Lucy P. Bernier

Lucy was born April 10, 1955 in Munich, Germany, the firstborn child of Patricia Hamilton Pantaleoni and Hewitt Pantaleoni. The family moved to Oneonta, NY in 1960 when Hewitt became a music professor at SUNY Oneonta.

Lucy graduated from Oneonta High School after spending a year as an Oneonta Rotary Club exchange student to Japan, and a year at Phillips Exeter Academy in the first class of co-ed boarding students. She then received her Bachelor’s degree in English with honors from SUNY Oneonta in 1977. She obtained her law degree in 1980 from Albany Law School, where she served as a writer and Notes and Comments editor for the Albany Law Review.

Lucy dedicated her career to her passionate belief in a fair justice system. After passing the bar exam, she worked briefly in NYC at Reavis & McGrath. In 1981, she joined the Oneonta law practice of her mother, Patricia Pantaleoni, creating what is believed to be the first mother-daughter law firm in New York State, and certainly the first in Otsego County. When Patricia retired in January 2018, Lucy continued practicing as a sole practitioner. In her private practice, Lucy focused on family law, serving as a law guardian and attorney for children and parents in Family Court, and also handled real estate closings, wills and estates, and adoptions.

Lucy served as an Otsego County assistant district attorney from 1992 - 1996, and was then appointed city prosecutor from 1998 - 2003, the first woman in that position. She was appointed to a six-year term as Oneonta’s first woman city court judge in 2004, and was then elected to additional six-year terms in 2009 and 2015, retiring in January of 2022. As judge, she created a City Court Internship Program that has inspired local college students both male and female to pursue study in law and related fields. She offered legal assistance at free legal aid clinics, gave training in domestic violence to town and village judges, and was a valued role model for women aspiring to a professional career. In 2021, Lucy was awarded the Woman Trailblazer Award by the City of Oneonta’s Commission on Community Relations and Human Rights, in recognition of her impact on the community. She was also honored in 2023 by the Del-Chen-O Women’s Bar Association for her exceptional legal accomplishments and trailblazing career. In 2024, she was a SUNY Oneonta Alumni of Distinction honoree.

She met the love of her life, Joseph Bernier, soon after joining her mother’s law practice in Oneonta, and they married in 1983. They built a family and a life together focused on their two daughters Genevieve and Emily, enjoying Oneonta, and serving the community. Lucy was a member of the St. Mary’s Bereavement team, the Saturday’s Bread team, and the Peace and Justice Needs Network of St. Mary’s Church. She served on Oneonta’s Centennial Commission and the boards of Opportunities for Otsego and Oneonta Dollars for Scholars. She was a member of the Otsego County Council on Child Abuse and Neglect, the AGREE Meditation Center Advisory Committee, and the Oneonta Professional Women’s Network, where she was also president. When her children were young, Lucy taught first grade Sunday school classes at St. Mary’s for six years, was a backstage volunteer for the Chenango Ballet Theater and Oneonta Tapworks, and served as a coach for Odyssey of the Mind.

Lucy was an avid, lifelong musician, as both a singer and a flutist. She grew up in a musical family, singing madrigals around the dinner table. As an adult, she sang in the soprano section for the Catskills Choral Society, served as the president of their board, and also served as the president of the board of the Oneonta Concert Association. She also remained dedicated to her flute playing, returning to favorites like the Poulenc flute sonata in her spare time until nearly the end of her life.

In 2021, misunderstanding the meaning of the word “retirement”, Lucy fulfilled a childhood dream by becoming a novelist. She wrote five mystery novels featuring Kate Rossi, a young attorney in rural upstate NY. These books are available on Amazon, and locally at the Huntington Library and Green Toad bookstore, under author name L. P. Bernier (The Silenced, The Sacrificed, The Wounded, The Punished, and coming soon, The Avenged).

Above all, Lucy was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend. Nothing brought her greater joy than spending time with her family and friends - in particular, doting on her grandchildren.

She is predeceased by her parents, her brother Timothy Pantaleoni, and her sister Maud Kiwiet-Pantaleoni. She is survived by her husband of 41 years, Joseph Bernier; daughters Genevieve (Steve) Smith and Emily Bernier; beloved grandchildren Aurelia Smith and Luciano Smith; sisters Mer (Bear) Boel and Alice (Mark) Pantaleoni; nephew Joshua Kiwiet-Pantaleoni; and many other close relatives and dear friends.

Calling hours will be held at the Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home on Friday, February 14, 2025 from 5pm to 7pm. A funeral mass will take place at St. Mary’s Church on Saturday, February 15, 2025 at 11am.

In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made in Lucy’s memory to the SUNY Oneonta Foundation to help establish the Lucy P. Bernier ’77 Scholarship. To donate, go to https://suny.oneonta.edu/give, choose "other" as the fund to support, and enter "Lucy P. Bernier ’77 Scholarship." Or, mail in a check payable to the Division of University Advancement, Alumni Hall, 108 Ravine Parkway, Oneonta, NY 13820.

The family would like to extend heartfelt thanks to the medical professionals at New York Oncology Hematology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, A. O. Fox Hospital, and Helios Hospice Care for their compassionate care.

Arrangements are by the Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home of Oneonta, NY.

Please visit www.grummonsfuneralhome.com to leave a condolence or memory for the family.