Patricia A. Bernard, 83, of Londonderry, NH, passed away in the early morning on July 14, 2025, at the Elliot Hospital in Manchester, NH. Patricia was born on June 21, 1942, Father’s Day, to Charles Warren and Mary (Gleavy) Warren, in Boston, MA. For more than fifty years, she called New Hampshire her home.
Patti lived each day by a simple mantra: “Don’t postpone joy.” She remained joyful even through life’s challenges, focusing on the good, rather than the bad. Everyone who met her instantly recognized her warm smile and contagious optimism. Her unwavering generosity brightened the lives of countless friends, family, and even strangers.
As a young girl growing up in Dorchester, Patti commuted across Boston each morning to Girls’ Latin School. She attended Stonehill College and later earned her master’s degree from Columbia University in New York. She then worked as a special education teacher, counselor, and principal in Nashua for more than thirty years.
No place brought Patti as much fulfillment as her mountain home in Freedom, NH. There, she spent her mornings tending to her flower garden; her afternoons floating in Ossipee Lake; and her evenings watching the Red Sox with a bowl of ice cream. Above all, she cherished the time she spent with her grandson, who was the center of her life.
Patti’s love and joy will be missed by all, especially by her daughter, Jennifer Bernard, and grandson, Jeffrey Cieslikowski, both of Londonderry. She is also survived by her two sisters; Mary Virginia Kelly of Woburn, MA, and Judith Holmes of Burlington, MA and by her extended family, who loved her dearly.
A celebration of life will take place in August. In lieu of flowers, Patricia requested that donations be made to the Special Olympics of New Hampshire.