Henrietta (Enriqueta) Bernal

Henrietta (Enriqueta) Bernal of Kensington, CT died on Friday April 19, 2024 in New Britain, CT after a short illness.  She was born on June 14, 1937 in El Palmar, Murcia Spain and spent her childhood between El Palmar and Murla, Alicante Spain.  She bravely made the journey to the United States when she was 11 years old, and even as a child impressed all who knew her with her ability to adapt to a new country.  She proudly became a United States citizen and always considered herself both a proud Spaniard and a proud American.  She shared her culture with all who knew her, and was a proud member of the Spanish American Cultural Club in New Britain, CT her entire life.

Henrietta (Enriqueta) was tremendously accomplished in her education and career.  She earned her RN degree from St. Mary’s Nursing School, and her Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate degrees from UCONN.    In her early career she practiced as a nurse in the New Britain General Hospital intensive care unit, and later went on to teach nurses how to deliver care with excellence to the community.  She had an undying commitment to make the world a better place.  She was a trailblazer in her field of community health, she was a pioneer in the world of the Visiting Nurse Association, and she was a visionary in the world of diabetes research.  Her accomplishments were vast and too many to name, but her passion was singular:  help anyone and everyone she could, and teach others to do the same. 

Henrietta (Enriqueta) was predeceased by her beloved sister Nieves Bernal Perez and her beautiful niece Esther Baixauli Roderick.   She is survived by her beloved sister Concepcion Bernal Baixauli.  Henrietta’s (Enriqueta’s) nieces and nephews were her children and her pride and joy, and she was their ‘Tia En’: she is survived by Joseph and Joanne Perez, Aurora and Ronald Jakubowski, James Roderick, Marina Perez and Donald Kerchis, Frank and Gina Baixauli, and Alicia and Marc Goodman.  She leaves 12 great nieces and nephews whom she was tremendously proud of and adored beyond measure: Jason, Marissa, Nicholas, Lindsay, Daniel, Alexandra, Jamie, Anjelica, Carlos, Marco, Eric and Elena. She had 15 great great nieces and nephews that brought joy to her life.  Henrietta (Enriqueta) also leaves her devoted friend Juliette Shellman, and an untold number of friends, colleagues, students, godchildren, and acquaintances who’s life she touched deeply.

The family would like to thank Dr. K and the staffs of Hospital of Central CT’s emergency department, ICU, and C-5 for their excellent care.

Henrietta (Enriqueta) believed with all her heart that we must love one another, be inclusive to all, be kind, and provide care and support to our neighbors.  She was passionate about helping the community, and as such in lieu of flowers, donations to these two causes, which were near and dear to her heart, would be greatly appreciated. 

Calling hours are Thursday, April 25, 2024 from 4-7 PM at Erickson-Hansen Funeral Home of Berlin/Porters, 111 Chamberlain Hwy., Berlin, CT 06037 (860 223-0981).  Funeral services will be held on Friday, April 26, 2024 at 10 AM at the funeral home followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 12 PM at St. Mary Church, St. Joachim Parish, 544 Main St., New Britain, CT  06051 (860 229-4894).  Burial at St. Mary Cemetery will follow the Mass.

Memorial donations may be made to the Dr. Henrietta Bernal Endowment Fund Scholarship, ID #0031341 c/o The UConn Foundation, Inc., 2390 Alumni Dr., Unit 3206, Storrs, CT 06269-3206  https://www.foundation.uconn.edu/fund/dr-henrietta-bernal-endowment/ (800 269-9965) or to the CT Foodshare, 2 Research Parkway, Wallingford, CT 06492, https://ctfoodshare.org/ (203 469-5000).

Henrietta Enriqueta Giner Bernal, to know her was a privilege.

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