Edgar Bernell McIntire, 94, passed away on May 2, 2020. Bernell attended the University of Idaho, Southern Branch, until joining the US Army Air Force in 1943. He served as a B-17 ball turret gunner in WWII, completing 35 combat missions before being honorably discharged in October 1945. In 1951 he graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Arts in German. He continued his study of German literature, spending a year at the University of Vienna, Austria, then returned to BYU to complete course work to earn a Master of Arts. Soon, he was awarded a fellowship at the University of Michigan where he completed his thesis, earning a PhD in German. In 1959 Bernell accepted a professorship position at ASU teaching German language and literature until 1973.

Bernell married Bertha Mortensen and they had seven children. Through the Indian Placement Program of the LDS church, two young men joined the family. In 1970, Bertha's younger brother and his wife were killed in a plane crash, leaving six children all under the age of 11. This expanded the number of children at home to 14. In 1977, Bernell and Bertha divorced. Bernell continued to care for and support all the children. In 1978, Bernell married Lora Clawson Valentine, adding her four children to the family. Together, Bernell and Lora worked diligently to blend this group of 18 unique individuals into a cohesive, loving family.

In 1989, Bernell and Lora accepted an assignment with the BYU China Teacher's Program to teach English at the Nanjing Institute of Chemical Technology. They returned in 1993-94 and again in 1998-99. In 1995-96, they taught English in Mexico, first in Oaxaca and then in Celaya. After this, they served as missionaries in Mongolia, Moldova, and finally Bulgaria. They also served two state-side missions.

Bernell is preceded in death by a sister. He is survived by two brothers, a sister, 18 children from the blended family, 76 grandchildren and 135 great-grandchildren. A viewing and service honoring Bernell's life will be held May 8, 2020. Due to the restrictions imposed by COVID-19, in-person participation is unfortunately limited. However, the viewing and service will be streamed via YouTube-Live and all are welcome to attend. Use this link to join: https:\\youtu.be/tG8DPLEsOh4 . The viewing will be held from 6:30 pm to 7:20 pm, with the service following immediately from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm. (Source: Arizona Republic)