Dennis Charles Bernhoft, a longtime Sitka psychologist, passed away in Sitka on Oct. 20, 2026. A potluck service will be held Wednesday, Nov. 4, celebrating what would have been his 67th birthday. It will be noon to 2 p.m. at 700 Katlian St. Suite E.
Dennis was born in Fort Carson, Colorado, on Nov. 4, 1959, to Francis Charles Bernhoft and Doris Esther Bernhof. He spent most of his young years in the interior of Alaska, living in Bethel, Medfra and McGrath, where he attended elementary and high school. After high school, he moved to Sitka, working in cold storage to earn money to attend Western Colorado University at Gunnison. He graduated with a degree in psychology and in 1986 returned to Sitka to begin his career at Raven’s Way. He later worked for SCAODA (now Sitka Counseling) for a brief period in the early 1990s.
For several years he lived in Anchorage where he worked at North Star, then returned to Sitka to accept a position at Gunaanasti' (Bill Brady Healing Center) as a drug abuse treatment specialist I. He served from 2005 until 2013, when the program closed. In December 2013 he helped launch SEARHC’s Intensive Outpatient Program as a chemical dependency counselor II, working alongside Harry Bradley and Stewart Pook. What began as a small team of three grew into a program of 40 staff members by 2026, serving clients throughout Southeast Alaska. Dennis played an important role in that growth, with his commitment, experience, and compassion.
In 2024, Dennis became clinical supervisor at SEARHC’s Intensive Outpatient Program. Throughout his career, he was admired and respected by his peers for his sound clinical judgment, unwavering dedication to clients, and ability to tackle difficult work with both professionalism and heart. He also brought humor to the workplace, often finding reasons to laugh even during the most challenging moments, although sometimes he was the only one laughing at his jokes.
Dennis was deeply committed to the recovery community. Following the closure of Bill Brady Healing Center, he worked behind the scenes to ensure the Recovery Month Potlatch continued. A skilled paddle maker, he crafted several beautiful paddles that were presented to recipients of the Recovery Month Watchman Award. True to his nature, Dennis rarely sought recognition for his contributions, preferring instead to let the work speak for itself.
His legacy lives through the lives he touched, the programs he helped build, the traditions he helped preserve, and the colleagues, clients, and friends who knew him. He'll be remembered for his professional excellence, his generosity, humility, humor, and commitment to recovery and healing. Dennis dedicated more than 30 years of his life to the field of behavioral health, leaving a lasting impact on those he served throughout Alaska.
Dennis was an avid outdoorsman. In his free time he enjoyed hunting, fishing, cooking, and reading, and was a skilled photographer, painter, and carver.
In October 2005, Dennis married the love of his life, Jeannette Bell, at a small ceremony in Sitka. He adopted and helped raise her daughters, Hallie and Mollie, as his own, and continued to take care of them after her passing in 2013.
Dennis was preceded in death by his father and his wife. He is survived by his daughters Hallie Bernhoft of Portland, Oregon, Mollie Bernhoft of Texas; mother Doris Bernhoft of Sedalia Missouri; brothers Michael (Linda) Bernhoft of Wyoming, and Patrick Bernhoft of Warsaw, Missouri; and sisters Margaret (Curtis) Schaffer of Lincoln, Missouri, and Ann DeFusco of Lincoln, Missouri.
