Cyril “Cy” Bernardy left us on August 15, 2018, at age 88 due to complications from Parkinson’s and cancer. He was born July 12, 1930, at home in rural Seaforth, Minnesota. He’d been a recent resident of Waseca and Luverne but lived for more than 50 years in Worthington, where he had a legal practice.
He attended Seaforth Public School through the eighth grade, then went to high school and junior college at Nazareth Hall in St. Paul. He received his bachelor’s degree from the St. Paul Seminary in 1952.
Cy joined the U.S. Air Force in 1953. After completing basic training, he was a research technician at the Air University in Alabama. Later he joined the OSI as a special agent serving first in Washington, D.C., and later in Germany as part of the occupation. After being honorably discharged in 1956, he worked in insurance in various roles before opening an office for Melhorn Mueller in Worthington.
He married his wife, Carole, in 1958, and the couple raised three children.
He received his J.D. in 1962 from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul and was admitted to both the state and federal bars in 1964. Cy was a special municipal judge in Worthington first by appointment and later elected to that office. He practiced law under Bernardy & Scholl (and, for a time, & Hanson) until his full retirement in 2000. A fierce advocate for his clients, he was not one whom you’d want to oppose in the courtroom. He didn’t have to advertise for clients, as his reputation preceded him.
He was a member of the Minnesota and American Bar Associations and also belonged to the American Legion, VFW, and Knights of Columbus and was a 35-year member of the Worthington Country Club. He’d always said his double eagle was better than his hole in one because it was more difficult to do—and how expensive it was to buy a round for everyone in the club after hitting a hole in one.
He loved woodworking and fishing; he and at least one of his sons would go to Canada each year as well as to his brother’s cabin “up north” for the annual men’s weekend, a boisterous event filled with family—and lots of fish poached and fried, cards played, and beer consumed.
He enjoyed gambling, whether it was in the local casinos or his favorite haunts in Las Vegas. Some people go to Arizona or Florida when they get sick of winter; every spring he and Carole would head to Vegas for a little vacation in the sun (or inside with the air conditioning at the poker machines, depending on the spouse).
When he was a kid, it was a big deal to scrape up the money to go to the movies, and he never lost his affection for them. For his favorites, he could practically recite the dialogue and never got sick of seeing them.
He enjoyed growing tomatoes and cucumbers and making chili and roasts in his pressure cooker, but he was a master at grilling. It was a coveted invitation to be at the Bernardy table for the annual King Turkey Day prime rib feast.
He was predeceased by his parents Mary and George as well as all of his brothers and sisters: Julia, Tony, Joe, Alice, Oswald (“Ozzie”), Beatrice, Yvonne, and Francis (“Frank”). He is survived by his wife, Carole; sons Charles (Nina) and Christopher (Wai Yee), daughter Catherine (Jason); and grandson, Nicholas.
A celebration of his life will begin at 2 p.m. at GreatLIFE (Worthington Country Club) on Saturday, August 25. Services will be on Sunday, August 26, at 2 p.m. at St. Mary’s Church in Worthington, with Father Jim Callahan and Deacon Vern Behrends officiating, with interment to be a private family affair.
Previous Events
Visitation
25
Aug
851 W Oxford St
Worthington, MN 56187
Service
26
Aug
1215 7th Ave
Worthington, MN 56187
