring out what buildings are worth. I ran the assessors office for the City of Minneapolis for 8 years. from 1985-1993. I was lucky to be able to retire at the age of 57 and was never busier or happier . I filled my hours with family, tennis, antique clock repair (it's true that I have 200 clocks in our basement), and have always been a natural born collector. I have studied French and Spanish as a hobby. My favorite travel spots are Mexico and France, and I definitely have learned that I preferred adventure travel versus "vacations". This is a list of some of my favorite memories: -Being married to the love of my life for 58 years, and having a partnership that got stronger and stronger over the years -Writing handmade love letters to my bride, Penney. -Playing tennis with my grandson, and watching him play matches as he became an accomplished high school player -Reading Disney comic books with my children and then my grandchildren on my lap -Biking with my avid biking friend -Receiving the ultimate compliment when my son and daughter-in-law bought a house 6 doors away from us -Bringing up my children in Linden Hills while living in the same house for 45 years. -Being an active member of the St Thomas the Apostle community for 58 years, and serving as an usher for much of that time -Taking exotic trips with my family, including a service trip to Africa with my grandson and daughter -Working on projects and repairs at Fish Trap lake -Planting and caring for my favorite plants, literally hundreds of beautiful Hostas, during a lifetime of gardening. -Taking the kids to the dump which, by the way, they loved -Having the same best friend now that I had in high school -Seeing a grandson spread his wings to teach in Taiwan -Walking three of my grandchildren to the bus stop every morning for 8 years. -Surviving 85 years without a cell phone until I got one recently In closing, I'd like to say that my four children, and their many successes, are my proudest accomplishment. As some parting advice, I believe that families are a lot like Hostas. Relatively easy to raise, durable, and beautiful, as long as you work at it. David passed on March 12, 2021, and is survived by his wife, Penney; his brothers Tim and Michael Bernier; four children and their spouses (Jill and Rand Adams, Julie and Matthew Richardson, Pete and Deb Bernier, and Karen and Michael Goldfarb), his 11 grandchildren (Elise, Jack, Matt, Lily, Edward, Izzy, Ben, Emmy, Jacob, Charlie and Lucas). Due to covid restrictions, funeral details will be announced at a later date.

Published on March 21, 2021