He was born on November 17, 1966 in Quezon City, Philippines, son of the late Abelardo Sarreal Bernardo and Carmelita Aquino Bernardo. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth “Cherry” Cu Bernardo and his two children Abelardo Cu Bernardo II, Abbe Elizabeth Cu Bernardo, his daughter in law Alpha Angelica Montillano Bernardo and grand daughter Aurelia Caia Montillano Bernardo. He is also survived by his siblings, loving extended family and many nieces and nephews.
“Ka G, Kuya G, Ge, Gem, Daddy Ge, Tito Ge, Lolo G, Yeye, Ney” as so many fondly called him, dedicated his life to serving our Almighty God. He was converted to the Iglesia Ni Cristo through indoctrination by Brother Eduardo V. Manalo and was baptized on June 1980 in the local congregation of San Francisco del Monte, Metro Manila. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from De LaSalle University and Master’s Degree in Systems Engineering from the University of Maryland. He held many duties in the Iglesia Ni Cristo including being a PNK Teacher, Binhi President, District Kadiwa Officer and choir member. In 1995, he became a deacon, and in 2008, he became 2nd Head Deacon in the local congregations of Patuxent River Extension and Waldorf. Most recently, he was the 5th Head Deacon in the local congregation of Washington, D.C. Alongside these duties, he volunteered assisting in the Church’s technology team since 1994 and in 2010; he decided to dedicate his life to the Iglesia Ni Cristo as a pioneer member of the INCTRG US Team upon its establishment. He helped with various church projects around the globe. He touched the lives of many through his enthusiasm; most especially he inspired his son, Abelardo II, who also followed in his footsteps to dedicate his life to the INCTRG US Team.
Known to his family as the “human google,” he loved music and was extremely talented in playing the piano and bass guitar. He had never ending knowledge about technology and history had a knack for fashion and art with drawing as his forte. He was a perfectionist especially when it came to performing his duties, including serving as Technical Director for various musical Church events. He lived a life full of love - Gerald and Cherry married on May 8, 1993 and spent 30 years together. They instantly fell in love, and knew that they both shared a love for performing their duties in the church, and made music an important part of their lives. In his last days, Gerald continued to persevere to perform his duties, and always reminded his family that no matter the circumstances, it was always “faith over fate” and to accept God’s will. His last performance as 5th Head Deacon was on January 30, 2022 in the local congregation of Washington, D.C. He will forever be deeply missed by his family, close friends, and all who knew him.
Family and friends are welcome to gather for a viewing on Monday, February 28, 2022 from 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM and on Tuesday, March 01, 2022 from 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM at Hines Rinaldi Funeral Home, 11800 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring, MD, 20904. The internment will be held on Tuesday, March 1, 2022 at 2:00 PM at Parklawn Memorial Cemetery, 12800 Veirs Mill Road, Rockville, MD 20853.
