header 1
header 2
header 3

IN MEMORY

Bernhardt Johnson - Class Of 1956

Bernhardt "Bernie" Johnson, 85, died peacefully on July 19, 2023 in Baltimore, MD.

He was born March 27, 1938 in Kenosha, WI to Ernest and Virginia (Irving) Johnson.

After Bernie graduated from Mary D. Bradford High School in Kenosha in 1956, he worked at various jobs in Kenosha while studying part-time at the two-year extension center of the University of Wisconsin.  In 1966, he enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, majoring in Business Administration.  Bernie and his wife, Shelby Leschinsky, then moved to warmer climes – Atlanta, GA – where he later earned his MBA from Mercer University and enjoyed teaching as an adjunct instructor.  He worked for 28 years at the offices of Liberty Mutual in Atlanta and Gainesville, GA.
Bernie was a true people person, made friends wherever he went, and delighted in "small world" stories.  He especially enjoyed encountering others from Wisconsin on his travels and in his later homes of Atlanta, Brevard, NC, York, PA, and Baltimore, MD.
He received a saxophone on his 60th birthday and enthusiastically spent the next 22 years taking lessons, playing in bands, and going to band camps around the country.  He was a member of New Horizons bands in the greater Atlanta area, Anderson, SC, and Hendersonville, NC, as well as the Brevard Community Band.

A lifelong student of German, Bernie would pepper his speech with German words and always had a German dictionary handy.  Germanic highlights of his later years include the fast friends he made when he opened his house in Atlanta to a number of German interns as well as the month-long trip he took alone to Germany for an intensive language course, at which, of course, he made many new best friends.
A devoted father and grandfather, nothing gave Bernie more pleasure than reveling in the accomplishments of his daughter and grandson.  He was so very proud of them.

He is survived by his former wife, Shelby (Leschinsky) Johnson; daughter, Lindsay Johnson and her spouse, Stephanie Moore; grandson Graylen Johnson-Moore; sister, Christine (Johnson) Kohloff; brother, Earl, and spouse Linda (Leiting) Johnson; and a host of cousins, nieces, and nephews. He will be remembered for his perseverance, his cheery disposition, and his unflagging optimism.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 12 noon on Wednesday, August 2, 2023 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Whitewater, WI with burial to follow at Hebron Cemetery in Hebron, WI.  Visitation will be from 11:00AM on Wednesday at the church until the time of service.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the March of Dimes.

Published by Dunlap Memorial Home on July 29, 2023.