Catherine (Cae) Ella Turner Bernard's Obituary
Catherine (Cae) Ella Turner Bernard
February 20, 1935 – November 28, 2025
Born in San Francisco, California, Catherine was a scion of the respected Turner clan of California’s San Joaquin Valley. George David Turner (Catherine’s grandfather) and his wife and family were venerated in several counties. Small but mighty (she barely grazed 5ʻ and weighed 95 lbs soaking wet), Cae overcame devastating adversity from the age of 13 when she lost her mother Lena Belle and with the help of her Turner family, imprisoned her father for child abuse.
Catherine had three younger brothers whom she adored. After the loss of their parents, the 4 kids were each adopted by a different sibling of their mother, and Catherine determined that they would all stay close. And indeed, they did stay close for all their lives, with each other, and with their 17 first cousins.
Cae showed her determination and remarkable intelligence at an early age in other ways. While still in middle school, she entered and won an essay contest that was open to high school students.
She attended Fresno College where she met her future husband, Charles Bernard. Charles (Chuck) and Cae had four children together, and the family lived first in China Lake and then Redlands, California, divorcing in 1964. At this time, Catherine and the children moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to remain near Chuck. Cae worked and went back to school part time, attending SF State University, where she worked on her Master’s Degree in English Literature. Soon Catherine and family found themselves in the heart of the ʻSummer of Loveʻ, experiencing the tumultuous times of anti-war demonstrations and campus unrest. She was proud to be known as a liberal feminist, and remained outspoken about female oppression, and human rights issues in general.
She often took the kids to the rich cultural opportunities of the City, and to rallies at Golden Gate Park and the SFSU campus, but when the National Guard chased peaceful student protesters on horseback, Cae stopped attending classes.
Cae cared deeply about human rights and remained politically active her whole life, inspiring several generations of young activists to get engaged in Democracy and to fight for civil rights, equality and the environment.
She remained in her beloved San Francisco for many years after her children were grown, volunteering for Open Hand which provided meals to HIV patients living in the City, and Breast Cancer Action. She worked as the librarian for Heald College and eventually retired from the SF Library for the Blind at the age of 81. She moved to Maui to be near her daughter, Hannah. Hannah and her family and extended circle of friends and caregivers, especially those at Kaunoa Senior Center and Na Hoaloha, took great care of Cae in her final years and whenever she talked about it, she always said that she lived in paradise.
Catherine was a writer and a voracious book reader, calculating she read 5 books a week (and we are not talking about little dimestore novels!) and usually read two or more newspapers every day. She remained well informed of what was going on all over the world, right up until the end of her life.
Catherine kept her keen sense of humor and always tried to remain optimistic about people and their capacity for good. She often said that her last decade on Maui was a fairy tale come true and passed over the rainbow with her family around her at the age of 90.
Catherine is survived by her many cherished cousins and is also survived by her younger brothers George (wife Johanna) and Jonathan.
She is also survived by her daughter Hannah (partner Anthony, son Tory and his fiancé Lacey and their daughters Lola and Sunny; and by son Ian and his fiancé Lauren); by her son Dan (wife Terrisa); and by daughter Ali (son Alex; daughter Harper and her partner Delante and son Kai); and by her granddaughter Danaea (husband Jimmy and their children Christopher and Sophia); and grandson Nick (and children Viviana and Gabriel).
Cae was preceded in death by her brother Marshall, and her eldest daughters Maggie and Cathy
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