Louis "Louie" Joaquin Bernardo

Louie Bernardo
Escalante, Utah

    Louis “Louie” Joaquin Bernardo, 66, of Escalante, Utah passed away surrounded by his loving  wife and family at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah on November 28, 2022, after a valiant and heroic fight with cancer. He did everything possible to stay with this family as long as he could. During the last 10 months we saw many miracles. We saw a love so big it changed our hearts and we will never love and live the same again. Louie will be remembered as a kind and caring friend, husband, father, brother and papa.  
    Louie was born in Hanford, California on March 30, 1956 to Manual Mello and Cecelia Teresa Machado Bernardo. Louie loved his siblings: August Anthony Bernardo, Mary Jo Bernardo and Edward Paul Bernardo. 
    He married Kim Nunes in 1978, later divorced.  They had two sons: Bo Justin Bernardo and Cale Joaquin Bernardo. 
    Louie moved to his heaven on earth, Escalante, Utah in 1981.  He married Janalee Spencer in 1988.  Louie was the most handsome man she had ever seen.  He was the love of her life.  Louie was the best husband she could have ever asked for.  Louie made it easy to love him.  He helped raise her two children: Samuel Heath Spencer and Heather Maelene Dunton. 
    Louie loved and cared for his family with his whole heart.  Louie’s love and influence will be remembered. Louie lived an unbelievable life. Louie had a way about him like no other.  He had a heart of gold.  Louie was so kind and gentle but was a quiet man.  Louie would do anything for his family.  He always gave 110 percent. 
    Louie was a cowboy at heart. He loved to team rope, hunt and fish and he loved to golf.  Louie loved animals. Some would say he was the animal whisperer. Some of his fondest memories were camping trips with family.  Louie  loved Christmas; he was the biggest kid of all.  Most of all he loved his family, especially his grandkids. He was their papa. They were the light of his life.  He was always so patient with them.  Wherever you saw Louie you could see one or two grandkids on his lap. 
    If something was broken Louie could fix it.  Louie had one of everything.  He had a trove of treasures.  There was not a camping item Louie did not own. Louie lived a pretty simple life.  He was not really the traveling kind.  He just wanted to be close to home. 
    Louie was custodian at Escalante Elementary School for 32 years.  He touched the lives of hundreds of students. Louie treasured the friendships he made with his coworkers. 
    Our lives changed forever in December 2010 when Louie was diagnosed with Leukemia.  He fought cancer for 12 years. He never complained and always fought cancer head on.  In February, 2022, our lives came crashing down. Louie’s cancer had transformed into Richter’s Transformation which is very rare and very agressive. Louie was given 6 to 8 months to live.  The doctor told Louie he was a walking miracle. Louie told the doctor he was not giving up and that he was going to fight. Louie spent the next 10 months going through a CAR T transplant. 
    Louie showed our family what a true hero is. You would think if you are given a time to live you should be able to prepare. You can never prepare. Sometimes to find Heaven you have to go through hell and that is exactly what Louie did. The hardest time to say goodbye is when you have to but don’t want to. 
    The family would like to express their love and appreciation to all the staff at Dr Joseph Te’s office and to all the staff at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. They always went above and beyond for “King Louie” as he was affectionately known by the staff at the Huntsman Hospital. The friendships we built there will be forever cherished. 
    Louie is survived by his loving wife of over 34 years, Janalee; his children: Bo (Tiana) Bernardo, Cale (Cortney) Bernardo, Heath (Tera) Spencer and Heather (Jared) Dunton; grandchildren: Kazie (Matt) Smith, Tage Bernardo, Tylee Bernardo, Taycee Bernardo, Halley Spencer, Tee Spencer, Boston Woods, Preslie Woods, Staeli Woods, Cody (Chelsey) Dunton, Mazee Dunton, McCall Dunton, Rylee Frei; and great granddaughter, Clark Dunton; brothers: Augie (Charlene) Bernardo, Edward Bernardo. 
    Preceded in death by his parents; sister, Mary Jo Bernardo; in-laws, Arden and Mae Vonn Taylor; and brother-in-law, Emmorn Que Dodds.
    Funeral services will be held  on  Friday, December 2, 2022 at 12:00 Noon in Escalante Stake Center where friends may call on Friday from 10:00-11:30 a.m. Burial will be in the Escalante Cemetery.  Funeral Directors: Magleby Mortuary, Richfield, Salina and Manti. Online guestbook at www.maglebymortuary.com

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