Again I have the unfortunate duty to write about a classmate who has passed away. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Deborah Bernstein, including her husband, David Miller ’92, and their baby Asher.
David had expressed that many of Deborah’s friends were present during her final days and funeral, including Alyssa (Cohen) Tablada, Sharon Tomao, Hilary (Brooke) Lane Holbrook Newman, Roberta DiGiorgio, Sandra Mitre, Sabrina Pagani, Nicola (Zeisiger) Mullen, Natalie (Weidener) Kupinsky, Pete Phelan and Dwight Fenton.
Nicola (Zeisiger) Mullenwrites: “I was fortunate to grow closer to Deb after Dartmouth. My favorite memory of Deb at school is sitting above the benches at Phi Delt. She was wearing a cowboy hat and plaid shirt and had a huge smile on her face. She pointed Dave out to me and the love was so obvious. I was in awe of Deb at Dartmouth (as I am sure most of us were). She was so intelligent and diligent but also incredibly vivacious and kind.…She lived every minute of every day and fit more into her 41 years than most of us could ever do.”
An excerpt of an e-mail from Sandra Mitre: “I was able to spend time with Deborah in the hospital shortly before she died. In typical Deb fashion she asked all about my life and family when the focus should have been on her. She was able to make me laugh even though the situation called for tears. Deborah’s concern for others, her strength and determination and her ability to keep positive are only a fraction of what made her a great human being. I am heartbroken that Deb’s life was cut abruptly but in her short life she was able to make a huge impact. She showed me how one should live their life. I miss her dearly but am thankful for the time I did have with Deborah. I am a better person for having known her.”
Hilary (Brooke) Lane, Sharon Tomao and Alyssa (Cohen) Tabladawrote a lovely passage, excerpted here. “Many people will remember Deborah Bernstein as a woman of many accomplishments: Phi Beta Kappa in the class of 1993; Stanford M.B.A.; Goldman Sachs recruit; formidable career in private equity, culminating with making partner at Aquiline Capital and earning both a moving memorium by founder Jeff Greenberg and an obituary on Bloomberg with the headline ‘Tragic Early Death of Wall Street Star’; member of several charity boards; and a mentor to countless colleagues and friends.
“Deb was physically strong, and proud of it. For as long as we have known her she was dedicated to her morning runs and Pilates classes, and had the body to show for it. She was always proud to say, ‘I still have my washboard abs,’ and was willing to prove it. She climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, ran marathons and went from redeye to redeye without missing a beat. She was tireless.
“Deb and David had planned on having children, and this past fall baby Asher was born. At her shower, which many Dartmouth alums attended, the atmosphere was happy and full of promise for them as a family. She would have made a great mom, but she never got the chance. And for that, we are the most saddened.”
The full versions of the texts are on the class of ’93 website. Please write in with your memories of Deb, which will be included there and in a future column.
—Beth Krakower, c/o CineMedia Promotions, 11500 Olympic Blvd., Suite 400, Los Angeles, CA 90064; dartmouth93@gmail.com
