Harris Glenn Bernhisel, M.D.

Harris "Harry" Glenn Bernhisel, M.D.

Dad

1923-2015

His touch was gentle

His manner kind 

His smile inviting

Embracing both soul and mind

 His love was to all  

No generosity withheld 

He spoke and wrote the words of comfort 

And the compelling spirit to meld 

The Eternity of  his family 

The uplifting of the trodden, the cheering of the sad This is the legacy of our Father 

Our beloved Dad!

Family Farm House- Lewiston Utah, in Cache Vally in northern Utah. The farm land abutted with the Idaho border. Harry's Grandfather, John Milton Bernhisel II,  settled into this area in the 1870s and built this home. Two generations of Bernhisels were born here. The house and the farm still exist, but were sold in the 1960s by the family. 

I recall having an outdoor lunch in the summer time on the left side of this house when I was around 10 years old. I remember that most of the family was there. All of a sudden someone yelled that a bunch of the cattle were out- having escaped from their enclosure. Then, like it was ingrained in their DNA- Fay (Harry's father), Harry and  brothers Ted and Jay,  all jumped up simultaneously and in a blink of an eye, they had ropes in their hands and were rounding up the cattle.  Almost instantly the situation was handled,  the cattle were back in their corral and the boys were back eating lunch. I loved cowboys and I thought that this response was so cool- almost cowboy-like in behavior.

Grandpa "Fay" Bernhisel (in front) with his siblings. Grandpa Fay's grandfather, Dr. John Milton Bernhisel was a close friend of Joseph and Emma Smith. Fay's father, John Milton Bernhisel II, was born on the westward trek of the Mormon pioneers in Far West Missouri.  Dr John Milton Bernhisel was the first congressman of the Utah territory serving in the U.S. House of Representatives for 5 terms (1851-59, 1861-63) overlapping and associating with such notables as Abraham Lincoln. 

Curly haired Harry. 

Harry was born at the Bernhisel home in Lewiston Utah July 18th, 1923. The "Harris" name (and that of Harris Fay-his father) came from the last name of Robert J. Harris, a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) while in his native England (Wilford Woodruff taught his family) and later served in the US army, the  'Mormon Battalion,' after his immigration to the United States. Robert Harris is Harry's great grandfather through  Harry's grandmother, Henrietta Harris Bernhisel.

Sailor Boy Harry

Harry and older brother Ted

Showing off his knickerbockers

On a farm horse at home

Ted and Harry

Harris Fay and Marie America Beirdneau Bernhisel Family in Lewiston.
Ted and Harry (standing) and sisters Betty and Virginia in front. Jay Bernhisel, the youngest child, had not been born at the time of this picture. Harry was the second oldest of five children.

Harry attended North Cache High School, Utah State (Utah Agricultural College) and graduated from the University of Utah

Harry Joined the Naval Reserve while in college toward the end of WWII

While Harry was attending at the University of Utah he met the darling, captivating and beautiful Bethine Sax from Eureka Utah. They dated while Bethine attended nursing school at the "U", where it was the policy to prohibit marriage during attendance  at the nursing school. Not satisfied with this restriction, they secretly were married in 1948 and then in 1949 after graduation, they were sealed for time and eternity in the Salt Lake Temple.

Salt Lake Temple (Picture taken by Jay Bernhisel)

Dad graduated from the University of Utah- medical school in 1949. His internship was in Albany New York. Dad was in the Navy and Air Force reserve. They enjoyed the experience and growth that they had in the east.

Harry's sister Virginia and Brother Jay along with Bethine

Harry, in uniform, entering an Air Force plane 

                                              Harry, Bethine and Virginia

Harry and Bethine enjoying a precious moment of time together

 

A beautiful photo  of Bethine and Harry taken by brother Jay Bernhisel

Harry showing Bethine the Bernhisel Farm

 In 1950 Harry and Bethine moved into their "Little Blue House". Harry started his residency in neurology at the University of Minnesota. Fellow Utahans and U of Utah grads. Stephen Richards, Conrad Jensen and Russell M. Nelson and their families all did their residencies at the U of M. Go Gophers!

 Responsibilities increased for the Bernhisels with the birth of their first child Marc Alan Bernhisel

Bethine and Harry with Marc at the North Shore of Lake Superior. The Bernhisels loved the outdoors, even in the winter. They just dressed like Minnesotans. 

In 1953 Rhet Warren Bernhisel was born.

Rhet and I loved to wrestle with Dad. I made up a name "heckrashoot" for our wrestling bouts.

A Christmas  Pose following aunt Marion Sax's marriage to Douglas Whiting December 24th, 1957

C

Harry and Bethine on the Patio

Dad and mom added a breezeway and a patio at the Little Blue House in Minnesota.  There they had countless missionaries, Young Single Adults (then called Master Ms-for males and Golden Gleaners for females) and other church members and neighbors over  for BBQs, dinners and parties. They were amongst a contingent of pioneers in the early days of the Church in the Minnesota area and part of Wisconsin. I remember as an older child the time that the first Stake of the Church was created in Minnesota. Elder Spencer W. Kimball presided in the new stake creation and Harry was in the first Bishopric of the Minneapolis 3rd ward, if my memory serves me right.

Marc canoeing with Harry and Bethine on the St Croix  River Between Minnesota and Wisconsin and a few years later

Rhet and Marc ice fishing

Marc with a morning's catch

I loved to fish in Minnesota with dad. When we moved from Minnesota to Utah, I asked my dad if we were going to find a spot to  fish in Utah. He said "Ya, know, I really don't like fishing all that much." So I asked, " why did you go with me (even ice fishing in the winter) then?". He replied "Well, I just liked being with you so much."

I also loved to play and watch baseball and found out later that Dad found baseball absolutely boring. Before the Minnesota Twins came to town, the baseball team was called the 'Minneapolis Millers', a farm club of the Boston Red Sox. Dad took me to an exhibition game with the Millers playing the Red Sox. Future Red Sox Hall of Fame(r) Carl  Yastrzemski was playing for the Millers and the even more famous future Hall of Fame(r), Ted Williams, was playing for the Red Sox. We didn't see Williams until the 9th inning-when he walked on four pitches, but I will always remember my dad there cheering with me.

Harry and Marc

Harry's famous smile. I proudly inherited that gap in the top front teeth as did all my children (before braces).

Bethine and Harry at a Utah resort

Skiing  was something that Dad and Mom loved to do. We skied a little in Minnesota and more in Ottonogon Michigan (northern peninsula), but I really learned skiing, even as a three year old, in Utah. Dad would ski slow,  beautifully  carved turns in the snow. He would turn his hand, ski pole,  arm, elbow and shoulder almost to the opposite hip to initiate a turn. His legs and his skis were rarely more than a fraction of an inch apart. (He did not really like going with me on the black/double black mogul runs however.)

In 1959 my brother Rhet passed away in a drowning accident. Solid in the faith of the promise of being a complete and eternal family with Rhet in the life after, softened the grief of losing a choice son and brother. Bethine had been trying to conceive again for many years, starting not long after Rhet's birth and after much prayer and thought, decided to adopt at the "Baby Store".  Ann was adopted as a new born infant in 1961 and Paul was born and adopted in 1963. Later, while in Utah a third child was adopted- Todd in 1967. 

Marc and Ann in Minnesota

Marc, Ann and Paul in Utah

Harry and Bethine moved back to Utah in 1964 to the green-stone home that they lived the rest of their lives in. Dad had switched medical specialties (much to Mom's consternation, namely for a reduced income for three years) from neurology to radiology after doing a residency in that specialty in Minnesota. The position of radiologist at South Davis Community Hospital (later Lakeview Hospital) in Bountiful and working at Tanner Clinic in Layton Utah brought us to Utah (much to my consternation as a 13 year old kid). I recently re-acquired my old world globe, which at the time of the news of our departure from my birthplace in Minnesota to go to Utah, I cut out the piece of my globe that had the state of Utah on it, in protest.

The Bountiful- Bernhisel house 1964-2016

 

Marc, Paul and Ann camping

Todd with a duckling

In 1969 Bethine experienced a feeling that she had not had for years-morning sickness. After 17 years of infertility, Harry and Bethine were expecting again. Gretchen was born in April of 1970, while Marc was serving a mission in Thailand. The Bernhisel clan of children was now six.

 

Elders Bernhisel and Hansen with Hill-tribe children close to Chiangmai Thailand (1970)

Family Picture of the Bernhisel's with Marc's fiancee Julee Kirkham (1974)

Harry with siblings and Fay and Marie Bernhisel at their 50th wedding anniversary

Vacation pictures with Harry, Bethine, Marc, Ann, Paul, Todd and Gretchen 

Harry, Bethine, Monkol and Marc (1973) in Hawaii. At the time of the picture, we were in Hawaii, at BYU Hawaii (then the Church College of Hawaii) visiting Monkol. I then took my parents to tour my mission areas in Thailand after visiting Japan, the Philippines and Hong Kong. 

    Monkol was taught and  baptized by Elder (Marc) Bernhisel. Before Marc's mission was over, Monkol had entered school at BYU Hawaii  and taught missionaries going to Thailand in the MTC-Missionary Training Center (then called the LTM-Language Training Mission). Monkol became like a son/brother to us. Harry and Bethine supported Monkol on his mission to Thailand. Monkol later attended BYU and got a PhD in teaching English as a second language. Monkol and his wife Nancy, from Chile, have  four children including a son who also went on a mission to Thailand. Monkol died of brain cancer in 2009.

The Funeral in Lewiston of Harris Fay Bernhisel-1981

Harry at Marc's wedding reception (1974)

Bethine and Virginia Kirkham (Julee's mother)

Gretchen-the Flower Girl

                                       

                       

Julee and Marc

Harry and Bethine with granddaughter Jenny Leigh Bernhisel

Harry and the new bride Gretchen Bernhisel Wilcox

Harry and Bethine's 50th Wedding Anniversary (1998)

Family Picture at Harry and Bethine's 50th Anniversary.

Harry and Bethine at Jenny Leigh's HS Graduation (2005)

The Bernhisel 5 in Jackson Hole Wyoming

 

Bernhisel siblings at the Lewiston house that the Fay and Marie Bernhisel moved to- after selling the farm.

Harry, Ted and Marc at the original Bernhisel farm house (2011) 

Harry, Jan (Jay's wife) Ted, Jay and Bethine at the 4th of July Celebration in Lewiston. Lewiston, for such a small town, was and is famous for its 4th of July pancake breakfast and rodeo. But the highlight- is the parade.

 I have memories of Grandpa Fay wearing his Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) hat, leading out in a 6 car/float parade lasting only about 20 minutes. Now, it is a  large, well known parade in Cache valley and beyond. The spot shown in the picture is a place in the town's park known as "Bernhisel Corner".  After the parade and before lunch, we would take a half mile walk to the old Bernhisel farm (picture above with Harry, Jay and Marc)

Great Grandma and Grandpa Bethine and Harry in the summer of 2011 on the lawn of the Bountiful home, with there then, 11 great grand children. At this time there are 20 great grand children, with one on the way.

In March, 2015, Harry's beloved Bethine passed away after suffering a stroke the year before. As Harry, who by then did not  speak a lot or a times realize that mom was gone, passed by Bethine's open casket,  he remarked-"What a pretty girl she is."

Salt Lake Cemetery- back row Ann, Ryan Wilcox (Gretchen's husband). Gretchen, Paul and Staci (Paul's wife). Front row Lyndi Bernhisel Ballard (Marc and Julee's daughter) Julee, Harry, Marc and Preston Bernhisel (Marc and Julee's son).

When Marc and Julee Bernhisel finished their mission, presiding over the North Carolina, Raleigh mission-their family all returned to Utah to be with Harry, attend the Lewiston 4th of July festivities and enjoy the mountain landscape in Park City

The Walden family ( Leila, Brooklyn, granddaughter Brooke Bernhisel Walden,  Andee, Harry, Ethan and Mike)  

The Pendleton family (Lance, Gavin, David, Harry, granddaughter Jenny Leigh Bernhisel Pendleton and Millie) 

 The Ballard family (Lyndi Bernhisel Ballard, Elsie, Harry, Kevin and Rhet)

The Preston Bernhisel family (Carter, grandson Preston, Caroline, Cole, Karee, Cambelle and Harry)

Harry was taking a nap when great granddaughter Savannah and granddaughter Heidi arrived

Blue Berry Pancakes

"Grandpa Great" (a term coined by great grand daughter Mckenzie-below) opening a birthday card with great grandsons Gavin, David and Christian.

First Great Granddaughter -Mckenzie Rex enjoying the field of flowers in Big Cottonwood canyon

Great grandkids Caroline, Jackson, Gavin and David gather around Harry

Harry's official 92nd birthday with Gretchen, Ann, Granddaughter  Brylee,  Grandson in law Jordon Hicks,  Granddaughter Lexi Bernhisel Hicks, Staci, Granddaughter Brenne, Paul and Harry 

Happy 92nd birthday Dad!

To recap, Harris Glenn Bernhisel was born into a loving family and was raised with an expectation of hard work, diligence and reliance on the Lord

Harry enjoyed life and many others were lifted up by his smile and his sincere love

Even in tragedy, he held firm and "pressed forward"

A family picture from Minnesota after the death of Rhet Bernhisel in 1959. (From the back Josenette Whiting, Joann Sax Elton,  Betty Bernhisel Wilson, Harris Fay Bernhisel, Curtis Jensen, Bethine Sax Bernhisel, LuDean Sax, Jeanine Sax Jensen, Marion Sax Whiting, Marie Bernhisel, Harry Bernhisel, Douglas Whiting and  Christie Jensen)

Harry loved to be active with his family

Even in his final year, he enjoyed life and had fun.

On November 26th, 2015 Harry was admitted to the hospital in acute kidney failure and passed away on November 28th. President Russell M. Nelson, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and a good friend of  Harry's, presided at the funeral and pronounced an Apostolic blessing on the Bernhisel lineage. 

Of all manner of men

He was indeed, a gentlemen 

We love you Dad.