A joint internment and celebration of life will be held for Rosemaire and Russell Bernier on May 7, 2011.
The 10AM internment will take place in Lambtown Cemetery, located at 103 Lambtown Road, Ledyard CT 06339. Their Celebration of Life will follow at 11AM in Ledyard Congregational Church, 722 Colonel Ledyard Highway, Ledyard CT 06339. The family will be available to greet people in Fellowship Hall, immediately following the service.
Russell and Rosemarie eloped to Maryland and were married on Sept. 9, 1937 in the Baltimore Basilica, which was the nation's first cathedral. For most of their lives they lived in East Hartford, CT where they worked and raised their family.
Russell was born in Hartford CT on Feb. 7, 1918. He was an Army/Air Corp veteran of World War II. He became a member of the East Hartford Police Department in 1942. He served in every branch of the police department and retired as Commander in 1976. After his retirement, he became a member of the East Hartford Democratic Town Committee, the East Hartford Retirement Board and the East Hartford Planning & Zoning Commission. Russell was a retired member of the Connecticut Chiefs of Police Association, East Hartford Police Benevolent Association and the Patrolman's and Fireman's Association of East Hartford. He also became the general manager of Storage World in East Hartford until he retired for the second time in 1985.
Rosemare was born on July 11, 1914, in Hartford, CT. She was a wife, mother and homemaker, but also worked outside the home. She worked at the East Hartford Gazette, 7-UP Bottling Co. as a quality control inspector and Sage-Allen & Co. where she sold lingerie.
Rosemarie and Russell moved from East Hartford to Mystic, CT in 1985. They enjoyed their home, gardening and birds. One of their greatest pleasures was being with their family for dinners and holidays. They were both avid Boston Red Sox and UConn basketball fans, especially the women's basketball team.
In 2004, when they were no longer able to live alone, they moved to Corea, Maine to live with their son and daughter-in-law. Russell died on Aug. 13, 2005 in Corea Maine, at the age of 87. His ashes have remained with his wife of 68 years, since his passing.
Rosemarie moved to Mystic Manor in Mystic, CT in 2006. Painting, bingo and singing were favoriest of hers, but she also enjoyed all of the activities in the recreations department. Since she lived there for almost 5 years, some of the staff started to feel like extended members of her family. She passed away on Dec. 25, 2010, at the age of 96.
Russell and Rosemarie were good parents, grandparents and great grandparents. They will be missed. They are survived by their son Wayne Bernier, retired Deputy Fire Chief of the East Hartford Fire Dept. and his wife Carol of Corea, Maine; their daughter Marlaine Bernier and her husband Edmund Lamb of Ledyard, CT; a granddaughter Lynn (Bernier) Guerriero and her husband Anthony of Hebron, CT; a grandson Scott Bernier an dhis wife Lori of West Haven, CT. Their six great grandchildren are Nicholas Cavaliere of Richmond, VA, Anthony Cavaliere of Hebron, CT, Kaycie, Madalyn, Rhyan and Khyle Bernier of West Haven, CT.
In lieu of flowers, Rosemare and Russell may be remembered by a donation to a charity of the donor's choice or by a random act of kindness to others.
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