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In Memory of
Paul Harris
Berna
Berna
1936 - 2017
Click above to light a memorial candle.
Obituary for Paul Harris Berna
Pine Plains- Paul Harris Berna, age 80 of Pine Plains, New York, and New York City. July 29, 2017. Beloved friend, companion, partner, brother, uncle, and cousin, Paul brought a great zest for life and artistic sensibility to all he did and in all he excelled—dance, carpentry, painting, stenciling, gardening, cooking.
Born in 1936 to Victor and Margaret Berna in Chicago, the youngest of six children, he attended the Art Institute of Chicago for two years before discovering dance in 1958. He studied ballet and then joined the Sybil Shearer Modern Dance Company. He came to New York in 1960 on full scholarship from Martha Graham. When she learned about his artistic background, she put him to work refurbishing her sets with Isamu Noguchi. He spent two seasons with the Opera Ballet in New York and Philadelphia, appearing in “Coppélia,” “La Giaconda,” “The Merry Widow,” and more. He danced in City Center’s “Oklahoma” and “Brigadoon” under Agnes de Mille and Gemze de Lappe and in “To Broadway with Love” at the 1964 World’s Fair. His Broadway career included “Come Summer,” “I Had a Ball,” “Her First Roman,” and, most memorably, “Hello Dolly,” where he performed for five years, dancing with Martha Raye, Ethel Merman, Phyllis Diller, Ginger Rogers, and Betty Grable. He was in the “Hello Dolly” company that Martha Raye brought to entertain the troops in Vietnam in 1968, performing the entire musical all over the DMZ with full costumes and sets on two flatbed trucks, an experience that was a high point of his life. He appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and in the movie of “Sweet Charity.” When he retired from dance, he became a master hair cutter and stylist, a business he had for nearly 50 years. In 2014 he was honored by Dancers Over 40 for his many contributions, and in April 2017 he was embraced by Bette Midler andthe entire cast of the “Hello, Dolly” revival.
He leaves his partner, Dylan Ftera, of Manhattan; a sister, Margaret Carolyn Glomb, of Arkansas, as well as nieces, nephews, and many, many friends, in whose memories he will shine forever. Donations in his memory may be made to Dancers Over 40, www.dancersover40.org.
There are no calling hours. Arrangements are under the direction of the Scott D. Conklin Funeral, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546. To send an online condolence please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
Born in 1936 to Victor and Margaret Berna in Chicago, the youngest of six children, he attended the Art Institute of Chicago for two years before discovering dance in 1958. He studied ballet and then joined the Sybil Shearer Modern Dance Company. He came to New York in 1960 on full scholarship from Martha Graham. When she learned about his artistic background, she put him to work refurbishing her sets with Isamu Noguchi. He spent two seasons with the Opera Ballet in New York and Philadelphia, appearing in “Coppélia,” “La Giaconda,” “The Merry Widow,” and more. He danced in City Center’s “Oklahoma” and “Brigadoon” under Agnes de Mille and Gemze de Lappe and in “To Broadway with Love” at the 1964 World’s Fair. His Broadway career included “Come Summer,” “I Had a Ball,” “Her First Roman,” and, most memorably, “Hello Dolly,” where he performed for five years, dancing with Martha Raye, Ethel Merman, Phyllis Diller, Ginger Rogers, and Betty Grable. He was in the “Hello Dolly” company that Martha Raye brought to entertain the troops in Vietnam in 1968, performing the entire musical all over the DMZ with full costumes and sets on two flatbed trucks, an experience that was a high point of his life. He appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and in the movie of “Sweet Charity.” When he retired from dance, he became a master hair cutter and stylist, a business he had for nearly 50 years. In 2014 he was honored by Dancers Over 40 for his many contributions, and in April 2017 he was embraced by Bette Midler andthe entire cast of the “Hello, Dolly” revival.
He leaves his partner, Dylan Ftera, of Manhattan; a sister, Margaret Carolyn Glomb, of Arkansas, as well as nieces, nephews, and many, many friends, in whose memories he will shine forever. Donations in his memory may be made to Dancers Over 40, www.dancersover40.org.
There are no calling hours. Arrangements are under the direction of the Scott D. Conklin Funeral, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546. To send an online condolence please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Paul Harris Berna, please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.
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