Joseph Bernot

Joseph Bernot died peacefully surrounded by his family on August 25 at Morristown Memorial Hospital. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the funeral on Tuesday, August 30 at 9AM from the Union Funeral Home-Lytwyn & Lytwyn, 1600 Stuyvesant Ave, Union (unionfuneralhome.com), then to St. Michael's Church in Union for a 10AM Funeral Mass. Burial will follow at St Gertrude Cemetery, Colonia. Visitation will be on Monday from 2-4 and 7-9PM. He was born outside of Seduva, Lithuania on October 1, 1923. World War 2 greatly affected Lithuania and his farming family. Joseph was the only family member to successfully leave Lithuania before the Iron Curtain fell. He ultimately became a war refugee and left the past behind him, becoming a staunch American citizen. He was a career machinist for GM's Hyatt Roller Bearings in Clark. After almost 30 years at Hyatt, he retired and was able to visit Lithuania 49 years after he departed to the great joy of his surviving family members. Joseph outlived all of his family's generation. In retirement he spent his time outside as much as possible, especially tending his beloved garden. Joseph is survived by his devoted wife of 61 years, Mary Rice Bernot, and their 4 children, Robert (Suzette), Peter (Nancy), David, and Lisa, as well as his 7 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild.