SENIOR SPOTLIGHT … Bruce and Linda Bernath of Wauseon. PHOTO PROVIDED / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
In honor of Veterans Day, this month’s Senior Spotlight features two local veterans, Bruce and Linda Bernath, of Wauseon. Both Bernaths served in the United States Army and are Vietnam-era veterans.
“I had planned to attend college and become a math teacher. Instead, I was among the last ones in Fulton County to be drafted, and was inducted in 1971. I boarded a bus at City Drug in Archbold, and later ended up at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas. I used my math skills as a mortar crew member,” Bruce said. Back in northwest Ohio, he served as a firefighter and EMT in Archbold, managed parts for Reineke car dealerships, and has stayed active in the Archbold American Legion.
Linda earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing through the Walter Reed Army Student Nursing scholarship program. Her nursing training was in Army hospitals, her degree was through the University of Maryland, and she would eventually retire as a lieutenant colonel. Later, she completed her master’s degree, worked in Toledo hospitals and the Fulton County emergency department, and taught at Northwest State in the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) program.
The Bernaths met through Archbold Community Theater’s production of The King and I. They’ve been attending the Fulton County Senior Center in Wauseon for nearly two years.
“We love the lunches. They are delicious and affordable, and we like going on the day trips, too,” Linda said. “I have even discovered four relatives since I started attending here!” Bruce added. They also enjoy camping, traveling, and spending time with their family, which includes six children and seven grandchildren.
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