Bernard "Bernie" Taheny, 83, passed away on April 9, 2025 after a heart attack.  A lifelong Chicagoan, he was the oldest son of his late parents, Francis and Doris Taheny.  Coming from a family in which seven aunts and an uncle were all Chicago public school teachers, Bernie followed in their footsteps in 1963, becoming a math teacher at Chicago Vocational High School.  A little over ten years later, his interest in computers led to a position at the central office of the Chicago Public Schools, where he learned COBOL, the programming language used to run CPS's mainframe computers.  In the evenings, he taught COBOL at Loyola, DePaul, and Northwestern.  When personal computers were introduced, his job became setting up computer labs in the schools and teaching teachers how to use them with their students.  He also taught computer science and use at Moraine Valley Community College and Rosary College (now Dominican University).

Computers were a primary focus of Bernie's life, but they were not his only focus.  As a teenager, he became a figure skater, joining a figure skating club, training, competing, and judging other skaters.   His love of the sport continued for the rest of his life.  He also loved nature, both being out in it and photographing it.  He especially enjoyed the woods of Northern Wisconsin, where his parents had taken him for vacations.  Another passion was genealogy.  He spent many happy hours researching his family tree and the trees of others.  In about 2016, he volunteered with and became a member of the Eighth District Court Advocacy Group, the purpose of which is to support victims of crime as their cases are prosecuted.  Bernie felt strongly about the importance of this work and threw himself into it.  In 2019, he received the Advocate of the Year award.

These are the activities of Bernie's life, but the most important thing about Bernie was not what he did but who he was.  He was a man of integrity:  honest, trustworthy, and dependable.  He could always be counted on in a crisis.  He treated people with respect, compassion, and kindness, while also bringing humor and fun.  His focus was on the other person, not himself.  He lived according to the Golden Rule: treating others as he would want to be treated.  His core mission in life was to help others every day and leave them better off than they were before he interacted with them.

Bernie is survived by his life partner,  MaryFrances Watson; his brother, Francis "Frank" (Robbie) Taheny; Frank Taheny's former spouse, Delores "Dee" Taheny and her partner, Harry Moser; nephews James Kenneth (Lisa) Taheny, Craig Alan (Stacey) Taheny, Francis Bernard (Katie) Taheny, and Christopher (Madga) Taheny; five grand nephews and three grand nieces; cousins Anna (Dan) Distel and Sharon Orawiec.

Visitation will be Wednesday, April 16, 2025 from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Wolniak Funeral Home, 5700 S. Pulaski Road, Chicago, IL 60629.  A chapel service will be held on Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at Wolniak Funeral Home, followed by a graveside committal service and interment at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, 6001 W. 111th Street, Alsip, IL 60803. For Info please call (773) 767-4500.