Edward Christian Bernhardt

PFC in 3133rd Signal Service Co

ASN#16071170

Born 1920 in IL, Died 1998

County of residence at enlistment: Cook County, IL

Other residence(s): Chicago, IL; Franklin Park, IL; Carbondale, IL; Murphysboro, IL

United States Army, European Theatre of Operations

College education after the war: Illinois Institute of Technology

Source: 3133rd Program, 15 Sept 1944; photo courtesy Southern Illinoisan, August 31, 1969

Edward Bernhardt was born on December 15, 1920 in Chicago, IL, an only child. His father had been born in Austria and all four of his grandparents were native German speakers. His father worked as a hatter in a hat factory, later in construction, and eventually as a factory foreman. In the 1930s, the Bernhardts had a family of three boarding with them.

Edward graduated from high school in Chicago and first went to work doing bill delivery for a utility company. He registered for the draft on February 16, 1942, at which time he said that he was working for Commonwealth Edison. He enlisted on February 16, 1943 and attended the University of Missouri as part of his Army training. He was eventually assigned to the 3133 Signal Service Company and saw service in Italy with the unit. He was discharged from the Army on March 23, 1946 and returned to Chicago.

He then used his GI Bill benefits to study engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology, earning a BS in engineering and later an MS in business administration.

Edward married Marie Lombardo in Chicago on August 31, 1947. By 1950 he was working as an industrial engineer at a sanitary supplies factory. Marie worked as a piano teacher at a conservatory; she would continue to teach piano into her 70s and also served as a church organist.

The Bernhardts became the parents of four: Paul, Gary, Randall, and Susan. Edward worked his way up into plant management, serving as plant manager of Kentile Floor, Inc. in Chicago. In 1969, he was named plant manager of Tech (later Tuck) Tape Corp. in Carbondale, IL in the southern part of the state, and moved his family there.

Something happened at Tuck Tape, though, since by 1973 he was employed as an agent with J.R. Parrish Real Estate in Carbondale. He worked there until 1977 when he took a position as production coordinator at the Jackson Community Workshop. The workshop was part of a comprehensive set of services for physically and mentally disabled adults in Jackson County, IL. One of the opportunities provided was a sheltered workshop where clients of the Jackson County services could work at jobs such as sorting and unfolding newspapers, bagging items, building wooden pallets, planters, and other items, and transferring paper records to microfilm. At some point the Bernhardts moved to Murphysboro, IL, where the workshop was located. Edward stayed in the position well past retirement age, working there until 1996 when he was 75 years old.

He was an active parishioner at Epiphany Lutheran Church of All Saints in Carbondale, serving as treasurer of the parish for nearly 20 years.

Edward died on September 8, 1998; he is buried at Pleasant Grove Memorial Park in Murphysboro.