Bernard Joseph Waryas

2024, at the age of 86.

Bernie was from Detroit, Michigan and over the years he called many places of the world

home. It was his stop in Boston where he met his wife Sara. In 1971, they married in

Boston Cathedral. They soon moved to Georgia where they welcomed their only child, Keith.

As a family, they continued to roam with time in Colorado, and back in Massachusetts,

before Bernie and Sara finally retired to Florida in 2000.

Both intensely curious and rabidly self-reliant, Bernie took immense pride in his ability to fix

just about anything. If that thing happened to be beyond his knowledge or skill, he would

quickly acquire that knowledge from his local library. The fun for Bernie was in the

challenge, the learning, the tinkering, and ultimately the pride of being able to say he solved

the problem himself.

Bernie loved the outdoors, especially hiking. From Stone Mountain to Pikes Peak, one of

Bernie’s joys in life was dragging his wife and son uphill. He was also an avid tennis player, a

passion he picked up during his years in India. Like hiking, he was most comfortable

enjoying the sport with Sara and Keith. Bernie played tennis well into his 70s, before bad

knees forced him to hang up the racquet for good. He then continued to enjoy watching

tennis on television. Bernie never had an interest in the Super Bowl or the World Series,

but for two weeks in June and July, you could barely pull him away from Wimbledon

coverage on TV.

Bernie lived a full but simple life. His legacy lives on with his family; his wife, his son, his

daughter-in-law Amy, and his grandchildren, Jackson and Caroline. He is also survived by

his sister, Mary Ann; his brothers Art and Tom, and many nieces and nephews. His influence and

values will continue to guide and inspire his family.

The family is planning to quietly honor Bernard's life. Simple, just like he wanted. Instead of

flowers, they kindly request donations be made in Bernie’s memory to Planned Parenthood

or the Alzheimer’s Association.