Henry Berns, a bricklayer by trade, passed away on Dec. 28, 1980, at the age of 95.
Born in the Netherlands, Henry served in World War I. He moved to Pittsburgh from Holland in 1951, and married and his wife, Emily "Millie" Schumacher. The couple lived in North Versailles and Herron Hill and had two children, a son and a daughter.
After Millie passed away in 1951, Henry moved to the North Side where he was a much beloved figure in the community. He walked everywhere, stopping to greet his neighbors in his thick Dutch accent.
It was while he was in a hospital in Bern, Switzerland, during the war, he learned to weave lace dollies. It was a hobby that he shared with others later in life, after retirement in 1962, through classes that he taught to senior citizens. He also loved to write poetry, some of which was published.
Type of Fund
- Unrestricted