Our beloved Mom and Grammie, Coletta Sue Bernauer, was born in Meadville, Pennsylvania
on February 20, 1951, and sadly passed away too young at Country Club Retirement Campus
in Ashtabula, Ohio on June 30, 2025.
Coletta was simple, kind, and easy to please.
She had a genuine love for the outdoors and took great pleasure in watching for the crocus
and daffodil blooms in springtime. She would enjoy quiet strolls through the park and was even
known to bear hug a tree or chat up an interesting rock. She found joy in playing golf with
family and at one time managed Parsetter, the family golf shop, where her son learned to
appreciate the game, and now, even her grandsons are dominating the links.
She was very creative and had an eye for simple beauty, occasionally sketching or painting a
variety of subjects in watercolors. She always had a crossword puzzle book nearby, loved to
tackle a challenging jigsaw puzzle, and was a solitaire master on her computer. She loved
crafty projects and was known to grab her purse, throw on her favorite bucket hat, and putter
through the local thrift stores, looking to breathe new life into a bargain.
She had a love for art and decor that inspired a similar passion in her son Jeremy and together
they designed and subsequently built a custom home that perfectly fit each piece of antique
furniture the family had collected over the years. It was her passion that was instrumental in
sparking Jeremy's career path to becoming an engineer, and by all appearances, her
grandsons have inherited the same creative spark.
She enjoyed baking with her family, particularly recipes handed down by her mom and
grandmother, and Grandma Lucy's cocoa cookies are always a crowd pleaser. She was
always up for pancakes, much like her Dad, and was known to make ice cream a main food
group.
She loved to sing "I love you, a bushel and a peck, and a hug around the neck" to her grandsons
whenever it was time to say goodbye, so it's our turn now… we'll always love you, Grammie, a
bushel and a peck.
She was predeceased by her dear parents, Clifford L. and Rozella U. Harpst, but is survived
by her only child Jeremy (wife Amanda) Bernauer and precious grandsons Evan and Owen of
Valrico, Florida; her former spouse of over two decades Brad Bernauer of Sebastian, Florida;
her sister Lynda (husband Brad) Terry of Yellow Springs, Ohio; her brothers Jon (wife Dolly)
Harpst and Bill (wife Debbie) Harpst of Ashtabula, Ohio; niece Kira Lugo; nephew Nathan
Veshecco; and great nephews Alex, Zach, Max, and Noah Lugo.
It was Coletta's desire not to have a formal service, but memorial contributions can be made in
her honor to a cause close to our hearts ( https://tinyurl.com/WAA-Bernauer ) and her grandsons
will personally lay the wreaths with their Trail Life Troop in December.
Lake Erie Cremation and Funeral Services, 1500 Harpersfield Road, Geneva, Ohio assisted the family with arrangements.
www.LakeErieCrematory.com