Richard Lee Bjarnesen

29, 2020.

Richard was born on December 4, 1962 to Walter and Mary Anne Bjarnesen in Dearborn, Michigan. He was a graduate of Winyah High School Class of 1981 in Georgetown, South Carolina. He married the love of his life, Lisa Dilleshaw Bjarnesen, on January 12, 1985. He then graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice, Class of 1988. He obtained his Associates degree in Nursing from Nash Community College in 2000. He went on to obtain his Bachelors of Science in Nursing from the University of South Carolina Upstate, Class of 2010. He also earned his Master's in Nursing from Western Governor's University in 2019. During his career, he worked as a Nurse Manager at Palmetto Health, as a home health nurse, and was Behavioral Health Director at both Kershaw Health and Regional Medical Center Orangeburg. He had a passion for behavioral health and dementia/

Alzheimer's patients, serving as the director of The Cove Senior Behavioral Program in Hilton

Head Island, SC in 2019. Most recently, he returned to home health to practice as a board

Certified Psychiatric Nurse. He enjoyed reading, crossword puzzles, and spending time with his

wife, children, and his cat, Aristotle.

He is preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Jennifer Mitchell Bjarnesen, of Danville,

Virginia. He is survived by his sister, Debbie Bjarnesen Thompson (Anthony), and his beloved

wife of 35 years, Lisa Dilleshaw Bjarnesen as well as his three children, Kerrin Lynn Bjarnesen,

Kristen Bjarnesen Shealy (Andrew), and Ronald Blake Bjarnesen.

Richard was at his core a family man, and lived to serve and protect his wife and family. He loved Jesus and had a personal relationship with Him, and this was evident in the way that he loved and served his patients and family. He firmly believed that nursing was a way for him to be the hands and feet of Jesus in his daily life. He was loved and admired by his family and will be deeply missed.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Project Rex, a program at MUSC in Charleston,

South Carolina dedicated to providing services to adults and children on the autism spectrum

and their families.