Col. Sheldon Ira Vernon

Col. Sheldon I Vernon was called to his eternal home to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on November 10, 2023. Col. Vernon was born August 1, 1922, in Flushing New York City. He often said he escaped from there just as soon as he possibly could. He enlisted in July 1942 in what was then the Aviation Cadet Program of the Army Air Force. He served 26 active duty years in the Air Force and was dual rated as a Command Pilot and Navigator. He flew 30 bombing missions over Germany in B-17s from November 1943 to May 1944 while assigned to the 384th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force. He participated on March 6, 1944, in the first American daylight raid over Berlin, Germany. He retired from the U.S. Air Force in April 1972. He was awarded the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Distinguished Unit Citation with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Air Force Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster and many other campaign ribbons and awards. While in the Air Force, he met and married his first soul mate, Kathryn (Kay) McRae, an East Texas, true Christian, red-headed beauty who led him to Christ and to whom he was married for 49 years. Kay was called home to be with the Lord in 1998. During his Air Force career, Sheldon earned a B.S. in E.E. from Oklahoma State University. Following his Air Force career Sheldon pursued his long held dream of teaching after earned an MBA at The University of Texas at Arlington and a PhD from the University of Houston. He was employed by Houston Baptist University where he served as a full time and adjunct professor in the College of Business and Economics for 21 years, retiring in 2002. The Lord was not through with his blessings for Sheldon. While attending Bible Study at the Woodway campus of Second Baptist Church here in Houston, where he was an ordained Deacon, he met his second soul mate, Zoe Laurence, his Bible Study teacher and another true Christian, red-headed beauty, this time from West Texas. They were married in 2005 but Zoe was called home to be with the Lord in 2009. Sheldon is survived by his son, Gregory E Vernon and daughter-in-law Jolyn Vernon.

During his entire lifetime, Sheldon was a giver, and not a taker. To him family was all important, above all else. He truly loved spending time with all of his family and would respond willingly and quickly to whatever needs they may have had. Although born in New York, he quickly became a reconstructed, devout, practicing Texan who, in his own words, seldom strayed North of the Red or East of the Sabine. He was a proud member of “The Greatest Generation”. He will be missed.

A graveside service with military honors for Col. Sheldon will be held Friday, November 17, 2023 at 10:45 AM at Houston National Cemetery, 10410 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas 77038.