Vern was born on July 24, 1934, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was adopted by loving parents, Marge and Harvey Nord on March 6, 1937, and lived in Minneapolis until 1944 when they moved to Chicago.
Vern met Doris, the love of his life, in high school in 1951 and often could be found at the Hollywood Roller skating rink in Chicago, Illinois. He asked for her hand in marriage on the front porch of grandma’s house in June 1953. They married June 19, 1954 at Hague Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chicago. They were married almost 64 years until Doris passed away on June 9, 2018.
The happy couple soon celebrated the birth of their four wonderful children. Beginning in 1955, they welcomed their first born, Diane, followed by Keith (1956), Daniel (1959), and Kathy (1961). They purchased their first home in Chicago on Lacrosse street. Following the greatest blizzard in Chicago history in 1967, Vern and Doris moved the family to Downey, CA in 1968 in search of warmer weather.
Vern and Doris were active members in the church. In Downey, Vern served as an Elder for many years at Messiah Lutheran Church. Together they shared their love of God, with Vern leading bible study and Doris supplying dinner to all who attended. After retiring, Vern and Doris moved to Palm Springs to enjoy the palm trees and mountain views. They continued their ministry at Our Savior Lutheran Church.
Vern worked as a printing broker for nearly 40 years doing it all: billing, estimating and sourcing. He dabbled in stocks and even worked as a stock broker for a short time. He continued his love of stock trading and coin collecting into his retirement cultivating impressive collections. You would often find Vern in his home office at his desk reviewing the stock market or researching stocks. He loved to educate his family on the best stocks to purchase and watch.
One of Vern and Doris’s passion was creating the Rose Parade floats, primarily the Lutheran Hour float, in Pasadena, CA. They coordinated the Petal Pusher workers who would decorate the floats each year. Their love for the parade was shared with the family. On the final day of decorating the floats, they would spend the night on the street just to get the best view of the parade on New Year’s Day.
Vern was heavily involved in Scouts. He served as Scout Master for Troop 2 for many years and guided many young men on their way to achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, including his two sons, Keith and Daniel. Vern enjoyed hiking with his scouts and his family, often carrying DriLite for sustenance. He hiked over 500 miles in the Sierra Nevada mountains and even hiked Mt. Whitney. He also enjoyed vacations driving cross country with his family. On one particular family adventure, they set out in one vehicle and came home in a new ride, an old police car they picked up in Texas. Vern was also an avid skier. He loved to take his children and grandchildren on ski trips every winter. No matter the activity, Vern was always leading the way for his family.
Vern had a passion and energy for life, always saying yes to the next adventure and encouraging his family to do the same. Kathy’s son, Justin, would get a calendar from Vern which he would fill with different events for the pair to do every single day of the month. This included activities like swimming, going to the arcade and even teeing off of the metal sprinklers. Vern shared this energy with all his children and grandchildren, never slowing down.
Vern is preceded in death by his loving wife Doris, father Harvey and mother Margaret.
He is survived by his 4 children Diane Todd (David Todd), Keith Nord (Laura Nord), Daniel Nord (Hope Nord) and Kathy Gomez (Richard Gomez).
15 Grandchildren: Bryan, Christina, Vincent (Elizabeth), Kimberly (Sean), Justin (Samantha), Keith (Rutvi), Andrea, Jaclyn (Alex), Benjamin, Danielle, Elizabeth, Jared, Sabrina, Ashley and Katelyn
16 Great Grandchildren: Isaiah, Amelie, Symantha, Colette, Izaak, Addilyn, Gavin, Evan, Shelby, Ellie, Jordan, Layla, William, Finn, Aria and Kaley
