Dean Curtiss Bernd

Dean Curtiss Bernd, 60, of Smithfield, went to be with his loving Savior on March 13, 2020.  He was the son of Peggy Ann Taylor Bernd and the late Donald Bernd, Jr who served in the U S Marine Corp.  He is survived by his wife of thirty years Lisa Renee Buss Bernd and their “baby girl” Lily; sister, Doni Bernd; brother, Greg Bernd and his wife Brigitte; his aunt, Betty Bernd of New York; his uncle, Henry Mills of North Carolina; and his cousins of North Carolina, and many nieces and nephews, and his four god children.  Dean proudly served his country in the U S Army as a combat engineer for 14 years including a tour in Operation Desert Storm.  He never missed an opportunity to honor his fellow veterans to include all public safety servants. Dean enjoyed many adventures with Lisa, traveling here and abroad, he especially enjoyed traveling to his long desired place of Israel.  He was an avid Dallas Cowboys fan and he loved military history. Dean’s heart desire was to let people know what Jesus Christ did for them, and for several years he placed himself on the cross on Good Friday at Smithfield Assembly of God, where he was a longtime member, as a reminder of the sacrifice Jesus Christ endured for our sins. A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, 1 p.m. at Smithfield Assembly of God with burial to follow in Albert G. Horton Veterans Cemetery at 3 p.m.  The family will receive friends on Tuesday evening from 6 to 7 p.m. at Little’s Funeral Home, Smithfield and one hour prior to the service at the church. In lieu of flowers the family suggest donations be made to the Wounded Warriors Project, https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/donate, The Travis Mills Foundation, https://www.classy.org/give/206843/#!/donation/checkout, or the Israel Guide Dogs for the Blind, https://israelguidedog.org/donate-now/. Online condolences may be registered at www.littlesfuneralhome.com.