Helen Howard Bernhardt

Helen Howard Bernhardt

Helen Howard Bernhardt, age 99, died in Cleveland, Tennessee on May 3, 2019. Helen was born on December 18, 1919 in Devine Texas, one of 4 children and the only daughter of the late David Malone Howard and Bettie Ira Currie Howard. She graduated Devine High School, where she was Valedictorian,and later the University of Texas, Austin, where she met her future husband, George Marcellus Bernhardt. George and Helen were married for 68 years, and he preceded her in death in 2009. They lived for a time in Central America and returned to make their home in San Antonio following World War II. Helen taught briefly at a kindergarten in San Antonio, and then devoted herself to her home, faith, and family. Helen was well traveled, an avid reader, gracious hostess, wonderful mother, devoted grandmother,and a lifelong member of Laurel Heights Methodist Church. She had a strong interest in genealogy and held membershipin a number of ancestral organizations including Daughters of the American Revolution and National Society Magna Carta.She is survived bydaughters, Anne Currie Bernhardt, of San Antonio, Texas, and Bettie Katherine Bernhardt Borton and her husband, Thomas Earnest Borton, III, of Cleveland, Tennessee; grandchildren Sarah Simmons Ames, Victoria Champion and her husband Daniel Conway, of San Antonio, Texas, and Seth Bernhardt Champion of Atlanta, Georgia; her brother, Woods Abernathy Howard and his wife Jean of Florida, plus a number of nieces and nephews.
A devoted daughter, mother, and wife, Helen brought love, compassion and hope to all those whose lives she touched during her amazing journey through life. The family would like to thank the staff of Legacy Village in Cleveland and Hospice of Chattanooga for their compassion and care during her final days. Helen will be missed by so many, but we rejoice that she is at peace in the presence of God and is reunited with the many loved ones who have preceded her.
The family is asking that memorials be sent to Montgomery Area Nontraditional Equestrians (MANE), 3699 Wallahatchie Road, Pike Road , AL 36064, or the charity of your choice.
Funeral arrangements: Hurley Funeral Home, Devine, Texas
Graveside Service: 10:30 AM Friday, May 10, Evergreen Cemetery