Bernard John Howard Bottomley

Bernard John Howard Bottomley

1944-2025

Bernard John Howard Bottomley, a distinguished civil engineer and newspaper industry leader, passed away peacefully on April 22, 2025, at the age of 80. Bernie’s journey was marked by exceptional achievements in construction and in business – yet the greatest things he ever built or acquired were a loving family and a treasured circle of close friends. His legacy of compassion, adventure, and unwavering commitment to craft will forever be cherished by all who knew him.

Bernie is survived by his wife, Judith Bottomley (née Newton); his son, Dr. Andrew Bottomley and his wife Dr. Diana Willis of Oneonta, New York; his son, Peter Bottomley and his wife Alyna Waters of Superior, Colorado; his granddaughter, Lily Bottomley of Broomfield, Colorado; and his older sister, Madge Atkins of Bournemouth, England. He is preceded in death by his father, Walter John Bottomley; his mother, Kathleen Bottomley (née Fautly); his younger sister, Heather Bryant; and his eldest sister, Shirley Mabb. He was at his home in the Frasier Retirement Community in Boulder, Colorado, when he passed on. The cause of death was complications from Parkinson’s disease. Private services will be held at a later date.

Bernie was born on December 30, 1944, in Rye, East Sussex, England – an English Channel seaside town on the southeast coast of Great Britain. Following his upbringing in Rye, he went to work for the renowned London-based firm of consulting engineers R. Travers Morgan & Partners while still in his teens. Bernie was invited to work for The Austin Company in the United States during the summer of 1967. He returned to the U.K. after six months in the U.S. to complete his studies in civil engineering, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree from Brixton School of Building in London. During his brief time in the U.S., Bernie met Judith Ann Newton of Delanco, New Jersey; post-graduation he moved to the U.S. and the couple were married in Riverside, New Jersey, on June 8, 1968.

He served in the U.S. Army as a British national during the Vietnam War era. He was assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg, Mississippi, where he helped the U.S. Air Force Systems Command develop pioneering techniques for the rapid structural repair of bomb-damaged runways. Following his military service, Bernie resumed work with The Austin Company, an industrial construction firm renowned for combining engineering and construction services in a unified process known as The Austin Method. He continued at Austin for 20 years, where he gained extensive experience in engineering, construction, and international consulting.

Bernie and Judy settled on Long Island, New York, for two decades, originally in Northport and then in Huntington. They became parents to identical twin boys, Andrew and Peter, on April 4, 1978. Bernie was one of the primary contributors to The Austin Company’s growth in providing services to the publishing industry. That work led to him accepting an offer as Director of Operations at Long Island’s daily newspaper, Newsday, in 1987. Over the next decade, he held executive positions in engineering, facilities, regulatory affairs, and procurement at Newsday and New York Newsday on both Long Island and in New York City.

He next went on to work for Newsday’s parent company, Times Mirror Company. In 1993, he moved to Southern California to establish Times Mirror Supply Company. This unit was the center of supply chain management for all Times Mirror publications, including the Los Angeles Times. In his role as General Manager, Bernie directed procurement consolidation, implemented new procurement strategies, and automated administration systems, all of which resulted in significant corporate savings and increased efficiency. During the 1990s, he helped establish Times Mirror as an innovator in the move toward managing paper price volatility using financial hedging tools.

At the end of 1997, Bernie left Times Mirror to establish the Continental Trading Group and Bottomley & Associates, which originated international paper product transactions. As a broker of newsprint and specialty paper grades used in the print industry, he solidified the last 21 years of his career. His clients included MediaNews Group and Freedom Communications, and he was the U.S. agent for South Korean pulp and paper company Jeonju Paper. He eventually retired at the end of 2018.

Throughout his career in the newspaper industry, Bernie was a recognized authority on paper recycling issues. He served two terms on the Board of Directors and as Treasurer for the New York News Publishers Association (NYNPA). He was an active member of the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) Technology and Communications Newsprint Committee and the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) Operations Committee.  Bernie was a WAN-IFRA certified materials consultant.

Bernie and Judy left their Southern California home in Westlake Village, California, in 2002 and relocated to Breckenridge, Colorado, where they built their dream home. Although neither of them learned to ski until they were in their early thirties, the sport became a favorite activity for them and their sons and close family friends. They enjoyed many years in Summit County, entertaining friends and extended family at their mountain home. They also delighted in philanthropy and giving to the arts, proudly supporting Breck Music, the National Repertory Orchestra, and The Summit Foundation. Bernie’s other passions included hiking, fishing, gardening and landscaping, wine collecting, fine dining, and storytelling. Despite the pleasures of living high up in the Rocky Mountains, Bernie and Judy often traveled and regularly returned to the sea – developing a great love of cruise travel. They literally saw the world from cruise ships sailing the Seven Seas and the rivers of Europe, along with expedition trips to the Galapagos Islands and Antarctica. In 2022, Bernie and Judy left Breckenridge for Boulder, Colorado.

Bernie Bottomley was a sufferer of Parkinson’s disease. The family asks that in lieu of flowers mourners please consider donating in his memory to The Michael J. Fox Foundation, Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s, or other local PD organizations such as the Parkinson Association of the Rockies.