Doug Bernacchi was born in 1959 in LaPorte, IN, and one of 4 children, He grew up on his family’s produce farm where he worked from a young age. He attended a private Catholic grade school, served daily as an altar boy, played all the offered sports through 9th grade, and in high school focused on snow skiing at a local ski hill. Over the years, Doug taught more than 1000 first day skiers as a ski instructor at Swiss Valley in Jones, MI, and once beat Stein Ericson in a Giant Slalom Race at Deer Valley, UT.
He attended Regis College in Denver, CO, and was a scholarship college ski team member. With straight A grades, he transferred to the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. where his wife-to-be, Susan, worked for the Congressman from South Bend. He matriculated to Notre Dame attending the London program. An MBA, he entered banking in New York City with Chase Manhattan while Susan worked at WABC-7. Left Manhattan for Chicago and law school, and leased a seat at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to trade Eurodollar futures as a member, which he did for decades, teaching new member orientation, and practicing law. He was certified as a specialist by the American Board of Certification in Bankruptcy Law.
They raised their 4 children, a girl and 3 boys — including twins, in Long Beach, Indiana, Sandy, UT, and Granger, IN. Doug also coached travel baseball, youth soccer, and basketball teams, and made time to teach skiing, enjoy many family ski trips, travel sport trips, college visits/parent days, and other family vacations.
Since retiring in 2017, the Bernacchis have moved a few times to stay close to their thriving adult children in Chicago, IL, Indianapolis, IN, Charlottesville, VA, in Raleigh, NC, and now in Darien, CT, where they have their first granddaughter to enjoy. Doug’s aged, yet very active and healthy, parents still reside in LaPorte, IN.
