Bernie Platt, 90, originally of West Chester, two-time mayor of Cherry Hill and funeral director of Platt Memorial Chapels — one of the largest funeral homes in South Jersey — died Thursday, Sept. 12, of natural causes at his Cherry Hill home.Though he initially held aspirations of being a veterinarian, Mr. Platt fell into South Jersey politics by way of the funeral home he co-owned on the corner of Haddonfield-Berlin, Evesham, and Somerdale Roads with his wife, Judy, since 1977. Over time, Mr. Platt blended the personal with the professional as he encouraged his four children to take over both aspects of the family business: governing and guiding others amid grief.AdvertisementMr. Platt was responsible for boosting the profile of Cherry Hill into a regionally renowned hub for shopping and sustainability. The vestiges of his time in office are still visible along Haddonfield Road, where he oversaw the $1 billion redevelopments of the Cherry Hill Mall and Garden State Park, which was tr...
