Obituaries

Very difficult to put almost 30 years of stories in this post. I have erased and rewrote multiple lines. And everything I am thinking of I really can\'t write because somehow a lot of cursing and laughing always took place on every conversation. I am floored, I am sad, and I feel tremendously guilty for not doing a better job of staying closer to a guy who was just a great person and friend. Mikey was a guy who you can talk with every single day and not talk to for a year and pick right up where you left off. I am crushed for Patty and the kids. I have not stopped thinking about him since I heard the news. Patty my deepest condolences to you and the kids. I will miss Mike very much. Blessed to have known him.

I met Bernie 30 years ago on Berry/Motion trainee program. We spent 1 week each month in Chicagoland & other various locations as well as various shops back then ‘working’ for week each time. Of course we then had dinner/drinks afterward each night (numerous stories & adventures each time). Mike continued to call me & communicate with me through the years. He & I were the only 2 of 5 from that year/class left. He was a great ‘sounding board’ for advice & assurance. Our phone calls and in person meetings will be missed. Rest well my friend. My condolences to the entire Mike Bernhagen family, neighborhood & many friends!

Gosh Bernie, I cant put into words how gutted I am. I still remember the sales calls we made when you were Branch Manager in Gurnee. The Chicago deep dish pizza that you would have to order an hour before we got there. Or the many times we ate tacos with chips and salsa - I never thought our last visit (a week ago) to Jose's in Racine would be our last time. Our friendship spanned over a decade, I will forever cherish our conversations about WW2 or talking about family vacation adventures. One thing I will miss is not getting that weekly phone call from you asking me if I had time to answer "stupid" questions. We were just folding up tablecloths from our last show, making plans for our next sales calls for gummy bears, we said goodbye and then you were gone. I'll miss you.

I either spoke, texted or exchanged emails with Mike several times weekly, for as long as I can remember. Of course, excluding those weeks when he was off on some great adventure, but he would always let me know how those adventures went and catch me up. I heard from him this past Sunday. Sometimes it was about work but mostly just to see how each other was doing and to tell some dumb story about a recent experience. He was an inspiration to me and to many others. I still can’t believe it and found myself twice this week thinking about something that I would normally reach out to him about and almost forgetting for a second that I couldn’t. I wish I could. I still hear his voice and have so many texts and emails that I will never delete. Mike and I met way back when he first started with Berry/Motion on a somewhat terrifying flight to KY to one of our vendors product schools which were many back then. Terrible turbulence on an old rickety twin prop plane. He would tell that story to many people over the years of how there was a passenger who was obviously scared sitting next to him and how some jerk behind him was making comments about how the plane was never going to make it and missing wing bolts etc. He told me later that he was trying so hard not to laugh and needed to keep reassuring the passenger that I was just joking. Secretly, I was terrified myself. Mike told me that he decided immediately that he needed to meet that idiot that would do that sort of thing. We were friends ever since. I will never forget you Bernie.

I remember walking into our branch back in late 1997 when we were Berry Bearing in Waukegan IL. I went there for an interview, just moved here from San Diego CA. I got the job and Mike is the one who showed me around telling me all about the company. Mike was an outside salesman at the time, I learned a lot from him, a very smart person, Mike knew his stuff, great salesman. He later became our branch manager and in 2014 we moved to our current location in Gurnee IL. I had the pleasure to work with Mike for over 20 years. Cherish the good memories, he will be missed. Thankyou.