Obituary of Harriet Bernhardt

Harriet Marie Bernhardt, 87, of Port Edwards died Monday, August 13, 2012 at Howard Young Medical Center in Woodruff. Harriet was born March 13, 1925 in Warsaw, New York, to Carl and Bessie (Whaley) Pflaum. She grew up on her family's dairy and apple orchard farm at Dale in Wyoming County in western New York. Her early education was in the one-room school house at Dale, followed by high school at Wyoming Central School. She started college at the Buffalo State Teachers College and then transferred to the New York State College of Agriculture at Cornell University. There she majored in Home Economics, graduating in June, 1946. Her first employment was as a Home Economist, in Fillmore, New York, for the Rochester Gas & Electric Company. She moved later to the Lever Bros. Spry Kitchen in Boston, Mass. There she worked on product and recipe development. Harriet's first paychecks were used to pay for flying lessons. She got her Private Pilot license in 1946 and loved light plane flying. She introduced husband Art to the hobby and enjoyed it with him for many years. Art was working at Espanola, Ontario at the time of their marriage, December 29, 1948, and the newlyweds enjoyed living there until moving to Port Edwards in 1952. Harriet's first child, Susan, was born in Canada and the others in Port Edwards. Aside from her success as wife and mother, she pursued many hobbies: gardening, sewing, basketry, piano, reading biographies and history, and birding. Also, there was flying, sailing, fishing, listening to jazz music and foreign country travels with Art. She found great pleasure all summer long at the Trout Lake lodge she encouraged Art to buy in 1993. Harriet was truly a great giver: Of time to teach Sunday School, to serve on the Port Edwards School Board, to deliver Meals on Wheels, to participate in The League of Women Voters. She also donated gallons of blood at Riverview Hospital and at the end of life donated her body for education and research to the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison. Harriet is survived by her beloved husband of 64 years, Arthur; children: Susan R. Dyon (Allen), Elizabeth A. Bernhardt (Tedmund Sweicki), Eric P. Bernhardt (Karen Smith), Barbara L. Bernhardt, and Barbara A. MacNaughton (widow of Arthur Charles Bernhardt); grandchildren: Andrew, Benjamin, and Alexander Dyon, Whitney and Arthur Cameron Bernhardt, and Frances Sweicki-Bernhardt. She was preceded in death by parents, brother, Charles Pflaum, and son, Arthur Charles Bernhardt. A celebration of life will be at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 23rd, at United Methodist Church in Port Edwards. Rev. Bill Beaton will officiate. Friends may call at the church from 9:30 a.m. until the time of services on Thursday. Harriet lived as an inspiration to her children and grandchildren and to others as well. She had a great faith in her Lord and surely is at peace, though greatly missed here. In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer that memorials be directed to either the Port Edwards United Methodist Church (411 Wisconsin River Drive, Port Edwards, WI 54469) or to the Port Edwards Education Fund (801 2nd Street, Port Edwards, WI 54469)