Richard Bernardon

He got a kick out of the little things in life. A funny meme, the smell of fresh gardenia, a cute animal, a joke (mostly the inappropriate ones), a beautiful sunset, a late night hotdog over a campfire, music (all genres) and a hot cup of coffee to name a few.  If you were in his life, it would be for a lifetime: Rich worked hard to maintain his friendships. Family also meant the world. He had a very special bond with his mother and father and cared for them as they got on in years. He’d call them and pop in several times a day making sure they had everything they needed.  He also loved family gatherings; Christmas Eve being his favorite time to gather family together under his roof.  He’d go all out and spare no expense…. Alaskan King crab legs were bountiful.  Camping was another way he loved to spend time with family and friends.  He enjoyed making huge camping breakfasts; dozens of eggs, pounds of bacon and corned beef hash.  Sitting around a campfire chitchatting warmed his heart and his soul.  He was into all kinds of technology, the king of the gadgets. He loved R.C. planes and more recently flew drones, a great way to check out all the wildlife around the campgrounds. Even though sick in his later years, his scooter gave him lots of freedoms, often heading to the pool, down by the lake with a few fishing poles on the back and walking his precious puppies, Lucy and Scotty. In his earlier years his Riverside home had the greenest grass with the fewest leaves on the block. He loved sitting on his patio and fought tirelessly with the squirrels above who insisted on disturbing his peace.  More recently the HOA at the over 55 community took care of the maintenance and he was now able to spend time peacefully enjoying his yard and watching birds.  He loved hummingbirds.  He was a hard worker with a lifetime of experience in auto body. Later years found him putting it all together as a claims manager for CEI Network.  He enjoyed working for CEI and spoke often of his relationships with coworkers.He’d meet a pretty girl named Carol; love at first sight, they had something in common: an attraction to pretty, blue eyes. Their first date (Dunkin Donuts, of course) was followed shortly by Rich moving Carol into his Riverside home and eventually the two married in a loving backyard ceremony on his perfectly green, manicured lawn. He is survived by his wife, Carol Bernardon, his children: Richard (Amy) Bernardon and Kim Bernardon, his stepson, Brian Haines (Karen), lifelong friends Juan Stevens, Patti Codella and Michael Abramczyk and precious puppies Lucy and Scotty.Come celebrate 70 great years Thursday November 30, 5 to 7 p.m. at Sweeney Funeral Home, Riverside where there will be a 7 p.m. service.