December 13, 1933 - May 11, 2013
The Reverend Bernard F. Griesel died on May 11, 2013 in San Francisco. He was born on December 13, 1933 in Chicago, Illinois to Frederick and Florence Griesel, who pre-deceased him.
He received an AB from the University of Chicago and a BA in English Literature, French Language and World History from the University of Colorado. He received an SBT in Theology from the University of Toronto and an MSW from San Francisco State University in Social Work with an emphasis on community organizing. He was fluent in French and Spanish, had a working knowledge of Italian and Portuguese, and a reading knowledge of German, Russian, Greek, and Hebrew.
Bernie lived in Boulder, Colorado and Portland, Oregon before moving to San Francisco in 1969. He taught at St. Luke's Parochial School and the Oregon Episcopal High School in Portland and then in San Francisco at the Cathedral School for Boys and the Towne School and for the San Francisco Unified School District.
In 1971, he began work at the San Francisco Human Services Agency as an eligibility worker, retiring from it in 1992 after working for many years as a child protective services social worker. Subsequent to his retirement, he worked as an adult services social worker for Contra Costa County.
Father Bernie had been a priest of the Episcopal Diocese of California since July 11, 1968. He was the Rector of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Crockett, California from 1970 through his retirement from that position in December 2011.
He volunteered for a number of projects associated with religion, including the United Religions Initiative, which facilitated people of different religions working on various projects to increase global peace and create a respectful understanding of different religious traditions. He served several years as an assistant night minister with the interdenominational San Francisco Night Ministry, providing crisis counseling, referral, and intervention on the streets in the middle of the night for persons in crisis or difficulty.
Bernie was a Quiz Kid in Chicago, competing on the radio show when he was twelve, already demonstrating the vast extent of his knowledge. He was an avid world traveller and visited every continent. He had an incredible sense of humor. He enjoyed the symphony, theater, and opera and maintained his interest in history, literature, and languages his entire life.
He will be missed by former colleagues and friends; by Houston, Gilbert, Don, Mary, Sara, and Tom; by his caregiver, Toby, who took care of him during his final illness; and by the members of the congregation of St. Mark's in Crocket.
A requiem Eucharist will be celebrated for Father Bernard at 2 p.m. Friday, June 7 at Grace Cathedral in the Chapel of Grace. The Right Reverend Marc Andrus, Bishop of California, will preside. There will be a reception in the Cathedral Chapter House following the service.