Bernard F. English (1926-2009)
ENGLISH, BRUNEAU, LANGLEY, LUTHY, SUSARA, VINCENT, MACOLINA
Posted By: Ames Tribune
Date: 8/12/2009 at 23:31:16
THE AMES TRIBUNE, Ames, Story County, Iowa, Tuesday, August 11, 2009.
Bernard English, 82, of Story City, died Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009, at Israel Family Hospice House in Ames. Funeral services are pending with Soderstrum Funeral Homes.
THE AMES TRIBUNE, Ames, Story County, Iowa, Wednesday, August 12, 2009.
Bernard F. English, 82, of Story City, passed away Monday, Aug. 10, 2009, at Israel Family Hospice House in Ames. A memorial service will be at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17, at St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Ames.
Bernard English was born Oct. 6, 1926, in Tampa, Fla., to Herbert Welcome and Edna Rose (Bruneau) English. He was a member of St. Cecilia’s and had lived in Story City since 1985.
Bernie is well known because he was a man of many connections. In 1944, he went to boot camp in Sampson, N.Y. He became a 20-year Navy man, enlisted from 1944 to 1964. He was an engineer who served on many destroyers, including the USS Young, USS Allen, USS Sumner, USS Walter B. Cobb, USS John Paul Jones and the USS James C. Owens. He was part of the original crew of the Helicopter Dash Weapons System, a member of the Tin Can Sailors, as well as the American Legion. He was employed from 1964 to 1982 in research and development for heavy equipment for the U.S. Army at Fort Belvoir, Va.
He made connections with people in his love for traveling. He was an accomplished photographer. He had many connections to Iowa State University as a photographer for basketball, football and hockey teams. In 2002, he was inducted into the ISU hockey Hall of Fame.
Following a bad stroke in 2003, he continued to cultivate connections. Without the ability to speak, he still proudly wore either his military cap so people could identify him as a veteran or his Boston Red Sox cap so people would know his favorite baseball team. Once he was able to swallow again, he ate a Happy Meal every day. He would give the toys to children he met. He will be remembered especially for the pencils. People, places and drive-through windows all over Iowa and beyond have been gifted with pencils given by him. He was connected to people.
He is survived by his companion and friend, Deborah Witte, of Story City; two sons, Garry English and David English, both of Clinton, Conn.; three daughters, LuAnn Langley, of Clinton, Conn., Karen Luthy, of Thomaston, Conn., and Kathleen Susara, of Versailles, Ky.; two sisters, Roberta (Frank) Vincent, of Wallingford, Conn., and Sandy Macolina, of Louisville, Ohio; the mother of his five children, Katherine English, of Milford, Conn.; 11 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Wilma English; and his brother-in-law, Tom Macolina.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent and designated for Israel Family Hospice House in Ames, Story City First Responders, or a veterans’ organization.
Soderstrum Funeral Home in Story City is assisting the family with arrangements.
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