CLEARLAKE–The City of Clearlake has lost its biggest fan. Bernard Edwards passed peacefully in his sleep on Dec. 15. He was 75.
All who had been blessed with the pleasure of knowing Mr. Edwards knew him as “Bernie Edwards – proud resident of Clearlake.” He will be remembered as a relentless volunteer who served his community without hesitation. Many thought of Bernie as the soul of Clearlake.
“He was the best. He was my hero,” said Bob Kiel, adding that he had spent 30 years working alongside Edwards on countless projects aimed at making the city a better place. “He was a big supporter of Clearlake and there are very few of those guys left. When you talked to Bernie he told you the truth. I”m going to miss him. He was the soul of this town.”
After fulfilling a 23-year naval career from which he retired as a lieutenant, Mr. Edwards turned his service to his town and community. Thirty years of his life was dedicated to the City of Clearlake. His endless contributions can be seen throughout the city. In a 2002 interview with the Clear Lake Observer?American he had said how proud was of projects such as the construction of City Hall and the post office on Olympic Drive; the expansion of Clear Lake Community College Campus and the Burns Valley Shopping Mall; the new library and the massive, state-of-the-art senior center. He had said he was especially proud of the upgrades to Thompson Harbor as well.
“I”ve had a lot of fun here in the City of Clearlake and I am very proud to be a resident,” he had said in 2002. “I get irritated sometimes when people can”t see the good that has happened over the last 20 years.”
Although some may have been blind to the progress realized in the city, Mr. Edwards” efforts had not gone unnoticed. In 1998 the Lakeshore Lions Club honored him with its Citizen of Year award and he served as the Grand Marshall of the club”s annual Fourth of July parade. The following year, Bernie was recognized with the Stars of Lake County”s Humanitarian of the Year award.
According to Bob Chalk, former Clearlake Police Chief, Bernie was well deserving of all the recognition he had received. “I think that Bernie was one of the people to go to that knew the diverse needs of the community and I relied on many people like Bernie Edwards, including Bernie, to help me in providing services to meet each every one of the needs of all our community members. Bernie was a cornerstone in bringing pride within our community in his constant support of our city.”
Former Clear Lake Observer?American reporter Veronica Morgan said Bernie”s pride was apparent. “You only had to listen to Bernie tell a story to see how much he enjoyed life and how proud he was of the City of Clearlake,” she said.
Another former Observer reporter, Lisa Pechennino said she”ll remember Bernie with great fondness. “Bernie was wonderful. He always had a smile on his face. He was always the first one there and the last one to leave,” she recalled. “He most impressed me though by having the courage to go down that big slide at the water park. That”s how I want to remember him ? having fun.”
Bernie and his wife Jackie, who precedes him in death, found their way to Clearlake in 1977. Originally they had come to the area to assist in the care of Bernie”s parents but the charisma of Clearlake captured their hearts and they decided to stay. “We decided we weren”t going to live in the (Sacramento) Valley fog and heat,” he had said in the interview five years ago, “and I felt that Clearlake Highlands had more synergism than other place around the county.”
The life of Bernard Edwards was celebrated with full military honors, Friday Dec. 15 at the Elks Lodge in Clearlake. His son, Kevin Edwards, of Clearlake, proudly received the American Flag honoring his father”s service to his country during the ceremony. Mr. Edwards also leaves behind his daughter Kathy Edwards McNeer of Imperial; his sister Collene, of Crescent City; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com.
