Date of death: 11/2/2011
Saint Meinrad Class: O 1958
Bernie Buren, 79, passed away on the morning of November 2, 2011 at Norton Suburban Hospital. He was surrounded by his loving family. Bernie was a cornerstone of St. Albert the Great Catholic Church for more than 40 years. He was the President of the St. Vincent DePaul Society at St. Albert as well as contributed in numerous other activities at the Church. He was the Comptroller of the Jefferson County School Board until he retired in 2003. Upon his retirement, he became a Docent at the Louisville Zoo. He loved the zoo and would ramble on an on about it. He loved being with the animals, interacting with them and more importantly loved all the people he worked with as well as visitors he met. He had a warm spot in his heart for every Docent and their love towards him showed while he was sick. The outpouring of support from the zoo kept a smile on his face throughout the whole ordeal. Bernie was an extremely gracious and generous person. He truly cared about other people first and it showed in his character. His will to take the extra step to ensure that everyone around him was happy was one of his greatest attributes. His gracious donations to the community, church, zoo and many other charitable organizations helped define his character. He was an avid tennis player for several years and enjoyed the company of the many participants in the sport. Bernie and Jayne Ann developed many life-long friends over their 51 years of marriage and kept these relationships strong through the years. The most important thing in the world to Bernie was his wife of 51 years, Jane Ann. They were inseparable! They were a perfect match, rarely disagreeing, but when they did, Bernie conceded to Jayne Ann as he knew she was right! Their biggest joys were celebrating family birthdays every month, going to the lake every year, celebrating Holidays together and their 50th wedding Anniversary. Bernie shaped, enriched and impacted every person he met! He will be greatly missed and his legacy will live forever. Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Jayne Ann; four sons, Bernie Jr, Larry, Mike and Chris; three brothers, Mike, Dave and Bruce; his stepmother, Wilma and 12 loving grandchildren. His funeral Mass will be conducted at St. Albert the Great Catholic Church, 1395 Girard Dr. at 11:30 a.m., Saturday with a reception in the cafeteria immediately following. Visitation will be held at Arch L Heady & Son Funeral Home at Westport Village from 4-8 p.m. Friday. Donations can be made to Creative Diversity Studio, 107 S. Ewing, Louisville, KY 40206, an art studio for individuals with disabilities. Please make donations in the name of Bernie Buren.You may visit us online to leave a condolence for the family at www.archlheadywestport.comPublished in The Courier-Journal on November 3, 2011