Donald J. Bernhardt

Donald J. Bernhardt, 72, a retired banker, most recently of Westminster, Md., died Monday, June 15, 2009. He was born Feb. 25, 1937, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Phillip and Mary (McVeigh) Bernhardt.

In his youth, he was a parishioner of St. Malachy’s Roman Catholic Church and was a proud alumnus of Bishop Loughlin High School and St John’s University.

He served in the U.S. Army in the 3rd Armored Division of the 32nd Tank Battalion.

He was married to Muriel Kirk Bernhardt, now deceased, for nearly 41 years. They eventually settled in Ridgewood, N.J., where they raised three children, Coryann, Donald John and Kirk.

He was active in his local community where he coached Little League baseball for several years. At his parish, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, he coached a number of boys and girls basketball teams and was also a Eucharistic Minister.

In retirement, he and his wife were residents of Cape Coral and Lakewood, N.J.

A career banker, he served in a number of positions at domestic and foreign banks, including most recently as the commissioner of international banking for the state of Florida and, prior to that, as the chairman and chief executive officer of Waterhouse National Bank, now a subsidiary of TD Ameritrade.

He also was active in a number of professional societies including the Institution for Foreign Bankers and the Bank Administration Institute. He was also a member of the New York Athletic Club for more than 30 years.

He leaves behind his children, Coryann Stefansson of Great Falls, Va., Donald (Holly) Bernhardt Jr. of Cape Coral and Kirk (Jessica) Bernhardt of Sykesville, Md.; grandchildren, Guy, Eve and Van Bernhardt; and sister-in-law, Sister Alice Kirk.

Relatives and friends may call from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Thursday at Feeney Funeral Home, 232 Franklin Ave., Ridgewood, N.J. A funeral service will be held at 9:30 a.m. Friday at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church, 1 Passaic St., Ridgewood, N.J. Interment at Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Cemetery in Wrightstown, N.J.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt, 496 Western Highway, Blauvelt, NY 10913, or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.