Alan Dale Bernhard

Alan Dale Bernhard's electric blue eyes sparked for the first time on July 8th, 1949. Barney and Della of Sacramento welcomed their son, whose smile was as bright as the tie dye shirts he grew up to love. He shared his childhood with big brother Mike Bernhard, and little sister Julie Stephens. Rumor has it; California tried to kill him, so the family moved to Las Vegas to ease his asthma. A proud, wholesome alumni of Vegas High School, Alan was once suspended for streaking down Fremont Street, the original Las Vegas Strip. He found trouble and friendship with his pal Guy "Buddha" Scalise. His family spaghetti recipe was adopted by Alan, held as a Bernhard family tradition, and protected with a purist's integrity for the remainder of his life.

Alan was a Vietnam Army Veteran. His letters and photos sent home during the war proved that he could find fun even when things looked a lot like hell. He never met a stranger, and once literally gave the shoes off his feet to someone unhoused who needed them. He probably drove off barefoot in his big yellow truck listening to Zappa, Dylan, Grateful Dead or Leonard Cohen. He was a renaissance man in his 20's and 30's. A professional potter & stained-glass artisan whose work can still be seen in churches and casinos throughout Las Vegas. In his early 40's, he followed his father and brother into the IBEW; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 357, and became a respected journeyman. His son eventually followed him into the trade before Alan retired in his early 60's. Alan lived on Mount Charleston year-round, calling Sin City townsfolk "Flatlanders". An avid skier & snowboarder, he taught hundreds of people how to ride mountains at Lee Canyon's ski school. In the summer he lived on his mountain bike. He made his mark on the land with his gang of rabble rousers, creating many of the trails still found in Kyle Canyon today.

Alan's deepest bond was with his family. Married 3 times, the third was his charm with Jean Perry-Jones. They shared a life full of love, adventure and scuba diving. He loved his in-laws and out-laws alike. He adored children and was like a magical magnet to them. His greatest gig was as a dad, adding one child with each marriage. He liked to say he had one of each kind. His biological son Adam Clay Bernhard, daughter Dawn-Marie Floyd Bernhard whom he adopted at age 4, and stepson Tom Jones V who preceded him up the great trail in the sky. He was the cheerleader and advocate that every kid deserves. The proudest of the proud dads and absolutely over the moon with his granddaughter Ruby Larsen. She made his smile and twinkle even brighter. A natural born storyteller, you could count on Alan for tall tales, true tales, 100% suspect tales and everything in-between.

Alan was a hip cat who clearly had 9 lives, all of which he used well. He gave his brain tumor a run for its money and sparked right through several terminal timetables. Toward the end of his life, he'd often say he wanted his family to take him out, duct tape his hands to the handlebars of his mountain bike and push him down the steepest trail we could find. If he lived, we were to do it again until it took. Spoiler alert: We did not do that... but Alan left on his own terms anyway. He died at his beloved mountain home, surrounded by family at 4:20pm on 02/02/2022.

Memorial Occasions:

Saturday, June 18th, 2022, at 3pm: Potluck at Lance Davis and Lorelle Nelson house.

Sunday: June 19th, 2022, at 1pm: Father's Day Toast(s) at McMullan's Irish Pub, 4650 w. Tropicana Ave, Las Vegas 89103. Toasts will continue until 4pm.

Monday: June 20th, 2022, at 8:30am: Service and interment* at SNV Veteran Memorial Cemetery, 1900 Veterans Memorial Drive, Boulder City, NV 89005. Event will end by 9:15am.

Tie-dye welcome at all occasions!

*Alan donated his body to science and was cremated

Obituary by:

Content and structure: Dawn Marie Bernhard

Magic and pixie dust: Erica Linz