Marilyn Bernhard

Marilyn Bernhard, surrounded by her loving family, passed away at her residence at Springhill Senior Living in Erie, PA on August 13, 2021. She was born June 7, 1930 in Brooklyn, NY, daughter of the late Lucy and Harry Kaufman. She attended Lincoln High School in Brooklyn and Syracuse University before enrolling at Brooklyn College, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree. She went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Speech Pathology at Boston University. On November 25, 1954, she married the love of her life, Dr. Robert A. Bernhard, and they shared a wonderful life together for almost 57 years until his passing in 2011.

After marrying Bob, Marilyn spent many years living in Philadelphia, PA where she worked at Children’s Hospital in the Cleft Palate Clinic. She took great pride in helping children with their speech. From 1962-1964, she, her husband and two older children lived near Sacramento, CA while Bob worked as a radiologist at Mather Air Force Base. After spending another decade in the Philadelphia area, Marilyn and her family relocated to Lancaster, PA in 1975, where she continued to take the Amtrak train to Philadelphia for several additional years to provide great quality care to her patients. In 2005, she and Bob moved to Erie, PA to be closer to family.

Marilyn will be dearly remembered for her kindness and her unconditional love of family and friends. She was always so proud to share the accomplishments of her family. She had a wonderful sense of humor, enjoyed traveling, and especially loved listening to music and singing songs. She also enjoyed reading and had an appreciation and knowledge for Jewish history. She loved going to Broadway shows, the Erie Philharmonic, and to art museums. She was also a lifelong lover of dogs, most recently and especially her beloved Toby. Marilyn was a very generous soul, always wanting to help people. In her later years, she loved Springhill, her fellow residents and all the nurses, aides and workers who spent time with her. She contributed to the future vibrancy of Springhill Senior Living by giving a significant gift to support the Dr. Robert A. and Marilyn Bernhard Aquatic Center, where current and future residents of Springhill will enjoy the therapeutic pool for decades to come. Most of all, anyone who ever came in contact with Marilyn couldn’t help but love and appreciate her as she always had a smile on her face and a kind word to share.

In addition to her parents, Marilyn was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Robert A. Bernhard, and her eldest son, Dr. Kenneth A. Bernhard. She will be deeply missed by her daughter Janet B. Hood and her husband John, her son Mark Bernhard and his wife Laura, her daughter-in-law Carol Jaspan Bernhard, her grandchildren: David Hood (Ashley), Ellen Bernhard (Allon Levin), Julie Teitelbaum (Jordan), Daniel Hood, Sara Hood, Sam Bernhard (Heather Froggatt), Amy Bernhard and Jake Bernhard, and her great-grandchildren: Lily, Stella, Lucy, and Talia.

A memorial service will be held at Springhill Senior Living, 2323 Edinboro Rd., on Sunday, September 12th at 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the National Parkinson Foundation, the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, or the Alzheimer’s Association.

Arrangements by the Quinn Funeral Home, West 9^th & Liberty St.