Bernard Bishop's Obituary
Bernie Bishop
Bernard James Bishop, 66, passed away on December 1st at his home in Oakland, California from complications of Multiple Myeloma.
Bernie was born on March 13, 1957 in Dorchester, Massachusetts to Marie and Ben Bishop and was the oldest of 4 siblings. In 1959, the family moved to a wonderful neighborhood in Braintree, MA that was very family oriented and the perfect place to grow up. He was active in sports and enjoyed playing the guitar at the Folk Mass at St. Clare Church.
Bernie graduated from Braintree High in 1975. He entered a Management Internship Program with the Navy Exchange (NEX) that sent him to cities across the United States and satisfied his desire to travel. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration in 1987 from San Diego State University and moved to Oakland, California to continue his career.
Bernie met his wife Janis in 1988. He loved the Bay Area and was happy to make Oakland his home. He went on to work at Target, and The North Face, and retired from See’s Candies as Vice President of Real Estate and Construction.
In 1989, Janis took him to spend a weekend at her parents’ off-the-grid cabin in the Sierras in a little town called Graniteville. Bernie and Janis bought that cabin in 1993, the same year they got married. They enjoyed fixing it up, hiking down to the creek and having coffee on the porch, but what Bernie loved more than anything was to share their little piece of paradise with others. Friends made the trek over that bumpy dirt road so many times that their visits became more like a family gathering than just a weekend away.
Bernie was very active in the Graniteville community. He was one of the first members of the Graniteville Volunteer Fire Company that was formed in 1998 and had the position of Captain at the time of his death.
Bernie was also active in the Bay Area Bluegrass community and enjoyed playing and singing with the Shepherd Canyon Bluegrass band.
Bernie is survived by his wife Janis (Hickey), brothers Kevin and Brian, sister Julie (Jim), niece and nephews Lauren, Kevin, Morgan (Mario) and Rachel, and was predeceased by his parents Ben and Marie (Slattery) Bishop. His celebration of life service was held at Our Lady of Lourdes on December 16, 2023 in Oakland, California.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Graniteville Volunteer Fire Company (http://www.granitevillefire.org) would be greatly appreciated. Checks made out to GVFC #46 can be mailed c/o Janis Bishop, 7020 Paso Robles Dr., Oakland, CA 94611. The ability to donate electronically via the website will be available in 2024.
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