Barbara J. Bernard Feb 12, 1949 – Apr 14, 2016 Barb Bernard was born Barbara Jane Murphy in Great Bend, Kansas. The sixth of seven children, she was 21 years younger than her oldest sibling and just one year older than her younger sister. Her father, James, was killed in an accident before Barbara turned 2 years old. Her mother, Alma, supported the family by running a business out of her home while caring for “the little girls” as well as Barb’s oldest brother, J. Richard “Dick” who was severely disabled by cerebral palsy. As a girl, Barb was a good student and involved citizen.. She volunteered as a candy striper at the hospital and worked at the town library. She was also an involved Girl Scout and Year Book editor. Barb completed her bachelor’s degree in three years with a double major in special education and psychology. She met Dan soon after graduating when she moved to Sioux City for a job. They were married less than a year later, and moved to Brookings, SD where Dan worked on his Masters Degree. In January, 1974 they made an adventurous move to Pennsylvania for a job that would kick off Dan’s 40+ year career in market research. Barb and Dan became parents to three happy, healthy, smart, productive children, Jennifer, Meghan and Michael. Meghan and Michael were born at home with midwife help. While a young mom, Barb served as president of the Nursing Mothers division of the Philadelphia Childbirth Education Association. She was one of the first lactation consultants in the U.S., and personally helped thousands of nursing mothers. During that time she taught lactation consultant certification courses via mail and co-authored the book Breastfeeding Today: A Nursing Mother’s Companion. In 1986 Dan and Barb and the kids moved to Lincoln, Nebraska for a job opportunity and to be closer to Kansas and South Dakota family. They quickly became involved in the community at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. Barb’s faith was always central to her life. She was a strong Catholic, involved in the church and school. Barb and Dan sang in the choir and participated in a couples’ bible study which brought them some of their longest and dearest friendships. They also acted as “Godparents” for a group of high school students in the “Godteens” program. Later on, Barb became deeply involved in the “Magnificat” program, which was of service to Catholic Women. She volunteered at the church, creating and building the Scrip program, an incredibly successful fundraiser which brought in tens of thousands of dollars for the parish. After all of the kids were in school, Barb started volunteering for the St. Joseph’s school library and eventually became the librarian, building one of the best grade school libraries in the diocese. A voracious reader all her life, she read every book on the shelves and developed a love of reading in so many students. In more recent years, Barb promoted and taught the Lord Teach Me To Pray program in Lincoln and later in Omaha. She worked with LTMTP until her chemotherapy treatments began. One of her passions was helping others learn how to be closer to God, who was always such a source of strength and peace for her. For the last 20 years, Barb and Dan had the opportunity to travel the world for work and pleasure. They made lengthy visits to many countries including most of Europe, India and Turkey. While traveling, Barb was always on the lookout for good food, holy sites, and handsome police officers. Dan recounts the story of he and Barb sitting in the gardens at the back of Notre Dame as she looked up and said, “I never in my life thought I would be here.” She took true joy in every journey and every friend they made. Along with traveling and books, Barb also had a lifetime love of cats, sewing, and antiques. While all of these things brought Barb pleasure, there was no greater joy in her life than her family. One of Barb’s most difficult jobs was being a stay-at-home parent to her children. She kept the house happy and healthy by inventing meals on the fly and dancing to Billy Joel in the kitchen. She was always willing to drive any of her kids and their friends wherever they needed to go. She was an amazing mother-in-law who constantly marveled over how lucky she was to get two great sons-in-law. Little did she realize they were the lucky ones. She was warm and accepting to everyone, always going out of her way to make new boyfriends and girlfriends and spouses feel comfortable. However much she loved her own children and her nieces and nephews, from the moment the first grandbaby appeared on the scene, they were her focus. She drove from Lincoln to Omaha every single week to babysit, determined to build a relationship with each grandchild individually. She eventually convinced Dan to move to Omaha where they could spend even more time with the grandkids and with their children. She picked her own grandma name, “Nana,” and she was so proud to be a Nana that she even had it put on her license plate. Her famous red bag came with her every time she babysat and the grandkids were always excited to see what she came bearing. Even while sick, she did everything she could to interact with and continue her relationship with her grandchildren. Barb passed away after a brave 19-month battle with cancer. Ever a bit of a rebel, she repeatedly defied the odds, living much longer than doctors predicted. She died peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Barb was preceded in death by her parents, James and Alma Murphy; brother, J. Richard Murphy. She is survived by her husband, Dan Bernard; children: Jennifer Walker (Timothy), Meghan Herek (Michael), and Michael Bernard; five grandchildren: Ethan, Nora Jane, Mathew, Isaac Murphy, and Leo; siblings: Michael Murphy (Rose), Janice Sis (Raymond), Joyce Tooley (George), Joseph Murphy (Roma Lee), and Rita Buchanan (Joe). The family will receive friends Thursday, April 21st, from 6:15pm to UNL.7:30pm, with VIGIL SERVICE at 7:30pm, all at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Omaha. MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL Friday, April 22nd at 10am at Holy Cross Catholic Church. Interment, Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Omaha. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Newman Center at
HEAFEY-HOFFMANN DWORAK & CUTLER Mortuaries and Crematories 5108 F Street Omaha, Nebraska 68117 (402) 391-3900
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