Camden County names stretch of Haddonfield-Berlin Road after former Cherry Hill mayor Bernie Platt

A stretch of Haddonfield-Berlin Road in Cherry Hill has been named Mayor Bernie Platt Boulevard in honor of former Cherry Hill Mayor — and current funeral director — Bernie Platt.

Close to two dozen family members and South Jersey politicos gathered across from a Sunoco gas station and Platt Memorial Chapels at the aptly-named Coffin’s Corner on Sunday afternoon to celebrate the 90th birthday of Platt, who served as the mayor of Cherry Hill on two separate occasions while operating his namesake funeral home.

“My dad has been everything you can be in Cherry Hill,” said Alison Tarnopol, Platt’s eldest daughter. “This is so fitting.”

Born in West Chester in 1934, Platt moved to Cherry Hill with his wife, Judy, in 1966. Together they founded Platt Memorial Chapels, a family business that has grown to become one of South Jersey’s largest funeral parlors over the last 47 years.

Platt, a Democrat, served as mayor for the South Jersey town first from 1979 to 1980, and then from 2002 to 2012, with stints as a township council member and on the Camden County Board of Chosen Freeholders in between. Platt was also involved in a variety of Jewish organizations.

Recently elected Cherry Hill Mayor David Fleisher called Platt “one of our community’s statesmen” and a “good listener,” whose positive impact can be felt across town.

Under Platt’s second stint as mayor, the population of Cherry Hill grew to over 70,000 residents, buoyed by the redevelopment of Garden State Park from an abandoned race track to a sprawling development with luxury residences, corporate headquarters, several national chain stores, and a Wegmans. The Cherry Hill Mall also expanded during Platt’s tenure.

The ceremonial road renaming was a birthday gift from Platt’s four children who got approval from the Camden County Board of Commissioners to rename the stretch of Haddonfield-Berlin Road between Evesham Road and Morris Drive after his father. Now, a sign sits in the grass across from Platt’s Memorial Chapels.

“What do you get the guy who has everything and needs nothing?” joked his son Harry Platt, who served as mayor of neighboring Voorhees during Platt’s second mayorship. The Platts were the first father-son duo to serve as mayors of adjoining towns simultaneously, according to the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

“This is a tribute to a 90-year lifetime legacy of building family, building community, and building an honorable name [not just] for yourself, but for your business and generations of your family,” Harry Platt said.

At the ceremony’s close, Fleisher presented the elder Platt with an oversized key to Cherry Hill.

“I never expected anything like this,” said Platt, with tears in his eyes. “This was wonderful.”