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- John Muth Bernd, 95, died Sunday, January 28, 2018 of natural causes at Portage County Health Center, Stevens Point, WI. He was born in Oconomowoc, WI on August 16, 1922. John spent his childhood in La Crosse, WI and lived there until he was 22.
Education was the fulcrum of his life. It started with his own education in La Crosse, at Central High School and La Crosse State Teachers College and continued to long career as a teacher. John engaged students through the years as a Wisconsin high school instructor at West Salem, Merrill, and South Milwaukee. His passion for learning led to a Ph.D. at Madison and his next phase as a university professor at William Patterson University, Wayne State University, UW-Stevens Point, and a few summers at the University of Saskatchewan.
Travel was an integral part of his educational approach. He headed a caravan of his high school students to Mexico and led university groups to Europe including London and Poland. During his early retirement years in Atlanta, GA, he escorted students to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China.
Outside of his career, John was a respected community leader. He received a Lifetime Membership Commendation for his 50 years of service to the Stevens Point Noon Lions Club. Among his proudest achievements was serving as chairman of the Stevens Point school board building committee and its driving force behind the construction of SPASH.
John was preceded in death by his first wife, Verlene Lee (Cayo) Bernd, in 1995.
He is survived by very loving family members including his current wife, Marilyn (Warner Kapter) Bernd, whom he shared the special love of twilight years since 1999; daughter, Mary Jo (Bernd) Ulrich of Ogema, WI; son, John Milton Bernd, of Bethlehem, GA; 3 grandchildren, Allyson (Ulrich) Jablonsky, Ramon Bernd, and John Bernd; 3 step-grandsons, Chad Ulrich, Curt Ulrich, and Cale Ulrich; and several great-grandchildren.
A private family ceremony will be held in the near future. Donations and remembrances can be made to the UW-Stevens Point Foundation and its John Muth Bernd Scholarship as well as the Stevens Point Noon Lions Club.
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