Bernard Leo Charron was born on April 6, 1939, in Cornwall, Vermont, to Leo and Dorothy (Brown) Charron. He attended a one-room schoolhouse in Cornwall, where a single teacher taught grades 1 through 8. In the older grades, he arrived early to light the large stove so the school would be warm by the start of the day.
While attending Middlebury Union High School during the 1950s, he helped on the family farm in Cornwall with haying and drove the tractor, old truck, and horse as well as working at A&P and First National Stores. After graduating in 1957, he painted houses with his father. In October 1958, he joined the Army and completed basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey. He later trained at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and served for three and a half years in the Army Corps of Engineers, including two and a half years in Stuttgart, Germany.
After leaving the Army in 1962, he began working for New Jersey Bell Telephone Company. He first took a janitor position to get his foot in the door, then advanced to lineman, installer, and repairman over the next seven years.
He married Maureen McMullen on October 20, 1962, in Ewing, New Jersey. Their daughter Linda was born in 1964, and their son Michael in 1966. In 1969, he transferred to New England Telephone Company when the family moved to Vermont. He retired from Verizon in 1989 and then worked at St. Michael’s College managing telephone work. He lived in an old farmhouse in Ferrisburgh until 1997, when the family moved to Panton into a house built by his son Michael.
Bernie enjoyed cutting and splitting wood on land he once owned in Brandon. He and Maureen traveled to all 48 states in their van and spent many vacations in Florida at Amelia Island. He enjoyed bicycling, riding his motorcycle, canoeing on Otter Creek, and taking his golf cart down to the creek, where he spent many happy hours.
He was a member of the American Legion and Telephone Pioneers and volunteered for Meals on Wheels.
He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Maureen; daughter Linda (John) Shandrow; grandchildren Samantha (Charles) Shandrow, Nicolle (Houston) Cote, Kyle Charron (Lauren Graziano), and Kayla (Nick) Humiston; and great-grandchildren Maven, Murphy, Karson, and Elias. He is also survived by his daughter-in-law Nancy (Perkins) Charron; brother James; sisters Noreen (Roy) and Shari (Bill); and several nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his sister Audrey Cassarino, and by his son Michael, who died on January 31, 2022, at age 56 from heart disease, a profound loss for the family.
Mass will be celebrated 11 a.m. on Monday, September 21st at St. Peter’s Church in Vergennes. A private burial will be held on a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Addison County Home and Hospice.
