William “Pete” Peter Berard Jr.
September 21, 1949 – March 8, 2026
William “Pete” Peter Berard Jr.
On Sunday, March 8th, William Peter “Pete” Berard Jr., beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend, passed away peacefully at his home in Kenmore, surrounded by his family.
Born in Seattle on September 21, 1949, Pete was the eldest of three children of Dr. William Peter Berard and Dorothy Klansnic Berard. With a father serving in the Navy and a mother serving in the Army, Pete spent his early childhood in Seattle, Iowa, and Guam before the family returned permanently to Seattle. He grew up on Capitol Hill in the family’s well‑loved home and was an active member of St. Joseph Parish. Pete attended St. Joseph School, Seattle Preparatory School, and Seattle University.
It was during his college years that Pete met Margaret “Margie” Weller, the love of his life, on a ski trip to Banff. They were married on June 12, 1971, at St. Joseph Parish. Together, Pete and Margie built a family they cherished deeply, welcoming four children—Jenny, Bill, Colleen, and Molly.
In 1974, the young family moved from Queen Anne to what was then “the country” in Kenmore, Washington, where they planted enduring roots. Pete opened his own accounting practice, just a mile from their home. “Tax season” quickly became a familiar rhythm in the Berard household. Pete was deeply involved in the Kenmore community through Northshore Rotary, King County Soccer Referees, and St John Vianney Catholic church which included Marriage Encounter, mission trips to Mexico, working with Esperanza, Operation Sack Lunch and the Knights of Columbus.
Pete’s other pastimes included woodworking, cooking, and gardening. The family always had a garden and Pete would spend extra time and attention on his tomato and hot peppers. Although Pete loved to grow veggies, he later became notorious for not eating his veggies.
The family spent many summers and holidays at “The Beach”, Pete’s parents’ home on Camano Island. Time was spent crabbing, building driftwood forts, watching the storms, beach combing, playing horseshoes and boating in the Stella Maris.
Athletics were a lifelong passion. At Seattle University, Pete played on the inaugural men’s soccer team in 1967, a team later inducted into the Seattle University Hall of Fame. Over the years he also explored football, served on Ski Patrol at Ski Acres, and played adult softball with Margie. He continued playing recreational soccer as a father before transitioning into refereeing—a role he took great pride in. When Seattle launched its Major League Soccer team, Pete became a founding season‑ticket holder for the Seattle Sounders FC and faithfully maintained his tickets every year.
Pete is survived by his children Jenny Richmond (Jason), Bill Berard (Teresa), Colleen Berard, and Molly Berard; and his cherished grandchildren Colton Richmond (Holly), Carson Richmond, Margaret Richmond, Piper Berard, and Daisy Berard, his sisters, Mary Mohr and Theresa Fedora. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 50 years, Margie Berard, and by his parents, Dr. William Peter Berard and Dorothy Berard.
Pete will be remembered for his love for his family, his commitment to community, his passion for soccer, and his dry sense of humor that he loved to share with anyone that was willing to listen.
His service will be held on Friday, June 12th, 2026, at 11 am at St John Vianney parish 12600 84th AVE NE, Kirkland, WA. There will also be a rosary held the night before, Thursday, June 11th at 7 pm at St John Vianney.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Knights of Columbus at St John Vianney.
4 Responses to “William “Pete” Peter Berard Jr.”
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Margie I am so sorry for your loss. I enjoyed every minute of the many years Pete worked for me for me as my CFO before he went into private practice. Pete was a friend and will be missed by everyone that new him.God bless you Margie and may Pete RIP
We worked with Pete and Margie in the Marriage Encounter movement. Among other things, they were responsible for finances.
They were a fun, faithful, and loving couple.
God grant them eternal happiness.
Pete and I graduated from Seattle University together. In the mid 70’s my boss at the time recommended an accounting firm to handle some tax work. As Linda and I entered the office who should great us, Pete. We remained faithful clients from that day forward. We loved each year seeing Margie at the front desk and enjoying Pete’s long and loving laughter, jokes and tax guidance. His guidance, love, kindness and laughter will be missed every day. Pete and Margie are once again together. Jim & Linda Stevens
Pete was my best friend in grade school, high school and college. I fondly remember spending time at his house across the street from our grade school, as well as times at his parent’s Camano cabin. We shared many adventures, including the time I managed to “lose” his family boat at a party on Whidbey Island, our not-so-successful enterprise as house painters (we only ended up painting our parent’s homes), and when we both worked at Pizza Pete in the U-District during the turbulent 60’s. We drifted apart when I spent 3 years on the east coast after med school and ended up working in Mount Vernon. Ironically, I ended up taking care of Pete’s mom, Mary at my allergy practice in Mount Vernon, and moved to Camano while his mother and sister still lived on Camano. I only saw him once after med school, and wished we could have rekindled our friendship.