Berne Danielsen

Berne Danielsen died peacefully in his home in Santa Maria, California, on December 12, 2021.  He was 95 years old.

He was born on April 25, 1926, in Upland, Nebraska to parents John “Ray” and Christine Danielsen. His older sister, Ruth, was born two years earlier.

They moved to Santa Monica in 1929 where Ray worked as an auto mechanic at a Buick agency. Berne attended Santa Monica schools and graduated from Santa Monica High School in 1943 at the age of 17. During his school years, he became interested in model railroading, science fiction, jazz music and drafting, which eventually led to a career in mechanical engineering.

He was drafted into the U.S. Military in 1944 at the age of 18 and served in the army during World War II in the Philippines and Japan. He was discharged in 1946 and began attending UCLA under the GI bill where he graduated in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He worked at jobs in model railroading and aerospace before becoming an engineer at Mattel Toy Company where he worked for 22 years.

He married Jean MacNee (a Santa Monica native and teacher for Santa Monica Unified School District) in 1954, and had three daughters, Laurie, Karen and Patrice. In 1955, Berne and Jean moved to Pacific Palisades where they raised their family for 37 years.

In 1992, they moved to Santa Maria where Berne lived happily for the next 29 years. Jean passed away in 2009. During his retirement years, Berne designed and built (from scratch) model ships and airplanes, and he also produced a great deal of artwork, including oil paintings and pen and ink drawings.

His models and artwork were displayed throughout his home, and he enjoyed taking people on “tours” of the house. Berne was a kind, quick-witted, well-read man who cared deeply for his family. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jean, his daughter, Karen, and his sister Ruth.

He is survived by his daughters Laurie Mayorga and Patrice Beebe, his grandsons Nicolas Mayorga and Sean Thomas, and his great granddaughter Jade Mayorga. A memorial will be held in Santa Maria in April. For more information, please call Laurie at 805-868-9758.