Wayne A. Vernon

WAYNE A. VERNON was born on May 28, 1915 to Albert and Nellie Vernon in Grant County, Oklahoma, and died December 9, 2014, in Oklahoma City. Wayne began school in a one-room schoolhouse and went on to be the first member of his family to go to college. He earned a degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma in 1939 and then worked for the Oklahoma Publishing Company until joining the army in 1941. After graduating from OCS, he fought in New Guinea, the Philippines, and Okinawa and was one of the first American soldiers to go into Japan. He returned from Japan in 1946 and continued his service to his country as an officer in the Oklahoma National Guard.

After WWII, Wayne served as the Assistant Director of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety. At the start of the Korean War in 1950, he was called back to active duty, and with his military and law enforcement experience, was sent to Frankfurt, Germany, as a counter-intelligence officer. In 1953 Wayne returned to Oklahoma City and went into the insurance business, where he rose to become Agency Secretary of Standard Life and Accident before retiring in 1984.

Wayne was happily married to Elizabeth Sullivan Vernon until her death in 1988. Wayne and Elizabeth were blessed with two sons: Bill and his wife Connie of Houston, and Bob and his wife Lissa of Oklahoma City. Wayne leaves behind two grandchildren: Rebecca and her husband Steve Skarky, and Michael and his fiancé Tiffany Clark, as well as three great-grandchildren, Kate, Jack, and Will Skarky, all of Oklahoma City.

Wayne was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Glen, and his two sisters, Mildred and Lois. Wayne is survived by his youngest brother Leon and his wife Judy of Evant, Texas.

After Elizabeth’s death, Wayne married Ann Foster Vernon, and after her death, he married Jean Ann Graham Vernon. They and their families were very dear to Wayne and gave him great joy during the latter years of his life.

At the time of his death, Wayne was living at the Mansion at Waterford. The family wishes to thank the staff at the Mansion who cared for Wayne for many years and of Heavenly Hospice who provided friendship and care during his last years.

Wayne’s family benefited greatly from his love, his integrity, his kindness, and his calm and easy encouragement. He will be remembered as a man who did what he was asked to do and served others—his family, his country, and his God—faithfully and well. He was one of the best and last of the Greatest Generation.

A celebration of Wayne’s life will be held in the Sanctuary of Westminster Presbyterian Church at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 17. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Wayne’s honor may be made to Westminster School, 600 NW 44th Street, Oklahoma City.