Raymond O. Bernard, 65, entered Eternal Life on October 5, 2023, with his family at his side after a brief illness. He was born April 19, 1958, in Holyoke to the late Raymond O. and Rita (Guertin) Bernard. Ray (known as Rusty in his younger years due to his red hair) grew up in Chicopee and attended Williston Academy. He then earned a Bachelor of Science Business Administration Degree in Finance from Northeastern University in 1982. Ray worked for Bank of Boston, Ann & Hope and the Toyota Corporation. Always having an interest in health care, he became a registered nurse with an Associate Degree in Nursing from Springfield Technical Community College in 1993. Ray worked briefly at Baystate Medical Center before his 20-year career working as a correctional head nurse for the State of Connecticut Department of Corrections where he retired in 2013. He was awarded several Gubernatorial Citations for Preservation of Life in 1995, 2003, 2004, and 2005 and Circle of Merit in 2004 and 2005.
He was predeceased by his infant daughter Elizabeth M. Bernard in 1994 and his sister Michele R. (Bernard) Asselin in 2021. He is survived by his devoted wife of 31 years Margaret E. (Kelleher) Bernard and his loving son Nicholas R. Bernard. Also saddened by his loss are his sister’s children Mathieu R. Asselin of Somers, CT and Margaux R. Lamirande of South Hadley and his brothers-in-law Richard W. Asselin and Timothy J. Kelleher of South Hadley and Patrick J. Kelleher of Marshfield MA and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Ray was immensely proud of his family and their achievements. He was very sociable with a generous heart and had a way of making others feel special. He had wonderful memories and experiences with sports and scouting and passed on his enthusiasm and knowledge to many by his involvement with coaching youth sports and scout leadership. In his retirement Ray enjoyed travel and cruises with his family and a treasured trip to Ireland where he had hoped to return.
An uncle introduced “Rusty” to fishing as a young boy, and this developed into a passion that only grew through the years. He became an avid fisherman and enjoyed many vacations in Maine where fishing rarely disappointed. Locally he treasured Quabbin Reservoir in his retirement. Great Pond in Maine was truly his happy place and he had returned from a month at Bear Spring Camps just two weeks prior to his illness. He was proud to recently have a trophy fish (with a story to match) mounted and displayed there securing his legacy.
Calling hours will be Wednesday October 11th from 4:00 to 7:00pm at the O’Brien Family Funeral Home, 33 Lamb St., South Hadley. Funeral Mass will be Thursday October 12th at 11:00 am in St. Patrick’s Church. For more information or to make online condolences please go to obrienfamilyfh.com. In lieu of flowers Ray would be happy to have any contributions go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Leon J. Pernice Jr. passed away at his home in Fort Pierce, Florida on February 28, 2023 with his loving family at his side. Lee grew up in West Springfield Massachusetts and graduated High School from Williston Northampton School in Easthampton MA., where he played Football and Hockey. He attended Stetson University in Deland, Florida, studied at the University of Miami and graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture Degree from the Boston Architectural Center in Boston, MA. He was a licensed Architect in Massachusetts and Florida and worked for more than 40 years at the family-owned Architectural firm, Leon Pernice and Associates, Inc. At the time of his passing he was Vice-President of the firm. Lee was an avid golfer in his younger days. He competed at a high level in many local tournaments, charity events and qualified for the Massachusetts State Amateur Championship. He also loved mountain biking and spent many hours riding through numerous Western Massachusetts trails and Florida parks. Anyone who knew Lee knew his passion was being on his boat and on the water. Fishing was his favorite pastime which took him on adventures all the way up and down the East coast from Rockport, Maine to Islamorada, Florida Keys. He spent his final years living in Fort Pierce, Florida and fished offshore the Fort Pierce Treasure coast, the place he loved most. If he wasn’t offshore trolling blue water for Mahi, you could find him cruising the Intercoastal Waterways and the Fort Pierce Inlet, chasing down Snook, Grouper and Mangrove Snapper for a fresh fish dinner. He was always saying he needed warmer waters and his boat, the “SushiD’Lux” took him there. Lee was also a certified deep-water scuba diver. If he wasn’t fishing, he would spend his time diving and snorkeling reefs, mangrove flats and boat wrecks in and around Fort Pierce and the Florida Keys. Alligator Reef – “The Light House” off Islamorada Key was his favorite dive. Lee had an old saying – “Never leave fish to find fish” but he did it anyway. That’s just the kind of guy he was. He couldn’t stay in one spot for any length of time. There was always better fish to find and more live bait to catch – just over there by the shipping buoy or over the next reef. Lee leaves to cherish his memory his loving father, Leon J. Pernice, Sr., his brother and best friend, David, his sister, Lisa Pernice-Gomes (and husband, David), his sister, Nina Cunningham (and husband, Robert) of Bradenton, Florida, “Uncle Lee’s” nieces and nephews-Andrea, his godson-Greg, Mark, Allie, John, Anna and Sharlotte, several aunts and uncles, cousins and friends too numerous to count. He was pre-deceased by his beloved mother, Yolande Pernice. Lee lived his life on his terms and his sudden illness took him from us way too soon. He was a generous soul who loved God, his family and his friends and was always ready to lend a helping hand to those in need. He will be greatly missed. Calling hours for Leon will be held Thursday, March 23, 2023 from 4-7 pm at Toomey-O’Brien Funeral Home, 1043 Westfield Street, West Springfield, and a funeral Mass will be held on Friday, March 24, 2023, 10:00am at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 47 Pine Street, West Springfield. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at stjude.org or the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 620 South Meridian Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1600.

Heidi Bubel Allen died suddenly of natural causes on June 29, 2022 in Deerfield, Illinois. Born August 21, 1959 to Curt and Marilyn Bubel in Cincinnati, Heidi graduated from the Williston Northampton School in Massachusetts, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is survived by her husband Robert Allen, her mother Sammie Bubel, and her brother Peter Bubel (Patti). Service will be held at the Chapel of Christ Church Cathedral, 318 East Fourth Street at 11:00 a.m. on July 15, 2022.

Brian Spencer Maher, of Broomfield, Colorado, passed away on March 14, 2022.

Douglas Edgerton Gehlmeyer, 61, passed away on Wednesday, July 8, 2020 with his loved ones by his side after a brave battle with cancer. Born in Glen Cove, NY, he was the son of the late Robert and Beverly (Church) Gehlmeyer. He was the husband of Elizabeth (Rogers) Gehlmeyer, with whom he raised his family in East Greenwich, RI.

Doug received his undergraduate degree from Drew University, where he met and fell in love with his wife Elizabeth. He later earned his Master’s degree in Accounting from Long Island University, where he was recognized as a member of the Delta Mu Delta International Honors Society and went on to have a 30-year career as a Certified Public Accountant. His proudest achievement, though, was his role as a loving father of four.

Doug loved fishing and boating, working on cars, building and fixing things with craftsman-like attention to detail, learning about history and spending time with his adoring family and pets.

Besides his wife Elizabeth, he is survived by his four children, Amanda, Victoria, Jessie and Andrew, his brother, Robert Gehlmeyer Jr., and sister Marguerite (Gehlmeyer) Tierney. He will be profoundly missed.

Services will be open to family only. A celebration of his life will be scheduled at a later date. Should they wish, friends may make a donation in his honor to: secure.go2foundation.org, www.preventcancer.org, www.stjude.org or www.guidingeyes.org.