Bernadette C. (Née Martineau) Allard

Bernadette Candide (née Martineau) Allard died at the age of 90 on March 3, 2020. Born in 1930 in St-Edwidge, Quebec, she was educated in Sherbrooke, Quebec. She and her husband Gilles Allard moved to Athens in 1965 with their 3 children. Bern quickly became a pillar of the Athens and UGA communities, volunteering daily with multiple organizations, including playing the organ at St. Joseph’s for 28 years and chairing the Program Committee of the Athens Kiwanis Club for 20 years, where she won the Outstanding Leader Award and the Hixson Award. Her love of travel and her fluency in 4 languages led to her work as Associate Director at the UGA Office of International Development from 1976 – 1995, during which time she won the USDA International Honor Award and the UGA Distinguished Achievement Award in Public Service. In 2004 the Council on Aging bestowed her with the Inspiration Award. But she was so much more than her awards. She was a paragon of grace, elegance, intelligence, compassion, kindness and resilience. She opened her heart and home over the years to many who were far from home. May the light of her memory shine in the lives of all the people she loved.

Bern is survived by Gilles, her loving husband of 68 years; her three children and their spouses: Claude (Mabelyn), Martine (Jerry), and Mitch (Jackie); five grandchildren: Michelle, Nicole, Luke, Christopher, and Jacob; and 7 remaining siblings: Monique, Jean, Isabelle, Mario, Andre, Francine and Nil.

A memorial mass will take place at 11 AM on Saturday, December 10, 2022 at the UGA Catholic Center, 1344 South Lumpkin St, Athens. A reception will follow at the Reception Hall.