On February 22, 2021, Vernon F. “Pop” Korhn, Jr. (75) was uplifted into Heaven by our Lord who most likely summarized the life of Vernon as: “Well done good and faithful servant.” Vernon indeed fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7-8). Vernon passed peacefully at home surrounded by the joys of his life: wife Brenda, children Kimberly and Trey.
Vernon was born in East Liverpool, Ohio, as his parents were returning to their homestead in Tampa. He can claim to be a native of Tampa, attending Mitchell, Wilson, and Plant. Vernon lost his parents at an early age, but he was fortunate to have his Zacchini Family and high school coach, John Burgess, to guide him through his formative years.
Vernon is survived by his wife of 51 years, Brenda Baker Korhn; two children, Kimberly Korhn Bell (Travis) and Vernon F. “Trey” Korhn, III (Jillian); grandchildren: Amelia Bell, Ashlyn Bell, Caroline Korhn, William Korhn, and Thomas Korhn.
Vernon was predeceased by his parents, Vernon F. Korhn, Sr. and Amelia Fargnoli Korhn, his brother, William R. Korhn, and the Tampa Zacchini family.
Coach Korhn was a kind and caring man who touched, influenced, and changed the lives of countless numbers of others in all walks of his life. He spent his 40+ year career as a coach, educator, and administrator for Hillsborough County Schools, positively influencing our community. He accomplished so much, yet, was always humble. Vernon received many accolades over his athletic and professional careers including the Guy Toph award in 1962 and induction into the FIAAA Hall of Fame in 2019. Many people have reached out to the family expressing their gratitude for Coach Korhn’s compassion and mentorship in their lives. They have shared heart-warming stories which have comforted the hearts of Vernon’s family.
There will be a Celebration of Life Service on March 13 at 2:00 at First Baptist Church of Tampa, 302 West Kennedy Blvd. A virtual service will also be available. Immediately following the service there will be an informal gathering and sharing time with family at Blount and Curry Funeral Home, 605 S. MacDill Ave. Social distancing and mask wearing per the CDC and local guidelines will be observed at both events.
In lieu of flowers, any donations can be made to the Western Conference (via Hillsborough County Athletics, 1202 E Palm Ave, Tampa 33602) or the Plant High School Athletic Foundation (2415 S. Himes Ave, 33629) acknowledging “Vernon Korhn” in the memo line.
The service may be viewed at servicewebcast.com. The service password is Vernon0703. The virtual room will open 15 minutes prior to the scheduled service start time. Please note that the start of the live webcast will begin when the actual service begins.
The service may also be viewed at http://fbctampa.org/messages/ and the link will be available about 10 minutes prior to the service start time.
