JACK BERNSTEIN
After a long and eventful life, Jack Bernstein succumbed to congestive heart failure at his home in San Mateo on February 1, 2016.
Born on July 30, 1928 in pre-war Berlin, Germany, Jack, his parents, Samuel and Toni Bernstein, and his sister Ruth lived a typical middle class life until shortly after the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Then all of sudden his school friends joined the Hitler Youth and turned against Jack because he was Jewish.
The situation for him and his family became precarious, and they fled to Paris in 1938. They remained there until 1942 when they left to go into hiding in the French Alps which, at that time, was part of the free France. They had many close calls but survived the war even after the German occupation of the area in which they were hiding.
Jack and his sister were able to come to the United States in 1948 under the sponsorship of relatives in San Francisco. A few years later he met and married Miriam (better known as Mikki) Kessler. They settled in San Francisco and proceeded to have three children, Alex, Nina and Shelly in rapid succession. A divorce followed and Jack became solely responsible for his three teenage children.
Early in 1974, he met and married Betty Spiekerman, the love of his life, and she and her two sons joined Jack and his children in settling into a lovely home in San Mateo. Jack continued working in his own business in various Bay Area locations and was even working two days a week until three and half months before his death at the age of 87.
Jack's parents, sister and his granddaughter, Mary Rose Bernstein, predeceased him. He is survived by his wife Betty, his children, Alex Bernstein, Nina Ramos and Shelly Bernstein, his step- sons, Loren and Derek Spiekerman and his 14 loving grandchildren.
Graveside services at Salem Memorial Park 1171 El Camino Real, Colma will be private for the family on Friday, February 5th.
A memorial luncheon celebrating Jack's life will be held for family and friends on Saturday, February 13th at 1:00 pm in the Terrace Room of the El Rancho Inn, 1100 El Camino Real, Millbrae.
In lieu of flowers, Jack's family has asked that donations be sent to ORT America, in care of Joan LaPides, 1210 Bellevue Ave #201, Burlingame CA 94010. Jack was a student at ORT's technical school in Grenoble, France right after the war and he was forever grateful for the help the school provided for him and his friends whose education had been limited by the war.