Gaston Armand Bernard

Gaston “Gus” Armand Bernard, 88, died peacefully at the Rockingham County Nursing Home, February 5, 2023, in the company of family. Born December 1, 1934, in Goffstown, NH, Gus lived life with dedication and loyalty to his family and close circle of friends. Gus was the only child of Elaine (Poitras) and Paul Bernard and grew up on the rural outskirts of Manchester, NH.

While attending Central High School in Manchester, NH, Gus found true friendships and sportsmanship while playing on both the baseball and football teams. Thanks to his time spent in his youth at the YMCA Camp Mi-Te-Na, he learned lifeguarding skills that allowed him to work as a City of Manchester Lifeguard at Crystal Lake near his home in the south end of Manchester during summer months.

Like so many young men of that era, Gus felt compelled to join the armed forces. On June 4, 1954, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served on active duty for the next two years. While stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii, he was a Machine Gunner and played football for the All-Marine Pacific Team. He was honorably discharged in Boston, MA on June 3, 1956, and remained on in-active duty until June 23, 1962.

Upon return to Manchester, NH Gus met his future bride, Ann (Gordon) Bernard at the Puritan Restaurant and soon married and raised their five children together.

Gus lost his best friend, Guy Dumont, early on in life but not before they enjoyed many years of playing the horses at “The Rock” in Salem, NH and beyond. They were able to enjoy a trip to Florida for their shared excitement of Thoroughbred Racing at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, FL.

Gus was a man’s man through and through and enjoyed a Manhattan cocktail and a good steak, as well as watching professional sports not limited to football, baseball and golf. He could build almost anything if he had a skill-saw, hammer and a level. Friends and family could always count on him to lend a helping hand when a home improvement project was under way. Gus had a love for 50’s music and some of his favorites included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Nat King Cole.

Among some of his professional career choices, and sometimes working three jobs to support his young family, Gus worked as an Account Manager for Morton Salt Company and travelled regionally representing the company. He was General Manager at Kalwall Corporation for a number of years travelling throughout the country managing construction projects; and later in life, as an auto enthusiast, he found pleasure in selling automobiles for Merrimack Street Volvo.

When diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease late in life, he accepted it with great dignity and instead of his own worries, without a moment of thought for himself, he focused on his family and said that all he wanted was for his children and grandchildren to “go and have a good life.” Gus was a tough man and always stood up for his family no matter the difficulty at hand and never gave up, always believing in moving forward, allowing forgiveness and letting go of the past.

While living at Rockingham County Nursing Home, he was cared for with incredible compassion by the staff and would always be helpful, sometimes helping the staff by pushing the medicine cart from room to room, to help his own caregivers. Our family would like to thank the staff at Rockingham County Nursing Home for their support and care they provided to Gus, especially in the later stages of his prognosis and personal journey.

Gus was predeceased by Ann (Gordon) Bernard, his wife, in 2022 and together they will be laid to rest in the Veteran’s Cemetery in Boscawen, NH.

SERVICES: The family will hold a private ceremony, at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen, NH, where he will be honored for his military service with a Marine Corps color guard.

Please consider making a small donation to the Alzheimer’s Association, 309 Waverley Oaks Road, Suite 301, Waltham, MA 02452 or online at https://www.alz.org/get-involved-now/donate. Every bit helps to fight this terrible disease.