John Joseph Bernardine

John Joseph Bernardine, 81, entered eternal life on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. He was born in Nyack, NY to Ralph and Mary Bernardine. He graduated from Hawthorne High School in Hawthorne, NJ where he was Class President during sophomore and junior years then Senior Class Cabinet Representative. He attended Fairleigh Dickinson University and IBM School of Business Machines. From an early age John was fascinated with automobiles and worked in various automotive capacities, from a stock clerk, warranty department management and counter salesman while also racing Mini Coopers, Formula V, Formula C and Formula B cars on tracks in the East Coast. He met his wife Gail Butler in Fort Lee, NJ, they married in 1969, in North Bergen, NJ and moved to Tulsa, OK, in 1969, where they raised their two boys Jeffrey and Nicolas and their beloved Sara Sampson Hardy and Nola Beth Hardy.

While in Tulsa, John continued his lifelong passion for automobiles and racing. Quickly upon arrival he started working and racing for Foreign Auto Motive Engineering [FAME], Automobiles of Italy, Automobiles International where he made many lifelong friends, then The Sports Car Company. John's knowledge led him to many advisory and leadership roles where he was heavily involved with automotive education and curriculum, and with organizations such as Automotive Service Association [ASA], and then as an elected school board member of Tulsa Technology Center where he was passionately involved with the School-to-Work concept and program. Although his first association with education was due to his expertise in the automotive field, his focus as a board member was much broader and his involvement much deeper. His work on the school board has positively influenced many young people's lives and his work has been recognized with many community service awards.

John was a devout Catholic and an active member of St Mary's Church. He was preceded in death by his loving wife of almost 52 years, Gail Butler Bernardine, both his parents Ralph and Mary Bernardine, his father-in-law John Butler, mother-in-law Nancy Butler, his brother Ralph Bernardine, his sister-in-law Sally Bernardine, his sister Helen Bernardine, his sister Louise Gallaway, brother-in-law Jack Gallaway, his brother-in-law Dan Hickman, his brother-in-law Berry Rothhammer, his sister-in-law Gloria Bernardine, and his great nephew Shane Robert Tetrault.

He is survived by his son Jeffrey Woods-Bernardine, daughter-in-law Madison Woods-Bernardine, son Nicolas Bernardine, Sara Sampson Hardy and her daughter Nola Beth, his sister Mary Bergen, his brother Anthony Bernardine, his twin sister Jane Hickman, brother-in-law Robert J. Butler, sister-in-law Janet Butler, sister-in-law Joan Rothhammer and his many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews, and great-great nieces and nephews.

For those who never met John, we are sorry for your loss. In lieu of flowers the family please requests donations to Tulsa Technology Educational Foundation. www.ttef.net

Arrangement are entrusted to Schaudt’s Tulsa Funeral Service. Friends and family can leave condolences and special memories at www.schaudtfuneralservice.com