Bernadette Mansur

Bernadette Mansur passed away on February 23, 2022 in Naples, Florida, she was 75 years old. She was born on October 19, 1946 in New York City and was named Rita Bernadette Fogel. Throughout her life she went by the name Bernadette and was also known as “Pie”, short for “Cutie Pie”, to her closest friends and loved ones.

Bernadette attended Marymount School, a college preparatory independent school in NYC, she then graduated from Newton College of the Sacred Heart (now Boston College) in 1968 and later earned a Master’s degree from Columbia University. In 1984 she married Michael Gene Mansur and became a stepmother to his two daughters from a previous marriage. Bernadette had a rich personal life celebrating many of life's occasions alongside her sister Regina Kelly, brother in-law John Kelly and their two sons, John Paul and Donald. One of Bernadette’s favorite summer activities was sailing with her two nephews around Shelter Island NY and eating fresh summer tomato sandwiches prepared by her sister. Bernadette also enjoyed lifelong and meaningful friendships with a tight- knit group of women. She and Michael shared a loving marriage, they built beautiful homes together in New York City, Boston, Southampton,Bridgehampton and in Naples, Florida and shared their homes with many pets over the years. They loved golfing and playing tennis together, they often enjoyed dinners together at favorite neighborhood restaurants and attending hockey games at Madison Square Garden.

Bernadette built a storied and celebrated career as a marketing and communications executive. She spent over 20 years in leadership positions at the National Hockey League. For many years she oversaw the League’s media relations, public relations, corporate communications, community relations and creative services departments. In August 1999, she was promoted to Group Vice President, Communications and in March 2006, to Senior Vice President, Communications. With her direction, the League enjoyed a tremendous boost in publicity. Bernadette launched the marketing communications programs surrounding the “Coolest Game on Earth,” “Cup Crazy” and “My NHL”. She developed the public relations strategy for the League’s involvement in the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics and the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics. In 2014 Bernadette retired from the NHL as Executive Director of the NHL Foundation, the League’s philanthropic arm. She also founded the community relations initiative, Hockey Fights Cancer, which has raised more than $7 million to benefit the American and Canadian Cancer Society. Notably, Bernadette spent time mentoring many women on their careers in marketing and communications.

Previous to the NHL, she was with Reebok International, Ltd, as Vice President of Corporate Communications. At Reebok, she was responsible for worldwide corporate communications, overseeing business and financial media relations, entertainment media relations, public and governmental affairs, programs for social responsibility and employee communications. Prior to joining Reebok, Bernadette was with Avon Products, Inc, working in several marketing positions in six International markets and rising to the position of Director Marketing Communication, responsible for all corporate and public relations for the Avon brand.

She is survived by her two stepdaughters Mary-Michael Rodgers and Molly Mansur Dufner, son-in-law Matthew Dufner, her two granddaughters Megan Rodgers and Layla Dufner, her brother-in-law John Kelly, two nephews and their family’s John Paul Kelly and Donald Kelly. She was preceded in death by her husband Michael Mansur and her sister Regina Kelly.

A funeral mass will be held to honor both Bernadette and Michael Mansur at 10am on Saturday, March 12, 2022 at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Naples, FL. In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Bernadette’s honor to the Alzheimer's Association