John Bernhardt R.I.P.
Our good friend John Bernhardt died this morning the 8th of February, 2013, at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Here is a message from his daughter Katie, which does not give the full measure of the man. In my long years on this earth I have seen courage manifested in various forms but I think that John exhibited a will to live through years of unmanageable pain and trauma. There is much more I could say but will leave you with remembrances of things past from the true love of his life, his daughter, Katie Bernhardt.
Raised in Monroe, LA. He was a proud graduate of Neville High School, also known as the Tigers.
He started playing golf as a boy. He would play baseball in the summer and still find a way to play golf each day. His first hole in one was in Monroe. He wore a green shirt that day, green has been his favorite color since. Although left- handed, his first set of clubs were ladies right handed clubs and so he became a right handed golfer. In the last two years he took up putting left handed.
LSU football, and LSU athletics in general were a passion of his. The day his football season tickets came in the mail each year was a day he beamed with joy. Tailgating was one of his favorite things to do before a game. He never set up his own; he liked to spend the entire day walking the campus going from tent to tent talking to friends. He liked getting to our seats an hour early to watch the team warm up.
He loved football in general. He was terribly bored not working and stuck at home so the last football season he had 14 fantasy football teams.
He loves talking about who LSU was recruiting and watching the team come together each year. He loves the Tiger band as well.
Although he was an attorney, he seldom practiced law. His primary business was his small oil and gas exploration company. He loved his work- putting ventures together and hunting for future prospects.
For about 30 years, beginning with his first trip to Pebble Beach, he dreamed of becoming part of the community and somehow retiring there. That seemed a little far fetched for a Monroe boy. He has started a company named Monterey Land Investments- with the goal being to use it to retire on Monterey Peninsula. Although the last few years were not at all what he had in mind, the dream did come true in a sense. He joined MPCC and bought a place in pebble beach.
He loved the time he spent on the west coast. Particularly the friendships he formed through his love of golf. My Dad loved playing at the Olympic Club but enjoyed the company after the rounds as much as the course.
My Dad loved yet sometimes despised politics. He always stayed involved to some degree in the background in Louisiana politics. In 2008 he was a delegate to the democratic national convention. He explained to me that it was part of adhering to his values. Being a democrat with a concern for the environment in the oil business in Louisiana certainly put him in a small club but one he was proud of. He once has an environmental consulting company. He loved having different projects at once. He said it was how he made use of his ADD.
This is Mardi Gras season which is something my father has always enjoyed. His favorite Mardi Gras festivity was being a member of the Mystic Krew of Louisianians, which everyone refers to as Washington Mardi Gras. It is a Mardi Gras krew that is driven by state politics and is great celebration of Louisiana culture and politic in Washington DC.
He was also a member in several New Orleans krews and enjoyed riding in the parades and attending a week or two of luncheons, parties, balls and generally having fun.
He loved to travel and wanted see much more of the world. He traveled to Paris almost every other year and the city had an impact on him that I struggle to articulate.
His perseverance was endless. He missed eating and drinking so much that he did painful rehabilitation exercises each day to learn to eat again. He did this rather successfully twice. The last year has proven to be a real obstacle in that area. He did miss food so much that he refused to quit trying. He would never complain about how painful it was but it was agonizing just to watch. He would choke catch his breath and try again. His determination was endless.
His charm, wit and sense of humor made a lasting impression on everyone. Laughter was simply part of everything, truly a jovial man. He also never stopped going, like an energizer bunny. He would drive and fly to3 states for business in a week then say "wanna run down to Florida for the weekend." He could make things happen by having endless energy and determination.
He liked going to both coasts, the mountains and desert at least once each year.
He took me everywhere. If there was a fundraiser for a politician, fantasy football draft, golf, cocktail parties, if he went on the nights I stayed with him, I went too. We threw the nerf football every evening before going out to dinner, yes every evening we did eat out. He was not much of a cook.
I recently was told, and reminded by an old friend, that every morning he would go to the circle K convenience store, pick up his news paper, little Debbie or bear claw and a coke. Then he would park across from the girl’s dorm and have breakfast and read the paper while they walked to school. He had me to Wednesday and Friday mornings and would drop me off at school before his breakfast stop.
He took me on a 2-3 week vacation each summer. He loved our national parks. He loved going to Olmstead point in Yosemite because of the connection to golf architecture.
Every New Year's Day he liked to start the year off by hitting a few balls. This often required sneaking around a few fences. I enjoyed doing that with him.
Katie