Bernard Morand

Delivered by Doctor Devraigne at home and named mostly after his uncles, Bernard Henri Maurice Frederic Morand came to this world June 20^th, 1925 in Paris, France, the first-born of three offsprings to pharmacist Maria del Pilar Trivino of Madrid and very successful businessman and WW1 veteran, Maurice Morand- Nouailhac, of Gignac, in the Lot region of France.

At age 13 in 1938, Bernard founded the Club Olympique d’Auteuil, the first athletic club of its kind, for which activities were suspended at the onset of the war in 1939.  A year later, he and his beloved younger brother, Richard, heard the radio announcement on 18^th June by General Charles de Gaulle calling upon French citizens to join him in London to participate in the “resistance”, underground organization actively opposing Nazi Germany’s take over of France.  At only 15 and 13 years of age respectively, Bernard and Richard made their way to the Atlantic coast, boarding a small, already over-filled fishing boat that subsequently capsized on its way to England, forcing them to swim back to shore as they clung to a raft that landed them in Pornic/Saint-Brevin.  Both nonetheless made contact with other underground activists who later entrusted Bernard with various missions, including part-taking in the nearly fatal city of Lyon insurrection, where Bernard narrowly escaped capture, along with other dangerous tasks and brushes with death, some as he aided on the Normandy front to derail trains transporting German ammunition and culminating in his epic escape from brief captivity guarded by German soldiers.

The war behind him, Bernard completed his interrupted studies at Lycee Janson de Sailly and Claude Bernard after which, in 1948, he, Richard, and close friends formed a very popular jazz band named “Les Petits Oiseaux” for which Bernard played the base, the orchestra performing in Paris, Brittany, Tours, and the French Riviera, particularly at Le Rayol Canadel, along with celebrated crooner, Sacha Distel.

In 1951, Bernard wed the lovely and very kind Michele Dauge of Auteuil, Paris, having previously enrolled in Pharmacy school in Strasbourg, from which he graduated in 1954 with two additional majors—one in optometry and the other in audiology, the latter of which led to his accreditation in hearing pathology diagnosing and correcting at the Ministry of Veteran Affairs in Paris, and at the Franco-Muslim Hospital of Bobigny near Paris.

In 1960, he founded an academic and treatment center for deaf children in Boulogne-Billancourt which, from its inception, was at full enrollment capacity with 300 students which included in its roster the daughter of singer/actor Maurice Chevallier, and also maintaining significant, fully trained medical and other staff still in operation today. A year later, he opened and became the head of Laboratoire Cognac-Morand specializing in certain pharmaceutical products for humans and animals exported in great numbers to South America.

Answering the call to public service, Bernard was elected deputy-mayor in 1971 in the city of Boulogne-Billancourt, the former seat of the Renault automotive production, and was named president of that city’s air club in 1973, having been a pilot then and for many years thereafter.  He very successfully expanded activities to include an ever-growing number of 180 pilots and 10 airplanes. 

Sadly, in 1982 losing Michele, mother of their three children Pilar, Frederic, and Thomas to cancer, Bernard fully submerged himself in public service, holding his position as deputy mayor and also successfully getting elected in 1983 to a seat in the parliament of the major Paris region at the head of several committees, an office which he held until 1998, along with maintaining his pharmacy, his involvement in the center for deaf children, the presidency of the air club and other activities too numerous to list.

Life smiled once more when he wed Louise Mary de la Cadena-Chavez y Villarreal de Zayas-Bazan of Fullerton, California in 1992.  Subsequently retiring and moving to Sheridan, he crossed the Atlantic regularly to visit his beloved France and family while maintaining his main residence in Wyoming and becoming a United States citizen in October 2001, an act of love and gratitude to this country for having come to the rescue of France twice in a century. In France, he was awarded the prestigious Napoleonic-originated Knight of the Legion of Honor for his contribution to his Resistance involvement during the war and was subsequently promoted to the rank of Officer in the same award for his work with deaf children.  He also received the distinction of Knight in the order of the Merite National and is the recipient of similar honors in the orders of  Merite Agricole, Palmes Academiques, Medaille de l’Aeronautique, and Medaille de 20 Ans de Gestion Administrative.

He is survived by his wife and her family, his children, grandchildren Anne-Caroline (Romain), Anne-Sophie (Jean-Philippe), Quitterie, Noemie, Eliott, Tessa, and Ninon, along with 4 great-grandchildren (Raphael, Lou, Ilona, and Jules) and many dear nieces and nephews, children of his late brother Richard and his beloved wife Genevieve and of his late sister Christianne and late spouse Gerard, a schoolmate of Bernard and jazz orchestra pianist, along with families Nouailhac and Lafarge, dear Morand cousins and other Morand cousins.

Bernard will leave a major void in many lives and his gregarious, naughty and very French nature will sorely be missed, as we rejoice in the knowledge that he has left his earthly countenance to enter the holy realm of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who in His infinite grace and just mercy forgives all our sins..

 A Memorial and Celebration of Life service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, March 1, 2022, at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 1 S. Tschirgi St. in Sheridan.  A reception will immediately follow in the Parish Hall.  Memorial contributions may be made to Sheridan Second Chance Cat Rescue, 1850 Gabrielle ct., Sheridan, wy 82801. Online condolences may be made to www.sheridanfuneral.com. Arrangements are under the care of Sheridan Funeral Home.