Ed Bernier

    Ed Bernier, 81, a longtime resident of Winslow, passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010. A private memorial service will be held with the immediate family.
   Ed Bernier was born in Primghar, Iowa, on Aug. 29, 1928.
   He moved with his wife and four children to Tempe in 1960 to escape the cold winters in northwest Iowa. In May of that year, they moved to Prescott, where another son was born, and lived there for about a year before making their home in Winslow. Ed’s job as a Singer Sewing Machine salesman brought the family to Winslow in March 1961. In September of that year, the Singer Sewing Machine Company moved its store from Winslow, but the family decided to stay. Ed then began working at the Union 76 Service Station on Old Route 66 in downtown Winslow, across from the bank and the post office. Ed spent many nights working there and went on to eventually own the service station in 1972.
   The Berniers added four more children to their family after moving to Winslow. Their sons worked at the station, as did many other young men in the community.
   Besides his occupation at the gas station, Ed built an addition onto their house, had a daily paper route and was the janitor for two local places in downtown Winslow.
   Ed closed the station (which is gone now) on Nov. 1, 1982. After a few months, he went to work for the Winslow School District as a night watchman and then as a custodian for a local elementary school, later retiring.
   He was a collector of gas station memorabilia and Kaiser cars. He spent many years traveling the country and adding items to his extensive collection. These were things that brought him great joy in reminiscing about his younger days. These items were auctioned off to pay for his ongoing medical treatment.
   Survivors include his sons, Earl Bernier, Dwayne Bernier and Dwight Bernier; his daughters, LeAnn Morrison, JeriAnn Payne and DeeAnn Smith; and 14 grandchildren.
   He was preceded in death by his wife of 43 years, Lenora; his second wife of 11 years, Mary Louise; and three sons, Elwynn Bernier, Ellis Bernier and Elliott Bernier.