Vern Louis Bartlett

Vern Louis Bartlett was born in Ewing, Nebraska on May 7, 1926 to Lois Stanton Bartlett and Louis Bartlett. The Nebraska farm boy moved to California as a teenager, and right after high school was drafted into the Army. He was part of the 79th Infantry Division in the European theatre of World War II. Arriving home in Yuba City, the young veteran was swept off his feet by the beautiful Joyce Marie Harris. She was the only love of his life for the next 74 years.

Always a man of action, Vern put his whole heart and energies into providing well for his growing family. He was climbing the management ladder at work, but he and Joyce were spiritually hungry and so very prepared for the day two earnest evangelists arrived on their doorstep in 1954, wanting to know if they would like to have a Bible study. Indeed they would. Within a month they had believed the Great Good News of what God had done for them through Christ. A year later they sold their home and headed with their four young children into the first phase of pioneer missionary training, trusting simply in God’s promises to be with them and provide their every need.

In Brazil, Vern was honored to work with dedicated colleagues spearheading evangelistic efforts deep into uncharted territory in the Amazon jungle. Their destination was perhaps the most primitive, unreached ethnic group on the planet; getting there meant arduous weeks-long trips by slow-moving launch followed by grueling days of navigating outboard-motor-driven canoes through treacherous rapids. In the village, they lived 24/7 with the people in their communal roundhouse, studying language for months on end with meager supplies and no communication with loved ones, nursing each other through near-death illnesses.

Vern was a trailblazer, a true pilot, blessed with innate ability to navigate, locate places to shelter, and rock-solid calm in storms. Those who travelled with him speak of his wisdom, his fortitude, his grace and clear-headedness in the most harrowing of circumstances, his steadfast dependability and his unwavering commitment to obedience and sacrifice. It never entered his mind to turn back. He deeply respected the devoted young families who continued to lay down their lives for the Yanomami, and rejoiced with them in the harvest they finally reaped.

30 years teaching at Bible colleges in the US and England was another great privilege for Vern, investing in students who went on to take the Good News to the four corners of the earth. He and Joyce blessed hearts and forged lifelong friendships on speaking trips to Scotland, Ireland, Norway and the Faroe Islands.

More dear friends were gained during their itinerant years in the Baker, Oregon area, teaching missionary candidates and challenging churches to send out more field workers.

Vern was a lifelong learner who was fascinated with the miracles of the universe. He loved music, often singing to the Lord in his devotional time. He was a kind, generous man with a genuine interest in other people. He treasured his wife and children and took great delight in his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He will be sorely missed.

Vern had a deep reverence for God’s Word: it is, he said, ‘the oracles of God’. He was always to be found at his desk with his open Bible. Every class, every preaching opportunity was a serious privilege, painstakingly prepared for and prayed over. He felt he was not a natural speaker and truly depended on the Holy Spirit to enable him to ‘handle the Word’ with honor.

And so he did.

And so he will be remembered.

Vern was preceded in death by his sisters Bonnie Castenada, Jean Hoover, and Mina Allen; his brother Amos Bartlett; beloved grandson Darren Friedl and great-grandaughter Manuela Silveira.

He is survived by his beloved wife Joyce; daughters Jan [Ray] Friedl, Jill [Larry] Goring, Jayne [Jason] Robinson, and son Jerry; sisters Carolyn Godat and Marilyn [Tony] Visic; grandchildren Nathan [Debbie] Friedl, Bradley [Amy] Friedl, Jessica [Dan] Scheidemantle, Micah [Katy] Goring, Erik [Marcia] Robinson, Shannon [Alan] Sumanti, and Luke [Brittany] Robinson; great-grandchildren Christopher [ Danielle] Friedl, Johnathan Friedl, Sarah Ann [David] Camacho, Annie, Charlie and Julia Friedl, Ella and Dylan Scheidemantle, Theodora, Mason and Donna Goring, Aliyah and Adan Nieves, Sean, Brent and Ethan Robinson, Alyss and Ela Robinson--and dear Faith Family members around the globe.

Friends of Vern and Joyce are invited to a memorial service on Sunday, August 1, 2021, 3:00 P.M. at Ethnos360 US Headquarters, 312 W. 1st St., Sanford, FL 32771. *To access the livestream you may copy & paste this link into your browser https://v.ringcentral.com/join/039353901

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to ‘RockSolidKids’ [checks payable to ethnos360, memo ‘for RockSolidKids’: 312 W. 1st Street, Sanford, FL 32771] or online per the following instructions [we apologize for the six steps]:

*Go to: https://ethnos360.org/give

*Under the title GIVE WHERE NEEDED MOST, fill in the amount you wish to give to the project (not where you will end up giving).

*Click the white give button.

*On the next page, under the spot where it asks if you would like for the donation to be anonymous, click “Add notes, designations, or instructions for the finance office”.

*In the text box that pops up, put in the instructions, “for Rock Solid Kids”.

*Finish by filling in the information needed for check out.

*For more information on this project, which was dear to Vern’s heart, please go to the website RockSolidKids.

Click here:

https://rocksolidkids.org/