Family and Friends of Ernie Berthold

The College of Nursing established the Ernie Berthold Memorial Scholarship in 2022, in memory of Ernie, who volunteered his time to enhance the learning of undergraduate nursing students by serving as an “elderly patient” within the nursing skills labs. What started as a one-time volunteer opportunity turned into over a decade of volunteering. Ernie loved to work with the students and would encourage them to listen to his heart murmur, tell them about the consequences of a recent fall, and teach them about his current medications. He had a huge impact on thousands of nursing students who are now practicing registered nurses.

Ernest Berthold (1931-2022) graduated from Messmer High School in 1949. During the Korean Conflict, he was a member of the 504th Air Force Band as a featured accordionist and clarinet player. He was stationed at Truax Field in Madison. Ernie worked in data processing at the Bank of Madison and in Milwaukee at Midland Bank and Fiserv. He retired with his wife in 1995 to Shawano Lake.

Ernie and his wife, Julie, had two children: Mary and Thomas. Tom Berthold, MSN, RN, is a long-standing instructional academic staff member in the UW Oshkosh College of Nursing.