Bernie Loughnane knew how to live a good life, full of family, friendship, laughter, music, adventure, and an abiding love of people. He had a rare sense of peace about him. Bernie was not someone who needed to rush through life. He was content to let moments unfold, to be present with the people around him, and to take an active interest in the things that mattered to those he loved. 

Bernard F. Loughnane was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, on November 23, 1944, to Anna M. (O’Neil) Loughnane and Bernard F. Loughnane Sr. He was raised in Worcester and remained proud of his roots throughout his life. He graduated from North High School in 1962, Worcester Junior College in 1964, and Nichols College with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing. After college, Bernie served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1969 and was stationed in Germany. 

After his military service, Bernie began his career as a salesman, and he did it with aplomb. He was successful not only because he knew how to sell, but because he knew how to connect with people, winning hearts, minds, and accounts along the way. It was hardly a surprise. Bernie’s natural affability made people want to know him, and his ability to make people feel at ease was one of the qualities that served him well throughout his life. 

He would go on to build a long career with the National Association of Government Employees (NAGE), serving as a National Union Representative. He retired from NAGE in 2017.

 Bernie was a devoted son who, along with his wife, Sheila, lovingly cared for his mother, Anna, during her final years. They had always been close, and it was apparent to everyone who knew them how deeply she cherished her son, and how deeply he cherished her. In many ways, Bernie carried forward the best of his mother: her zest for life, her kindness, her love of animals, and her instinct to help others. 

Bernie loved being active and had a lifelong appreciation for sports. He especially enjoyed playing baseball and golf. He loved riding his bike, especially when his kids were along for the ride, perched in a bike seat on the back. He loved music of all kinds, especially singing Christmas carols, and could often be found dancing while he cooked. He also enjoyed gardening and the quieter pleasure of being outdoors, simply taking in nature alongside his wife.

 But perhaps nothing meant more to Bernie than time with his family. He and his wife, Sheila, shared 36 years together. They were truly best friends who delighted in one another’s company and stood together through thick and thin. 

Bernie genuinely loved being a Dad. He was there for his babies to nap on and for bottle feedings, birthday parties and teaching them to ride bikes, book reports and homework, movie nights and bedtime stories, fireworks and roasting marshmallows, rides to dances and cheering at graduations. He weathered the full range of teenage moods and, through it all, remained one of his children’s greatest champions. He took the same approach to being a grandfather. When Alexia was born, he delighted in the joy of exercising those “Dad muscles” in a tender new way with his cherished granddaughter. He showed up for the big moments, but just as importantly, he showed up for all the ordinary ones that make up a childhood and a life.

 Family vacations in Maine were among Bernie’s greatest joys, and he embraced them with the enthusiasm of a kid himself. He was often the first one to grab a bodyboard and lead the kids into the cold Maine waters. He flew kites, built sandcastles, dug holes, commanded the grill, and led adventure walks in search of beach treasures. He drove the car for berry-picking expeditions and ice cream runs, and happily took part in countless other small adventures that became the memories his family would carry with them.

 Bernie truly enjoyed life. He understood that a good life isn't necessarily made up of grand occasions, but of the everyday moments that are spent together: a day at the beach, an impromptu adventure, a meal around the grill, a drive for ice cream, or simply being with the people you love. He had a remarkable ability to be fully present for those moments and to find joy in them. For Bernie, the ordinary was never something to rush past. It was the stuff of life itself.

 Bernie leaves behind his beloved partner and wife of 36 years, Sheila (Hakenson) Loughnane; his three children, Meaghan Garick and her husband, Alexei, Sarah Loughnane, and Patrick Loughnane and his partner, Jodi Moynagh; his granddaughter, Alexia Thibodeau; his stepsons, Alexander Lucas, Grant Lucas and his wife, Jackie; and their children, Ridley and Rayna, who knew him as “Grandpa.” He also leaves behind many nieces and nephews, in-laws, dear friends, and others whose lives were made richer by knowing him. 

He was predeceased by his parents, Anna M. (O’Neil) Loughnane and Bernard F. Loughnane Sr., his beloved sister, Carole (Loughnane) Todd, and his wife’s parents Richard and Carol Hakenson. 

The family would like to express its deepest gratitude to the extraordinary caregivers at Jewish Healthcare Center and JHC Hospice of Worcester, who cared for Bernie from 2022 until the end of his life. Their compassion, tenderness, and unwavering care lifted Bernie, and all those who loved him, day after day. They became an important part of his life and of his family’s, and their presence during these years will never be forgotten.

 In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bernie’s memory to The Jewish Healthcare Center, whose extraordinary care and compassion meant so much to Bernie and his loved ones during his final years. Donations can also be made to Our Lady Of Providence Parish. 

Bernie lived his life with a quiet sense of peace, a deep appreciation for the people around him, and an openness to whatever came next. He encouraged the people he loved to be kind to themselves and to find their own way. In the end, perhaps that was his greatest gift: the freedom to become who you were meant to be, knowing you were loved along the way. Calling hours will be held on September 16 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at St. Bernard’s Church at 228 Lincoln Street in Worcester, MA. A funeral Mass will follow at 11:00 a.m. at the church. Nordgren Funeral Home, 300 Lincoln Street, is honored to assist the family with arrangements.