Vernon Elwood Ash

January 30, 1933-May 24, 2014

After a lengthy illness, Vern went home to be with his Lord, with his family by his side.  Vern will be remembered by his wife of 49 years, Marilyn Ash (Berg); daughter and son-in-law, Lori and Barry Remai and their children, Erin, Cara and Alec; son and daughter-in-law, Terry and Charlotte Ash; brother and sister-in-law, Murray and Carol Ash and their daughter Buffy; and “adopted sister", Luella Moore.  Vern was predeceased by his parents, Lloyd and Pearl Ash; his sister, Shirley Ash; and an infant son, Trevor Ash. Vern was born in Saskatoon, SK and attended Westmount School and the Technical Collegiate, where he excelled in sports, especially soccer.  After high school, Vern worked at various trade jobs and also served as an auxiliary member of the Royal Canadian Air Force (1953-1956), holding the rank of Aircraftsman 2nd class. In 1954, Vern joined the Saskatoon Fire Department, where he worked for 31 years, retiring in 1985 with the rank of Captain.  Not one to remain idle, Vern then trained as an insurance representative and worked for Sovereign Life for 6 years, winning several sales awards. After using his handyman skills working at Canadian Tire for a time, he returned to uniform as a Sergeant with the Corps of Commissionaires in 1991. During his time with the Corps, Vern became a certified Advanced Level 2 First Aid/CPR instructor and provided training for various organizations all over the province. Looking for a position with a little less travel, he was later posted to Parking Enforcement and various other security posts, retiring from the Corps in 2006. Vern was very skilled with his hands and was always helping his friends and family with various household projects.  He was an avid collector of coins and commemorative pins, and always asked friends and family to be on the look-out for unique items in their travels.  Vern was particularly interested in family history and over the last 40 years spent many hours researching the Ash/Graves and Berg/Rosie family's origins.  Despite his age, he embraced the internet with zest and found it to be a great tool in his family history research; he was always printing interesting pictures for family and friends that he had found online.  Vern also enjoyed golfing and spending time with his family and friends, and especially in later years, his grandchildren.  In the last 5 years, he and Marilyn spent the colder parts of the year visiting Terry and Charlotte in Vancouver for extended periods and made many wonderful new friends there. A Celebration of Vern’s Life will be held at Lawson Heights Pentecostal Assembly (233 Pinehouse Drive, Saskatoon) on Saturday, May 31st at 11:00am.  Special thanks to Dr. Stefiuk, Dr. Gowda, the wonderful pharmacists at the Pinehouse Pharmasave, the many home care and palliative home care nurses who allowed Vern to stay in his home, and all those who prayed for Vern during his journey.  In lieu of flowers, donations to the infant rescue program “Mission 180” (online at www.mission180.ca or cheque made out to “Mission 180” c/o Lawson Heights Pentecostal Assembly) will be gratefully accepted.  Arrangements are in the care of John Schachtel -  MOURNING GLORY FUNERAL SERVICES (306-978-5200) www.mourningglory.ca