Carole Bernardy, formerly of Worthington, died July 11, 2019, at age 85. She was born July 29, 1933, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
She grew up in Sioux Falls and graduated from Cathedral High School. In her youth, she worked at her mother’s Courtesy Cafe. After high school, she earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of St. Catherine (now St. Catherine University) in St. Paul, Minnesota.
After college, she worked as a stewardess for United and then as a fashion buyer for Dayton’s. She married Cyril Bernardy in 1958 at the then-brand-new St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Sioux Falls. Following her wedding, her career was that of homemaker and mother to three children. They moved to Worthington in 1963.
An only child, she’d said she’d always wanted an older brother. In 2010 the family of her brother, given up for adoption at birth, found her, and she also instantly gained a sister-in-law and many nieces and nephews.
Carole appreciated beauty in all its forms. She played the piano, sang, and loved to listen to music. She enjoyed decorating her home according to the seasons, top to bottom, inside and out, and put much effort into her flowers and landscaping. She loved fashion and shopping.
Though she may not have known “how to boil water” when she got married, as she often claimed, she quickly became an outstanding cook in her tiny kitchen. Whether it was for a huge holiday feast, a dinner party, a birthday party for her children, or “that” hotdish on a random winter evening, everything she made was eagerly devoured. Many around Worthington impatiently awaited her Christmas Party Mix annually.
She loved to give gifts to people and would often stock up on items just so that she would always have something on hand for a last-minute or impromptu gift for someone.
She had been residing at the VA nursing home in Luverne for the past 10-plus years, following a stroke in 2004.
She was predeceased by her husband, parents, and brother, LaVern Gill. Survivors include her three children: Charles (Nina), Christopher (Wai-Yee), and Catherine (Jason); one grandchild, Nicholas; sister-in-law, Ruth Gill, and many nieces and nephews.
Services will be Sunday, July 21, 2019, at 2:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Worthington, with Father Jim Callahan and Deacon Vern Behrens officiating. Visitation will be an hour before Mass at the church, and interment will follow on Monday, July 22.
Previous Events
Visitation
21
Jul
1215 7th Ave
Worthington, MN 56187
Service
21
Jul
1215 7th Ave
Worthington, MN 56187
Cemetery Details
Location
29600 County Highway 35
Worthington, MN 56187
