ForeverMissed
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His Life
February 19, 2017

Bernd R Kronberger or 'Bernie' as he liked to be called, was born in Vienna Austria, lived in the old city, and was baptised at the glorious St. Stephen's Cathedral.  Anyone who has visited Vienna, knows it was one of the original 'think tanks' of the world and a magnificent hub for arts and culture in Europe.  
When Bernd was five years old, his parents received their Visas, permission, after years of waiting, to travel to America.  It was a difficult decison, Albert had been hired as an engineer at the prestigious General Electric only a week earlier.  Europe was in crisis in the post war years, still experiencing food shortages, power outages, and very few opportunities for work.  No one knew how long it would take for the economy to recover.  And yet, Albert had been given a rare chance to work, but would his young son have the same chance or an uncertain future?
Ultimately the parents made the difficult decision to leave everything they knew behind, family, jobs and the country they loved, to provide opportunity for their only son Bernd. 
They sold all of their belongings, took the money that would soon be devalued and worthless anyway, and traveled to Genoa, Italy, where they bought three first class tickets, on a ship, to New York City.  
Because they did not have to travel in steerage, they were not required to go through Ellis Island, but it was a daunting experience never the less. 
They spoke no English and were met by strangers at the harbor. They were given food and temporary lodging, but within a day, they were onboard a train, which carried them across the whole United States, to their last stop; Portland, Oregon.  (Albert said when he was halfway there and looked out at the landscape of desert and barren, grey spaces, he was ready to get back on the boat and go home!)  But, as they entered Oregon and the landscape changed to lush green, with an abundance of thick forests, more like Austria, he became hopeful once more and resolved he would  try to make America his home. 
For a small boy, the journey ended and began at the Portland Train depot, the same one that's still in use today.  It was there, where the exhausted family was met by their American sponsors, Bernd's beloved Aunt Elfie and her family.  For five year old Bernd, the red, felt cowboy hat with the white stitching was the most important and memorable part of his long trip.  If his mother would have allowed it, he would have slept in it.  
Little did he know that cowboy hat, in my humble opinion, was a prophesy of the long ride he would have during his 45 year career, on the Wells Fargo Stage Coach. 

It was not always a smooth ride, there were lots of changes and transitions along the way, but Bernie, like his father, approached it with optimism, intelligence, a sharp sense of humor, and an Austrian-American gentleman's resolve to stay the course.  Bernd always tried to do his best, and was dedicated to the goal of giving back to the country that gave so much to him.  He never lost his love of his country of birth, and still spoke fluent German, but he truly believed America was and is the GREATEST country on Earth.  
He once revealed to me, that when given the chance to move around the country in his quest for success, he decided to stay in Oregon, near his family, who had given up so much for him.  He chose to work with the people, not to sit behind a desk; he WAS a people person.  And, like his father, that loyalty  to family and the community he loved so much, made all the difference.