Alyn G. Bernell

Alyn G. Bernell, 89, of Carmel, passed away March 2, 2020. The son of Anthony G. and Marie Morasca Bernell, he grew up in Oil City, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Grove City College in 1952. Alyn was an adventurer and outdoorsman who held a pilot's license for several decades. He loved boating, traveling and riding his on/off road motorcycle. A stint in the U.S. Army brought him to Indiana in the 1950s. His career would be with Scott Paper Co., working in both sales and management. Alyn married Shirley Jones, a fellow Pennsylvanian, in 1956. They remained together 63 years. After he retired in the early 1990s, Alyn was active in the Carmel Sertoma and Westfield Lions Clubs, and took an interest in community affairs in Hamilton County. Particularly in his adopted home town of Westfield. His passion for outdoor activities led to his participation in the Hamilton County Alternate Transportation Taskforce (HCAT) and the Carmel Monon Greenway Committee. Beyond serving on these boards, Alyn himself chartered an airplane to take aerial photographs of the entire length of the Monon from northern Indianapolis to Sheridan. He even rode the same stretch of the trail on his motorcycle in order to know thoroughly what plans had to be made to bring the greenway project to fruition. Alyn was named The Noblesville Ledger's Citizen of the Year in 1996. In 2009, Westfield dedicated the first extension of the Monon Trail into the city to him, naming it "The Alyn Bernell Mile". In addition to his wife, Shirley, Alyn is survived by his extended family and countless friends, who will miss his kindness, humility and sense of humor. A Celebration of Life will be held on the Alyn Bernell Mile at a later date. Arrangements have been entrusted to Leppert Mortuary - Carmel. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Parkinson's Foundation, 200 SE 1st Street, Suite 800, Miami, FL 33131.