Bernard "Bernie" Warren Washington
Novermber 29, 1951 - November 28, 2021
Born on Nov. 29, 1951, in Beaver Falls, Pa., Bernie Washington unexpectedly passed away on Nov. 28, 2021, at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska.
He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Debbie; son, Christopher Washington (Kia) and granddaughters, Parris and Gabriella of Denver, Colo.; daughter, Tricia Levesque (Joel) and granddaughters, Justice and Honor of Atlanta, Ga.; and brother, Vincent Washington (Dawn) and niece, Sarah of Wilbraham, Mass. Bernie was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Maxine Washington of Beaver Falls.
Bernie graduated from Beaver Falls High School in Beaver Falls. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in mining engineering from Penn State University and a Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif. Bernie's career began with Atlantic Richfield Company in Los Angeles, Calif., he and Debbie subsequently lived in Denver before moving to Anchorage in 1982. Before retirement, Bernie was the CFO of Alaska Public Media for several years.
He loved helping people and was an ardent supporter of the nonprofit ecosystem in Alaska. Over the years, Bernie was a board member of The Foraker Group, United Way, Cyrano's Playhouse and Bean's Cafe.
He enjoyed spending time with family and friends at Big Lake, Alaska; he found particular joy playing with, or FaceTiming, his four granddaughters. He loved movies, Star Trek and he even got into Game of Thrones in recent years. He was a lover of all types of music - from Black Sabbath to gospel - played the trumpet and was learning the guitar.
Bernie's love for life was infectious, and his laugh would brighten the darkest room. He was loved by his family and friends and will be dearly missed.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, from 6-7 p.m., at Shiloh Baptist Church, 855 E 20th Ave., Anchorage, AK 99501. Masks required.
The family will hold a separate memorial service in his hometown of Beaver Falls in 2022.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider a donation to one of the following organizations: The Foraker Group, Bean's Cafe, Cyrano's Playhouse or Alaska Public Media.
Greg Kinney
The obituary doesn't mention it, but Bernie worked at Alyeska as a business consultant from 1994 to 1999, during the David Pritchard and Bob Malone years. I only had occasion to speak with him once that I can remember, but he really stood out as a very intelligent and nice man.
David Sunday
My condolences to Debbie and family.
I counted Bernie as a dear friend, many workouts together at the club, lunches and many good talks. I will certainly miss his many emails with entertaining subjects!
Bernie was a blessing to his church, community and friends.
RIP, my friend!
Gary Sholly
My condolences to the Washington Family.
I worked with Bernie during his time with Alyeska. We had an immediate connection due to our Pennsylvania roots. We worked together to revise the AFE Contol Manual many years ago. He was a mentor, a good friend, and a pleasure to work with. His combination of engineering and business made him one of the best. After his retirement from ConocoPhillips, we periodically met for lunch, but not nearly as frequently as we should have. I have continued to use many of the catch phrases that I learned from Bernie. RIP Buddy.
Bill Howitt
I certainly agree with the comments that have already been posted. Bernie was a good guy to work with and he always was helpful...and God knows I needed help many, many times. I did have occasion to work with Bernie after Alyeska while I was doing consulting. Same guy, helpful, friendly and a pleasure to work with. RIP Bernie.
Joe Riordan
Words fall short of expressing how truly sorry I was to hear about losing Bernie Washington. I considered him a trusted and dear friend. He was always professional but never stuffy. He was also an excellent teacher of his craft to help me understand the underlying issues at hand. After retiring from ConnocoPhillips he served the Anchorage community in many ways and he shared stories with me including how he got to know Captain Joe Hazelwood when the Capt spent time at Beans Cafe serving the homeless (I think Bernie was a director there).
I met Bernie again a few years ago when he sat on the State Assessment Review Board (SARB) for all property tax appeals of which the TAPS owners had a major tax burden to deal with. The court case always got a packed courtrom and media coverage with both the TAPS Owners deeply in contention with the state which had an obvious conflict to raise taxes as much as possible and beyond any sense of reason. Due to both of us understanding the necessity to avoid any conflict of interest with Bernie on the review board overseeing the case and me represnting the Owners, we couldn't run up to each other and shake hands and revisit old times at F street. Instead we gave each other a wink and a smile knowing the deep respect and friendship we held for each other.
The world lost an outstanding person in Bernie Washington but it was heaven's gain.
David Marquez
I am deeply saddened by the passing of Bernie. I had the pleasure of knowing Bernie and working with him at ARCO, Alyeska and on the board of Cyrano's Theater. He was a fine man who gave back to his community in many significant ways. I extend my deepest sympathies to his family. David Marquez
Glenn Morrison
I was saddened to see that Bernie had passed. I worked with him briefly when he was at Arco and later with Alyeska Pipeline.
He was a prince of a guy, always professional and very helpful in his role as a Business Advisor as a representative for Arco reviewing AFE documents.
Rest in Peace, my friend