The following messages of condolence and symbols
have been added in memory of Bernard.

Oh Bern, a year already? How many times I've thought to ring you, or not been able to remember something that happened all those years ago, when we were all so young... and slender! ... and I'll think "Bernie will know." And you do. Only problem is I can't ring you to ask anymore. Hope you, Stell, Greg, Leo, Jacob, and so many other friends & family are all having a ball... and remember, you've all gotta be there to greet me when its my turn to come join the party! Love you dearly old friend. Hugs, Lindy (aka Lloyydd) 😊 xxx

My sincerest sympathy to Bernie's family on his passing. I am one of his cousins - my Mum was Monica Moloney, sister of Bryan. My siblings and myself were saddened to hear of Bernie's death. May you take comfort in the love of family and friends.
Pauline Beechey (Martin)

Our deepest sympathies to Bernie's family, friends and the staff at Kings Funerals. We were shocked to hear of his passing, Bernie was great to work with, we will miss his cheerful banter.

Our thoughts are with you all,
Steve and Michelle (Aperture Films)

Dear Bernie,
You were always like an uncle to me and my siblings. You always had a great presence around the business, you were always willing to go the extra mile to deliver for the families you worked for and you always lifted the spirits of everyone you came into contact with. You will be greatly missed by the entire Geelong community and everyone who knew you. I'm very sad to know your life was cut short in such an unexpected fashion but your impact will last for a very long time into the future.

Rest in peace, Bernie.
We will never forget you.

Our deepest sympathy to John Graeme PeterJill &all extended families Bernie was a special person and will be sadly missed ,love Kath,Arthur Francis &family

Bernie was a good friend and client of mine for over 30 years. I have enjoyed having him in the salon and I send my deepest regrets and condolences to his loved ones. I will miss him dearly.

My heartfelt sympathy’s to Chris and the family on the loss of Bernie; I am still shocked that he is no longer with us. Bernie was a great workmate and someone who I had great respect for on a business and personal level. He will be dearly missed around the workplace or bumping into him out and about occasions.

My Deepest Sympathy to all of Bernie's Family & especially his Kings Funerals Family I am shocked & saddened to hear of Bernie's passing ~my thoughts are with you all at this sad & difficult time

Our deepest sympathy to Chris, Dean and families.
Bernie played a huge part in our family and will be sadly missed. He was always there for us and he will always be in our hearts.
Love Chris, Sharon, Jean, Kylie, Megan, and Luke Lawless

Bernie, one of the first cousins I ever met on the early visits to see the family in Victoria and your smile and sense of humour will stay forever. Thank you for those happy memories (and introducing me to Monty Python even if I was too young to understand). I never met your dad, please remember to tell him what a good bloke I am! Say hello to Auntie Celie, Mum and Dad for me. We'll all miss you.
To John, Graham, Peter and Jill and all your families, my deepest condolensces and love. Greg

We were shocked and saddened to hear of Bernie's passing last week. Our connection with Bernie goes back many years. Initially both Dad & my brother Craig worked with Bernie for many years. I think Dad and Bernie may have been 10 years or longer? until only in February this year, that Bernie conducted Dad's funeral service for us.
I know that they used to enjoy a joke and laugh together regularly in the office and am sure they are back together having a laugh now.
Nothing can be said to help the pain you are all feeling, but please except our sincere condolences and know our thoughts are with you all.
David, Simone, Marion & Craig Neil

To Bernard’s family and the team at Kings. Very sad to read the news.
All the times I met him he was a warm and caring man.
My sympathy to all, Alan

Bernie, A long time since we had caught up,
but all the great memories are still strong in my heart
Condolences to John, Grahme, Peter, Jillian & families
Love Gerard Brady & Family

I have tried to write a message a few times, but the words will not come out right. You were a true gentlemen, and work will not be the same. We will all miss you Bernie. My love and thoughts are with you Chris.xxx

Brother, brother in law, uncle and mate. “God Only takes the best”.
Until we meet again RIP. As such
John, Shirley and Paul Farrell

To my dear brother
Bernie words can not express how we are feeling at this extremely sad time. You were definitely one in a million. You were a father figure to both Peter and myself after Dad died. You were such a caring, loving and non judgemental person. It is so hard to believe I will never see your smiley face or hear your voice again. Forever in our hearts. Jill, Mark, Shane and James and Families. RIP mate

Dear cousin Bernie has been in our lives throughout the years , he has taken care of our loved ones in our times of need'.Bernies father , my uncle Brian walked me down the aisle fifty three years ago, in place of my deceased father, such a beautiful family always, God Bless you Bernie and your loved ones ... Fran and Doug xxx

To your family and your work family, my deepest sympathy. You were a pleasure to work with, and will be greatly missed.
Rest in Peace Bernie.

So shocked to hear about Bernie's sudden passing.

Bernie, you always saw the best in everyone. You were so good at keeping in touch with us all. You were a man of integrity and we are proud to have known you. We'll miss your friendship and that gorgeous smile.

Sending our love to Dean, Chris and your family.
Lots of love from Deb and Kevin. xxxx

Our Deepest Sympathy to John, Graeme, Peter, Jill & all extended Families. Bernie was a loved cousin & will be sadly missed by everyone who knew him.
Love Annette & Trevor, Laurie & Mary, Lennie & Pat & Families ❤️❤️

Darling Bernie, How I shall miss your smile and quirky sense of humour in the years ahead. Now who will I share so many years of laughter-filled memories with? Thank you for absolutely everything darling man... I will love you forever! Give our Stell a giant hug. Hugs, Lindy 😘

We sat beside each other every working day for over 13 years.
You were my go to person for everything, my sounding board for life, relationships, work, houses, cars, finances. Nothing was ever too much trouble, you always had my back.
Who will tell Dad jokes now or toast up the 3 day old sandwiches? Who will check my notices so I don't forget the "dit dot" or leave me notes on my computer screen in that teeny tiny typewriter writing?
I always threatened to tidy your desk whilst you were away, but now I want to leave it as it is.....waiting for you to return from holidays. The back corner of the office will never be the same.
I am heartbroken and lost for words, so I will just use some of yours.

"Ok, B'Bye now, Bye Bye"

Sending much love to Chris, Dean, and all Bernie's family, including his precious furbabies, Sage and Louie.

Devastated by the news of Bernie's passing. He was always there for our family and those memories will last forever. Loved our chats when we met up and Bernie we never got to do that family reunion that we always talked about .
Sending love to Chris, Dean and all Bernie's beautiful family.
Until we meet again keep smiling xx
Say hi to Auntie Celie for me and give her a big hug xxxooo

The thought of the world without your "quirk" makes our hearts sad. You will be missed and you will be remembered with love.

Vale, my dearest friend Bernie.

Gone far too soon.

It is an absolute privilege to call you a friend and to have worked with you at Kings. I remember you grilling me big time at my initial interview, only to find out later that you had joined the company only weeks earlier yourself! You were always passionate, true and loyal in all that you did. Your dedication to Kings in every area is incomparable and I remember those times so very fondly.

I am so thankful that we swapped a bit of cheeky banter via email only two weeks ago, and very sorry I wasn’t able to join you on the road trip to Minyip at that time. Your message was full of lovely news, plans and your typical positive humour.

Your generosity, care, fun-loving nature and total professionalism are all facets of what made you such a special and unique friend to me. I will miss you very much and am so thankful for all the fun times and happy memories.

Deepest sympathy to Chris, Dean, Renae, Evie and Layla and extended family at this difficult time. May you find comfort in memories of special times together.

Bernie was a passionate advocate for the wellbeing of grieving families. A shrewd man himself, Bernie was nevertheless intent on ensuring that business objectives weren’t able to cloud out family needs in their time of grief. It was this dedication that most set Bernie apart in my mind, and indeed was integral to Kings overall successes.

Bernie’s humanity glowed in every corner of the business - and his dedication to the firm, and the King family, I suspect remains unparalleled. Bernie’s work ethic was equally unparalleled, and no task was too menial or unimportant to command his full attention. Just as selflessly, if there was ever a need of any kind, Bernie would always make sure it was not left unmet. There’s unlikely a colleague who could not share many occasions on which Bernie willingly assisted in shouldering a load which wasn’t his to carry.

Whilst I could talk at length of Bernie’s many contributions in our time working together, to do so would only be to honour a great colleague. Bernie’s resounding memory for me is that of a man of conviction, and the courage to stand alone in it. In conjunction with his great humour, and supreme cheek, Bernie was simply a unique and delightful human being – hard to ignore, and even harder not to love.

I was deeply saddened to hear of Bernie’s passing - the world with be several shades duller in his absence. I will miss our occasional catch-ups and rapid-fire repartee!

My thoughts are with Chris , Bernie’s extended family and friends as you grieve the loss of this wonderful man. With great fondness; B2 – you were always B1 Bernie.

Dear BJ

A fantastic, honest, loyal and humerous friend for so many years, and a true gentleman in every sense of the word "Hey DJ it's BJ here, just driving near Docklands, toot toot"
Condolences to Chris, Dean and families.

xxDJ

Bernie, your death is a shock. You did so much good in life it is hard to understand why you would be taken so early. We had our ups and downs as colleagues at Kings but we also had a deep respect for each other. I was forever grateful for your support and the little quips that guided my decisions. Your humanity and unquestionable commitment to Kings and the families that we served had a tremendous influence on me. Your loss will be felt by many and the memories of your steadfast and optimistic personality, and many contributions, will be celebrated by all. Deepest sympathy to all who love you.

Dear Bernie, I am heartbroken you left us suddenly. You were a rock to many people with your genuine, kind and generous heart, touching many people with your good and ever so kind nature. You are one of my dear friends that I've know since moving to Melbourne in 2003, your kindness, generosity, love and support - unparalleled. Whilst your passing is sudden I know you've lived life to the fullest and you found love. My deepest condolences to Chris, Dean and your family. I will miss you and have you in my heart always. Rest in peace dearest friend.

I find this difficult to write , Bernie a beautiful man that was always there for others but didn’t take time out for himself.
June 2019 I called you as our mum was passing and you the Bernie were there , you organised everything and conducted a beautiful graveside funeral for us the family.
Now my friend I will be saying goodbye to you after 30 years of friendship.
Thank you the Williams family

Russell and I extend our condolences to Chris and family.
Bernie was very kind to me in my role as a Celebrant over many years; Bernie, Pam Virgona and I were a good team. I valued Bernie's experience, his humanity, humor, and his loyalty to his client families. When I retired from my Celebrant's duties we lost touch except for a few occasions . When Chris came along Bernie bloomed, he settled down and actually became contented!
He clearly enjoyed life to the full in his latter years.
Geelong and King's have lost an irreplaceable man.
Rest in Peace Bernie ------ Russell and John

Bernie, you will be remembered for many reasons. you touched many people, whether through your work, family or through your many friends. Always ready to listen, provide support. This is what you are. Thankyou for your many many years of friendship. I will miss you. My thoughts go to Chris, Dean, Renae and his extended family. A rainbow in my life. Till we meet again. Love Norma

You are truely one of a kind Uncle Bernie! From always remembering our birthdays, a phone call or text just to say hi and then to those impromptu visits to see your Queensland family. We are just so grateful that we were able to spend some time with you on Tuesday.
Chris, Dean, Renae, Evie and Layla, Dad, Uncle Graeme, Uncle Peter, Aunty Jill and all our extended family. May we all stay strong for each other and remember all the amazing memories.
Uncle Bernie, you are and always will be in our hearts. We miss you so much!

Love, Stacey, Stuart, Lauren and Amy xx

Dearest Bernie
I can’t believe you left us so suddenly.
You will be missed by so many people - family, friends and work colleagues.
Your contribution to Kings could never be matched - you were there day, night, weekends, public holidays and always ‘on call’ with the best interests of our many client families at heart.
I’m so glad we travelled to Minyip and back on 14 April - a long day of stories, memories, and many laughs together.
My sincere condolences to you Chris, he was so proud of you and all you have achieved to date.
And to Dean, Renae, Evie and Layla- he loved you all very much.

I will miss your friendship, support and good humour - you were ‘one of a kind’

Dear Bernie,
I am so sad to hear of your passing, You taught me vertually all I knew in the funeral business, We worked together many time, You had a compassion for all, You were always there when times were tough and I thank you for that, The world has lost a true bloke who cared for all. Thanks Mate.

To Bernies Family and work mate, It was with sadness when we read about Bernies passing in the paper, His warmth and respect always made funerals that much pleasant, a very likeable man. Deepest sympathy to all. In Gods care. R I P. Bernie.

Thanks Bernìe for always looking out for us all over our life journeys and looking after our mum Patti , you have been a great fella and always shown respect and care.
Love from all the Murfitt families

I remember working with Bernie he was a gentleman and a great funeral director. His professionalism, caring nature and knowledge in the industry made him a pleasure to work with.

Still working in the funeral industry I would now and then see Bernie around and he would always make time to stop and have a chat.

Condolences to his family and friends.

Shaun Fisher

Deepest sympathy to all the family. Aunty Celie will be waiting for you with open arms.x

Deepest sympathies to Chris, Dean and family. We were very saddened to hear the loss of such a lovely man xxxxx

Fond memories of past deeds (and misdeeds) of our youth. Best wishes to family and friends.

The thoughts of all our family go out to Bernie's Brothers and Sister and their families at this sad time, we have known him since childhood and will miss the little chats we had on many occasions, we send our thoughts to his partner Chris and staff of the extended King family whom Bernie represented over a long period of time with distinction and concern in their time of need.

Bernie was a such a lifelong friend to me, but family to all of us.
We shared so many lifetime memories and milestones along the way and his humour, generosity, personality and friendship will be hugely missed.
Our deepest thoughts and love are with Chris, Dean and all his family.
Wayne Robinson (Lawless)
Scott Robinson

To our brother,brother-in-law uncle and great uncle. Haere me te aroha

We are all grateful for Bernie's guidance, support and friendship. He was a constant, here when we all started in our roles and first at his desk in the morning. Bernie was a font of information about everything, which he was always willing to share.
He led the way with presentation, attention to detail and respect at the thousands of funerals he conducted.
We will miss the way he was always open in sharing his thoughts, his playful and cheeky manner and his genuine care for us all.
-- The Kings Funerals team
- Briohny, Tricia, Shannon, Janine, Mick, Philip, Sam J, Luke, Julie S, Sam V, Matt P, Paul, Ken, Julie H, Kim, Andrea, Jo, Gary, Gavan, Matt H, Chelsey, Womble the Comfort Dog and Bernie's many former colleagues and friends.

Bernie was an integral part of our team for over 25 years and our friend since childhood. He treated our business and client families like they were his own and his passion and dedication were immense.
His warmth and generosity were freely given to all he met and he will be deeply missed by our family, our team and the funeral community.
He was a loving partner, father and grandfather, friend and colleague.
Our thoughts are with Chris, Dean and all his family.
-- Michael, Louise and Beth King