Jonathan
(John) Mark Bernard was born on May 2nd,
1957 in Santa Rosa, California to
Raymond and Mae (Minsch) Bernard.
John
graduated in the Jefferson High School
(Portland, Oregon) class of 1975. He
went on to attend and earn credits from
Portland Community College in Portland,
Oregon and Big Bend Community College in
Moses Lake, Washington.
John
had a diverse skill set and used them in
various fields while working toward his
lifelong dream of serving as a peace
officer. In Oregon John was on the
ambulance crew for Newberg Hospital and
served, for several years, as a reserve
deputy for Yamhill County Sheriff
Department. After moving to Washington
he worked provisional and reserve for
several law enforcement agencies
including Grant County
Corrections---Officer (1997---2002),
Ephrata Police Department---Patrol
Officer (2002---2006) and Grant County
Sheriff’s Department---Deputy
(2006---2010). John was also a member of
the Grant County Sheriff’s Association.
As
tireless as John was in service to his
community, he was even more devoted to
his family. John was a kind, loyal,
gentle and patient husband. His wife,
Tami, loved his strength and endurance
but, was continually impressed by and
thankful for his ability to balance that
strength with gentleness and compassion
for she and his family. John was Tami’s
pillar of strength and loyal partner;
his love for her was evident in his
actions.
John
was a loving and devoted father to three
sons, Ryan, Brandon and Jeff. His boys
especially appreciated that he always
saw their potential and loved them
unconditionally. He taught his boys
respect and modeled many honorable
traits for them throughout their lives.
They especially admire his honesty,
loyalty, integrity, reliability and
selflessness. John chose to grow and
better himself each day and encouraged
his sons to do the same. Anyone who knew
John knew how important his sons were to
him. His investment in them is apparent
in the qualities he passed on to them.
Brandon and Jeff consider it a great
honor to carry on his legacy.
John
was preceded in death by his son, Ryan
Bernard, his father, Raymond Bernard,
and his granddaughter, Hadley Fox. He is
survived by his wife, Tami Bernard and
two sons, Jeff (Keair) and Brandon
Bernard. He had three stepchildren
Angela Fox (Brandon), Amanda Pewitt
(Brian) and Clayton Pewitt. His mother,
Mae, two brothers, James and Joe and one
sister, Lee and her husband Marty, also
survive him. John had three nieces
Tiffany Russell (Ben), Elizabeth
Peterson---Crouse (Matthew) and
Christina Peterson. Two great nieces
Samantha Russell and Madilynn Dinter and
numerous aunts, uncles and cousins also
survive him. John’s surviving
grandchildren are Keegan and Liam Fox
and Anastaysja and Reagan Pewitt.
Last update Friday Jan.
8, 12:08 PM
Deputy
John Bernard - Line of Duty Death
Funeral service arrangements and
planning are in progress. The funeral
time and date will be announced once it
has been established. Please check back
on this website for current, evolving
information.
A memorial fund has been established in
Deputy Bernard’s name to help support
his family. Contact your local U.S. Bank
Branch. Donations may be made to the
John Bernard Memorial Fund.
In support of and with
the cooperation of John’s family, an
Incident Management Team has been
established. This IMT includes law
enforcement, emergency management and
Behind the Badge, a support group which
assists with law enforcement funerals.
The IMT is operating at a Command Post
at the Sheriff’s Training Center, 1274
Lowry St., Moses Lake. The Command Post
will be in operation through the
funeral.
EPHRATA (03JAN2010) – It is
with much grief and sadness that Sheriff
Frank T. DeTrolio shares this information.
On Sunday, January 3, 2010,
at around 7:20 p.m., the Grant County
Sheriff’s Office was notified via a
citizen’s 9-1-1 call of a one vehicle crash
involving a Grant County Sheriff’s patrol
car. The crash occurred on Road 5-NW at
State Route 283, approximately nine miles
south of Ephrata.
Killed in the crash was
Sheriff’s Deputy John Bernard, age 52, of
Moses Lake. Deputy Bernard was on routine
patrol when his vehicle, traveling westbound
on Rd 5-NW, left the roadway and rolled
over. Other deputies, along with units from
Grant County Fire District 3 and Quincy
Valley Ambulance, responded.
Deputy Bernard was declared
dead at the scene. His body was taken into
the custody of the Grant County Coroner
pending autopsy. The Washington State Patrol
is conducting the investigation into the
cause of the crash.
Deputy Bernard was a four
year veteran of the Grant County Sheriff’s
Office, who had previously served as a Grant
County Corrections Officer from 1997 to
2002. He joined the City of Ephrata Police
Department as a patrol officer in 2002,
serving until 2006 when he became a
Sheriff’s Deputy. Deputy Bernard was a
loving husband and father of two sons, one
of whom is also a Grant County Sheriff’s
Deputy. Deputy Bernard was a tireless public
servant whose commitment to law enforcement
and serving the citizens helped make Grant
County a safer place.
Additional information will
be released when it becomes available.
