Marie P. Bernard

Marie Pollard Bernard
Age 84 * New Castle, DE
Marie Pollard Bernard passed away peacefully at home on July 10, 2025 with her sister at her side. She was born in 1940 in Wilmington to the late Edward and Marie (Casey) Pollard. She attended Sacred Heart Elementary School and graduated from St. Elizabeth High School. After a year at the University of Delaware, she worked at the Wilmington Passport Office. In 1963, she married the love of her life, Al Bernard, and together they raised their family in New Castle. After her children were grown, Marie helped manage the family business, Bernard Personnel.
Marie was known as a caring neighbor who loved children. She was an excellent cook and baker, so much so that certain neighborhood kids would show up at the kitchen door to see what she had made for dinner. She also loved reading and keeping up with local and national politics, interests she shared with her father.
Marie and Al enjoyed spending time at the beach with their family. Favorite destinations were Wildwood and Ft. Lauderdale. Marie was also a lifelong fan of both Johnny Mathis and piano bars, sometimes travelling to Atlantic City and Philadelphia with Al to hear music.
Marie is preceded in death by her parents; her husband; her infant son, Kevin; and her niece, Michelle Pollard.
She will be dearly missed by her children and their spouses: Barney and his wife, Jennifer Gajadhar Bernard; Jon and his wife, Gillian Engberg; and Michael and his husband, Richard Kramer. Marie is also survived by her siblings, Nancy Pollard of Carrollton, GA, and Ed Pollard of Lewes, as well as Donna Herbert and Sheila Skilling, both beloved friends who became part of the family.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Celebration of Life service for Marie at Krienen-Griffith Funeral Home, 1400 Kirkwood Hwy, Wilmington, on Wednesday, July 16. Visitation starts at 11:00, followed by a service at noon. Interment will follow at Cathedral Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made in Marie's name to the Emmanuel Dining Hall, 121 N Jackson St, Wilmington, DE 19805.