VILLAGE OF GOLF — Nance Price Bernet died Jan. 7 surrounded by family at her home. She was 94.
She was born on March 9, 1931, in Dearborn, Michigan, to Martin and Eleanore Price. Her family then moved to the Cleveland, Ohio, area. Miss Price was raised in Cleveland Heights and graduated from St. Ann School, Beaumont School and Ursuline College. A gifted artist, she also studied at Parsons School of Design in New York.
Returning to Cleveland, she fell in love with Philip Bernet after he courted her in his family’s 1955 Corvette (one of the first to be built). They married in September 1955 and enjoyed a honeymoon tour to Europe on the Queen Mary.
Upon return, they settled in Shaker Heights and Pepper Pike, Ohio, building a life centered on family, friends and community. Philip and Nance welcomed their son, Marty, in 1964, and daughters Molly in 1966 and Mia in 1968.
After vacationing in Delray Beach, since 1955, they moved the family permanently in 1968.
Looking for things to do in their new hometown, the couple purchased two hotels on the ocean, The Barrington and The Breakers on the Ocean, places they and their parents had stayed at when they vacationed here. They sold The Barrington, now Berkshire on the Ocean, in 1978 and continued to run The Breakers on the Ocean until 2012.
In 1978, the pair opened HyPa HyMa. Started as a gift shop, art gallery and candy store, with just a few pieces of women’s clothing, it gradually evolved into a boutique destination for ladies in the area to be outfitted for all occasions.
After her husband died in 1990, Mrs. Bernet stepped into entrepreneurship to manage the family businesses, juggling the roles of mother, grandmother and business owner. Even in her later years, running the businesses brought her much delight and pride in her accomplishments.
Volunteering and service were very important to Mrs. Bernet. She served in officer roles with the Junior League of Cleveland, remaining a member until her death. She volunteered with Catholic Charities in Cleveland and in Palm Beach, serving on the board and chairing several elder affair fundraisers. She volunteered with the Red Cross and the Christ Child Society.
She supported Gulf Stream School and St. Vincent Ferrer School, which her children and grandchildren attended. She was a member of The Country Club of Florida, The Delray Beach Club, and a former member of The Country Club in Cleveland.
A woman of many hats, literally and figuratively, Nance juggled several roles — with many different names: Nance, Skippy, Mrs. B, Hyma and Mom. Each name held a special role and those who knew her by those names were all welcomed into her heart equally.
Nance, a loving and true friend. Skippy, a cherished and lively daughter, sister and aunt and the hostess and center of family celebrations. Mrs. B, an employer who treated all with respect and loyalty, supporting them and their families along the way.
In 1995, Nance became a grandmother and thus became Hyma. Hyma was loved beyond words by her grandchildren, and she loved them so dearly and supported them in every aspect of life.
And, of course, she was Mom. Her children were most fortunate to have her as a role model of love and devotion to family, faith and fun.
Mrs. Bernet had boundless energy, a wonderful sense of humor, a desire to learn something new every day, and to live life to its fullest. Getting in a daily swim, reading three newspapers a day, running her businesses, engaging in a lively yet friendly debate about current affairs, watching Mass on television every morning, or texting at all hours to her friends and family — Nance continued these activities until just a few days before she died.
The family would like to especially thank her loving companion, Nancy Smith, whose uplifting energy and devotion to her made her final years upbeat and positive. They would also like to thank the compassionate nurses at Trustbridge Hospice who provided gentle care and dignity for Mrs. Bernet in her final days. Mrs. Bernet was predeceased by her husband, Philip, her beloved parents, Martin and Eleanore Price, and her loving and devoted sister, Maryruth Pfeiffer.
She is survived by her children Price Martin “Marty” Bernet (Beth) of Boynton Beach, Mary Ruth “Molly” Balunek (Peter) of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and Anna Maria “Mia” Bernet of Delray Beach; grandchildren Erin Bernet McKean (Corey), Susie Bernet, Andrew Bernet, Ellie Bernet, Jennifer Bennett, Emma Balunek and Sophia Balunek, and her precious great-grandchildren, Owen and Milo McKean.
She is survived by devoted and cherished nieces and nephews, who were her “second children” with whom she held a special bond.
A funeral Mass at St. Vincent Ferrer Church, with a celebration of Nance’s life following at The Delray Beach Club, took place Jan. 21. Interment was private.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Beaumont School, 3301 N. Park Blvd., Cleveland Heights, OH 44118, or Trustbridge Hospice Foundation, 5300 East Ave., West Palm Beach, FL 33407.
— Submitted by the family
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