Bent Egon Berner

Bent Egon Berner, 94, passed away peacefully, June 1, 2017, at the Hospice House of Charleston in Charleston, SC. He was born in Odense, Denmark in 1922. Mr. Berner came to the United States in 1923 with his parents John Emil and Mary Elizabeth Berner. Capt. Berner served in the United States Army from 1940-1964, and retired with the rank of Captain. He served in World War II and Korea, and was wounded in Korea while leading an assault in North Korea in August 1952. He was awarded one of two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart, which he received during his service. He also served in the 5th Calvary and the 82nd Airborne during his service, and was also an Intelligence Officer. Mr. Berner loved music, and while growing up, played the second violin in an orchestra, and was self-taught on the piano. His biggest love, however, was his family. He was married to Ruth Park Berner for 64 years before her passing in December 2008. He is survived by five children: Faye Thomas, (Doug Thomas) of Orangeburg, SC, Carolyn Bowman, Vienna VA, Linda Carnes, (Ken Carnes) of Cayce, SC, Maria Furtick of Columbia, SC and Christine Campbell of Summerville, SC, and remembering his son, John Arthur Berner, who passed in January 1994. He is also survived by 15 grandchildren, Jonathan Brady, (Mirta) of Seneca, SC, Kellie Goolsby, (Phillip Schmandt) of Austin TX, Rowena Conahan of Ann Arbor, MI, Cary Hunter of Vienna VA Joe Bowman, Elizabeth Bowman, Katie Neubaum of Columbia, SC, Kenneth Carnes, (Kristina) of Columbia, SC, Melinda Dransfield, (Lamar) of Merritt Island, FL, Christy Williams of Little River, SC, Rosemary Mestler,(Cristiaan) of Gilbert, SC, Robert Furtick of Columbia, SC, and Daniel Campbell, (Ruth) of Summerville, SC; Bent is survived by more than 13 great-grandchildren. Funeral services for Mr. Berner will be held at the Chapel of Thompson Funeral Home at Greenlawn Memorial Park at 845 Leesburg Rd., Columbia SC 29209 on Saturday, June 3, 2017 at 11:00 AM . Interment, with full military honors will follow in Greenlawn Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the American Cancer Society. Also, many thanks go to Hospice House of Charleston, Mt. Pleasant SC.