Amherst, Claude Richard Jean Bersano passed away suddenly on October 7. He was born on November 13, 1949, in Nice, France, at a time when the city was still recovering from Italian occupation during WW II. His parents having divorced at the time of his birth, he was raised by a cousin, Louis Nucera, who would go on to become a well-regarded journalist and novelist. With family on both sides of the border, Claude grew up speaking both French and Italian. Louis’s career having taken them to Paris in the 60s, Claude’s final year of lycée was marked by the events of 1968, and he was fond of recounting his experiences of that turbulent time. His love of classical organ music brought him in contact with many of the great French organists of the day, and he briefly studied organ performance and organ building before training in acoustics and broadcasting. He was chief sound engineer at CBC/Radio Canada’s Paris studio for ten years. It was there that he met his future wife, as she worked for CBC one summer while in graduate school. Following their marriage in May 1981, they moved back to the U.S., living first in Lexington KY and then for over two decades in Richmond VA. Claude retrained as a computer hardware technician and enjoyed problem-solving and user support. After moving to Amherst in 2006, he applied for citizenship and proudly voted for the first time in 2008. He had a keen technical mind, a genuine interest in the stories of the people he encountered in daily life, a newsman’s attentiveness to politics and current events, a passion for steam locomotives, and a deep love for his family and his many friends throughout the world. He is survived by his mother, Liliane Minucci of Nice, as well as other family members in France; his wife, Julie Candler Hayes of Amherst; his son, Daniel Claude Bersano-Hayes of Pittsfield; sisters-in-law Mary Leonard of Richardson TX and Elizabeth Hayes of Garland TX. The family is deeply grateful for the compassion and expertise of the many healthcare professionals who insured an excellent quality of life for Claude in recent years. Memorial gifts may be made to Cooley Dickinson Health Care/Cooley Dickinson Hospital, either online or sent to the Development Office, PO Box 329, Northampton MA 01060.