John C. Bernhardt

John grew up in Salsbury, North Carolina and attended East Rowan High School, graduating in 1962 and East Carolina University in 1967 with a business degree and was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. During college he met Judy Sawyer, a nursing major and married in 1968. John served a short time at Pensacola Naval Flight School. They were blessed with two children together, Wendy Elizabeth and Ashley Dawn. Their family moved to Texas in 1980.

In 1983, John married Patricia York. She preceded him in Death in 2005. John loved to travel to the outer banks of North Carolina to celebrate the memories of fishing with family. He also had a passion for hunting.

He was also preceded in death by his parents and brother, Michael Wayne Bernhardt.

Survivors include his wife, Jodi Alexander of Tyler and her sons, Jason Bryant and Joel Bryant and daughter, Carrie Bryant Wright, ten grandchildren and five great grandchildren; his brother, Walter Stephen Bernhardt and his wife, Cathy of Stuart, Florida; sister-in-law, Brenda Bernhardt; daughters, Wendy Elizabeth Nichols of Northbrook, Illinois and Ashley Dawn Andrews(Ryan Lynn Andrews) of New Bern, North Carolina, and step son, Andy York of Tyler; five grandchildren, Ben and Reagan and Peyton, Laird and Gillian; also one great-grandchild, Kora. Also survived by nieces, nephews and cousins.

Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, January 10, 2026, at Colonial Hills Baptist Church, 7330 S. Broadway Ave. Tyler, Texas with Pastor Jason White officiating, under direction of Lloyd James Funeral Home. He will be laid to rest at Cathedral in the Pines Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be Don Sebring, Steve Bernhardt, Jason Bryant, Mike Lambert, Dan Neal and Sean Bernhardt.

The family request that any memorials be made to Colonial Hills Baptist Church in Tyler.