Francis M. "Frank" Bernardo

Frank Michael was the first-born son of Frank and Kristin, big brother to John, brother-in-law to Rachael, and Uncle to Rebecca Amelia and Caroline Rose.

He has two aunts and two uncles as well as several first cousins, and a large extended family of many other cousins that loved him so very much.

When he was younger, Frank had a love of picking on John, going fishing and riding his bicycle. He was a huge fan of the comic strip," Peanuts." In school, Frank was always an A+ student.

In 1975, Frank was in a life-altering car accident. After the accident, Frank always tried to have an optimistic outlook on life. He was eventually able to take several trips to Disney World with his parents, and enjoy the Florida sunshine.

Frank was adored by his Grandma Benson, who always came to the house to spend time with him and John, and always took Frank on many adventures, big and small. They were inseparable, and he enjoyed every minute he spent with her.

In 1988, with the help of his brother John and Father Dalton, Frank was able to make his confirmation in the Catholic church. This moment was a huge accomplishment for him, and his family was so unbelievably proud of how far he had come.

Frank lived with his parents for his entire life, until they both eventually passed away. He was very close with both Frank and Kristin, and they never wanted him to be away from them. He had been through so much, and they wanted to keep an eye on him and care for him themselves.

After his parents passed, Frank continued to live at home with the help of Brenda Williams, his full- time caregiver. Brenda shared her family and much of her personal life with Frank. If she had an emergency, she always made sure that Frank was looked after and never alone.

Frank was considered a hero, because he was able to donate his eyes and two kidneys, so that others may continue on in their life journey. We are so grateful for the compassionate and respectful care that we all received from every health care professional that was involved with Frank's care, including the entire staff at Vassar Brothers Medical Center, and with a special thank you to George Daniel, from LiveOnNY. A special thank you to Stephanie at Delehanty Funeral home for taking such good care of Frank.