Vernon Julius Meinz

5, his family moved to Tigard Oregon where he grew up. He would spend summers

working picking strawberries and mowing lawns in the neighborhood. He attended Jesuit

High School in Portland, Oregon, where he gained an appreciation for science and

philosophy. After graduating from high school, Vern moved on to St. Martin’s College in

Olympia, Washington, where he earned degrees in chemistry and mathematics. After

completing his bachelor’s degree, he worked in the US Army Dental Corps in Texas.

After an honorable discharge, he worked in Alaska and attended Alaska Methodist

University for a time. After returning to Portland, Oregon, he worked for two years in the

Cardiac Catheterization Clinic. Wanting to continue his education, Vern then attended the

University of North Dakota for three years and earned a masters degree in environmental

engineering.

After Vern earned his degree in engineering he accepted a job with the Washington State

Department of Ecology. He worked primarily in the Hazardous Waste program helping

Industries with their hazardous waste reduction programs. Vern love the environment. He

was adamant about saving it for the good of humanity. He worked for the Department of

Ecology for more than 30 years before he retired in 2005.

Throughout his life, Vern played many sports and was an avid sports fan. His favorite

was baseball. He spent many summers coaching baseball for kids 11 to 16. He also spent

two years coaching his son's baseball team and one year as the president of the youth

baseball organization in Thurston County. He loved watching high school and college

basketball games.

Vern was also very good at working with his hands. He built the home he lived in for 40

years. He built the barn, the pump house, and two cute little cabins along with all sorts of

other woodwork items like cutting boards and dressers. He found a second life after

retirement. After working so hard for 30 years he started discovering some of the joys out

in the World At Large. He started gardening even more, coin collecting, and he traveled.

He took up dancing and, after only a couple of years, he was the host of the dances on a

Mediterranean cruise ship just last summer in 2016.

Vern is survived by his sons, Darryl and Aaron, and by his siblings Marcia, Jen Rose,

Loren, Richard and Melody and all of their families. Brother Robert predeceased him.

Donations in memoriam may be sent to the Thurston Co. Food Bank or St. Martin’s

University in Lacey WA.