Lillie Bernard, 72; administered grants in Penn department

Lillie Love Bernard, 72, of Edgewater Park, a former grants administrator at the University of Pennsylvania, died of lung cancer Saturday, July 5, at Cooper University Hospital in Camden.

Born in Clearwater, S.C., Mrs. Bernard graduated from Jefferson Davis High School in Aiken, S.C., in 1959 and from Berean Institute in Philadelphia in 1961, her son Paul said.

Mrs. Bernard was an administrative secretary from 1967 to 1972 at the Medical College of Pennsylvania.

She then worked at the University of Pennsylvania until 1996, retiring as grants administrator in the genetics department.

Mrs. Bernard continued her career as a part-time tax consultant for the Jackson Hewitt firm.

At Thankful Baptist Church in North Philadelphia, Mrs. Bernard was a Sunday school teacher from the early 1960s to the early 2000s, her son said, and its newsletter publisher in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Theresa Candis knew Mrs. Bernard for more than 50 years, first as a Sunday school student.

"There was 10 years' difference in our ages," Candis said, but "after I married and had children, the years disappeared. We became the best of friends."

Candis said Mrs. Bernard "tends to details in an exemplary manner, be it something at church or a festive occasion. She is always there, always reliable."

Mrs. Bernard "excelled in many areas, one of which was her ability to speak with clarity and diction," at church events.

"She was such an encourager and believer in what God's word said," Candis said.

"The family's grief," she said, "is my grief."

Besides her son, Mrs. Bernard is survived by her husband, Ernest; son Ernest; daughters Wendy Pitts and Hadiyah Bunn-Grant; four brothers; five sisters; and six grandchildren.

A viewing was set from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday, July 11, at the Thankful Baptist Church, 1608 W. Allegheny Ave., before an 11 a.m. funeral service there.

Condolences may be offered to the family at the Ray Funeral Home, 1525 W. Dauphin St., Philadelphia 19132.

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