June 19, 1938 - April 13, 2020
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Bernie on April 13th, 2020 at the age of 81 after a lengthy illness. Bernie was born on the family farm in Trossachs, Saskatchewan the third child of ten children to Ernest and Ida Hanni.
He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 59 years, Geraldine, his daughter Krista and her partner Scott, as well as his son Derrick and his wife Renata and his two grandchildren Juliana and Luca. Predeceased by his brothers Rudy and Albert and his sister Ruth, he is also survived by his remaining siblings Irma, Esther, Mertin, Garry, Wilfred and Larry.
Bernie started work as a rough neck in the Alberta oil fields at 17, then at 21 he trained as a mechanic. It was at this time that he met and fell in love with Geraldine. Married in May 1961 they moved to Mission, BC five years later for new opportunities. Over the years he worked as a mechanic for some local garages, ran his own Shell station on Main street (Bernie's Shell Service), was a Service Manager for Shearwater Marina near Bella Bella and worked for the District of Mission for over 20 years as an ice maker, heavy duty mechanic and Building Maintenance Supervisor.
Bernie had a great love of the outdoors, many sports activities, and being on teams or coaching others. In the winter his passion was curling and in the summer it was golf. Anytime he could, he would go fishing, whether it was for trout, salmon or sturgeon. A cowboy through and through, he was a big game hunting guide in the Chilcotin region every fall for over 15 years and it was while on horseback roaming over mountain ranges that he was truly at his happiest.
Bernie was an amazing dancer and some of his biggest smiles were brought out on the dance floor jiving to any song he could. In the culinary arts he made the most amazing smoked salmon and canned dill pickles that his friends and family would reserve in advance. He will be dearly missed by his family and many friends from his sports teams and fellow Legion members.
A Memorial Service will be held at a later date.