In Memory of Robert Bernard 'Bern' Moorehead III

July 26, 1982 - May 11, 2024

Robert Bernard “Bern” Moorehead III passed away on Saturday, May 11, 2024, at his home in Golden Valley, Minn. Bern was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2020 at the age of 37 but continued to live an active, vibrant, and joyful life with the love of his life, Rebecca “Beck” Pryor, who he married in 2018.

Bern was born on July 26, 1982, in Huntington Beach, Calif., to Sally Pleasant and Dr. Bernard Moorehead, Jr., and was later also raised by his stepfather, Dale Pleasant. He moved to his father’s hometown of Mt. Pleasant, N.C., at the age of five and then to Albemarle, where he graduated from Albemarle High School as a National Merit Scholar and Beta Club member.

After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2004, Bern joined the Peace Corps and was posted to Mozambique for three years, where he worked on a range of programs including HIV prevention. Bern remained in Mozambique for four years after completing his Peace Corps assignment, working in agriculture for Dunavant and Olam International. Bern then returned to the U.S. and UNC Chapel Hill, where he graduated with his MBA in 2014. Committed to improving farmer livelihoods around the world, he spent the next 10 years working at Cargill in Minneapolis in a variety of agricultural risk management and innovation roles.

Bern had an adventurous spirit that was evident to all who knew him. He was an avid cyclist who commuted by bike year-round in Minneapolis, including during the 2019 polar vortex. He and Beck embarked on many adventures, including rock climbing in Spain, mountain climbing in New Zealand, dog sledding in the Boundary Waters, and backpacking the Superior Hiking Trail in northern Minnesota. In an adventure gone awry, the pair was rescued by military helicopter from the Brazilian jungle in 2016, an experience that made Beck certain she wanted to spend her life with Bern.

Throughout his life and to the very end Bern was an unfailingly kind, loving, and thoughtful person. He was inquisitive and curious about everything and everyone he met. He was generous to family and friends and a connector of people. He made others feel good. Said one of his many friends, “Bern touched everyone he knew with his compassion, empathy, and brilliance.” His always positive and upbeat attitude continued even as he navigated a daunting medical diagnosis. When asked how he was, Bern always replied with a thumbs up and a “super great!”—and super great he was, indeed.

In addition to his wife and parents, Bern is survived by his sister, Laura Moorehead; his brother, Charles “Bucky” Moorehead, sister-in-law, Kourtney Taperek, and nephew, Dash Moorehead; his brother, Andrew “Whit” Moorehead; his mother- and father-in-law, Mary Geisz and Keith Pryor; his brother- and sister-in-law, Luke Pryor and Rhea Ghosh; and friends far and wide.

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