Madeleine L. Bernard

Madeleine (Leuthardt) Bernard, 76, a resident of Amherst, NH for the last 36 years, died unexpectedly on November 6, 2009 in Manchester, NH. She struggled courageously against Parkinson�s disease since 1995 without complaint and, in fact, continued to grace all who knew her with her sweet smile and quiet caring love. Born in Rye Town, NY on March 25, 1933 to the late Henri and Angel Leuthardt, she soon joined her father, sister Florence and young brother, Henry, in growing the family business (Henry Leuthardt Nurseries, Inc.) into the best known specialist in Espalier fruit trees in the United States. Starting her education in a one-room schoolhouse, she went on to earn her B.A. Degree from the College of New Rochelle and a Masters Degree in Sociology from Fordham University where she met her future husband, Roger P. Bernard. They married in September 1961 with their only child, Paul, born in September 1962. Throughout this period, Madeleine continued to manage the family business office and home in Rye Town and, until her marriage, spent her summers at the growing farm in East Moriches, Long Island, NY, where the tree nursery business is now located. Throughout her adult life, which she devoted to caring for and nurturing her family, she expanded her interests in plants and flowers of all varieties. At her N.H. home, she designed and planted extensive vegetable and herb gardens for use in her kitchen as well as numerous Alpine gardens tucked into pockets in the granite ledge wherever she tried to dig. She was also passionate about cooking and, by age 12, was creating meals worthy of an advanced cook. Those talents were nurtured by her father, to the benefit of her family, then and now. Other interests included naturalized miniature terrariums and designing and hand sewing classic quilts. As in all her endeavors, she quickly committed to nothing less than excellence and did not stop until her Parkinson�s took that from her. She and Roger celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary just 2 months before her heart failed and took her to her next life. In addition to her husband and her son, Paul and his two sons, James and Matthew of Ann Arbor, MI, she leaves her much loved sister-in-law, Patricia Leuthardt, and Pat�s sons, John, Henry Patrick and Peter, his wife Robin and their beautiful daughter Jesse, all of East Moriches, NY. She also leaves her sister�s son, Chris Carpenter and his son, Cambell of Shawnee, Kansas and especially her close friends and neighbors whose love and caring made all the difference in her most trying times. Memorial visiting hours are Friday, November 13th from 6:00-8:00 pm in the Smith & Heald Funeral Home, 63 Elm Street, Milford, NH. Donations in her memory may be made to the National Parkinson Foundation, Inc., 1501 N.W. 9th Avenue/Bob Hope Road, Miami, Florida 33136-1494.