Richard Ralph Bernard

Richard Ralph Bernard October 30, 1946 - March 13, 2013 Richard Bernard, 66, of Amarillo, left us Wednesday, March 13, 2013 in Amarillo, Texas. Memorial services will be at 11:00 a.m., Monday, at Victory Church, 6300 Arden Road, Amarillo, TX 79109 with Don Weemes officiating. Arrangements are by Rector Funeral Home, Osage Chapel, 2800 S. Osage St. Mr. Bernard was born in Dallas, Texas on October 30, 1946, to Ralph Edward and Mary Jeanette (Moore) Bernard. The Bernard family moved to Lubbock, Texas shortly after his birth and resided there through-out his childhood. He graduated from Lubbock Monterey High School in 1965 and then attended Texas Tech University majoring in Electrical Engineering. After college, he honorably served in the United States Air Force during Vietnam as an Electrical Warfare Repairman. Richard enjoyed 23 years with his second family at Ben E. Keith Foods as an award winning sales representative. He thoroughly loved working with customers and Ben E. Keith treated Dad and Donna as family members. Richard fathered a daughter and three sons that meant everything in the world to him. In 1995, he married the love of his life Donna Wilson and moved to a creek side mountain cabin north of Las Vegas, NM. When he lost his beloved wife in 2007, he refused to leave his Las Vegas friends and family until retiring in 2011 to be closer with his boys. Dad also had an exceptional passion for auto racing. While he enjoyed NASCAR racing, nothing beat cheering on his sons racing at Amarillo Dragway. He also loved spending time with his sons and their families goofing off at their property in Valle de Oro. Any given weekend, dad would sneak off to Vegas where he was a master of the roulette table! Since the family lived so far apart, Dad would set up an annual Vegas trip with all four children and his sister so that everyone could see each other and catch up. Pops always wanted to have his own Hot Rod. He fulfilled that dream in 2012, when he attended the Barrett Jackson Auto Auction in Las Vegas, NV. After much deliberation, he set his sights on a bright red 37 Ford Custom Coupe which he decided he had to have. Dad made that dream even sweeter when he entered his hot rod in the 2013 Amarillo Make-A-Wish car show and took home a Peoples Choice Award. Mr. Bernard is survived by his daughter, Layne Miller of Corona, CA; three sons, Chance Bernard, Terence Bernard, Shane and his wife Amy Bernard, all of Amarillo; two stepdaughters, Hollie Sharp of Amarillo, Heather and T.J. Funderburg of Dumas; two sisters, Nancy Rose and her husband Dr. Gary Rose of Katy, TX and Anne Howard of Thousand Oaks, CA and eight grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to the Don and Sybil Harrington Cancer Center.