Tom Bernacchi, an executive with Milwaukee-based Zilber Ltd., has died, the company announced Wednesday.
Bernacchi joined Zilber in 1986. He was vice president of Towne Realty Inc. and a key member of the Zilber Property Group management team.
“It is with deep sadness that we’re notifying the employees of Zilber Ltd. and the Milwaukee business community of the passing of our dear friend and co-worker, Tom Bernacchi,” John Kersey and members of the Zilber management team said in a statement.
The Zilber team said Bernacchi was a “wonderful person and part of the ‘Zilber Family.’ ”
“Whether his focus was on the company, its employees and even more so, his family, he would stop short of nothing to get the job done. Above all, his family and his faith carried him to peace.”
Mayor Tom Barrett declared Dec. 4 as Tom Bernacchi Day. He said in an interview that he was honored to be able to present the proclamation to Bernacchi during a gathering of friends and family.
“He was so involved with the community, and had a reputation as a person who could get things done,” Barrett said in an interview.
Milwaukee Common Council members introduced a resolution in November in recognition of Bernacchi’s “many positive contributions to the city of Milwaukee and its downtown.” The resolution notes that Bernacchi was a charter member and past president of the Commercial Association of Realtors Wisconsin, served the Institute of Real Estate Management as national governing councilor for eight years and regional vice president of Region 9 for two years, and was actively involved in a number of other groups such as the International Council of Shopping Centers, the Urban Land Institute and NAIOP Wisconsin.
