J. William Berns

J. William Berns, 86, of Mt. Pleasant and formerly of Grosse Pointe passed away Sunday, September 21, 2008 at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with Father Denis Heames presiding. The family will receive friends at the church on Thursday from 10 a.m. until the Mass begins. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association, 30200 Telegraph Rd., Suite 105, Bingham Farms MI 48025, or to the American Cancer Society, 20450 Civic Center Dr., Southfield, MI 48076. Envelopes are available at the Charles R. Lux Family Funeral Home, 2300 S. Lincoln Rd., Mt. Pleasant. Bill was born July 8, 1922, in Detroit, the son of Julius L. and Laura (Meabrod) Berns. He graduated from Grosse Pointe South High School and then the University of Michigan in 1943. On January 30, 1948, he married the late Helen Ann Walsh at St. Paul Church in Grosse Pointe. After her death in 1986 Bill married Bernice (Hansen) Becker on October 3, 1987 at the First Congregational Church in Wayne. He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was vice president of commercial loans at Comerica Bank, former president and member of the Vortex Club and former president and member of the American Institute of Banking. He also had belonged to the Detroit Athletic Club, the Country Club of Detroit and was a former president and member of the St. Joan of Arc Parish Council in St. Clair Shores. Some of Bills favorite pastimes included traveling, cruising, tennis, golf, bowling, swimming, and attending church, though, his family was the most important thing in his life. He is survived by his wife, Bernice of Mt. Pleasant; four children, Michael (Patricia) Berns of Mendham, NJ Mary Kirk (Michael) Stevens of Grosse Pointe Park, Patrick Berns of Grosse Pointe Woods, and James (Peggy) Berns of Sterling Heights; three step-sons, Michael (Gloria) Becker of Redmond, WA, David Becker of Traverse City, and Mark Becker of Wayne; 14 grandchildren, Todd, Peter, Kyle, Kimberly, Jacqueline, Bridget, Ryan, Courtney, Kamilla, Logan, Melissa, Sandra, Angela, and David; and a great-grandson, Holden. He was predeceased by his first wife, Helen; son, Peter; and his sister, Mary Lou Reddin.