Vern Lewis Horton of Mesa, Arizona, died on December 6, 2021 at the age of 87. Vern was born on April 23, 1934 in Phoenix, Arizona. Vern believed in the value of hard work throughout his life. He got his first job when he was about 7 years old, operating the scoreboard on the local softball field for 25 cents a game. When he was older, he graduated from peanuts, chewing gum and lemonade sales in the stands. From an early age, he also spent each summer milking cows, driving tractors, chopping cotton, and watering his sister Alice’s farm in south Phoenix. It was here that Vern learned to drive and loved working on cars.
In 1948 the family moved to Prescott, Arizona, where he helped his father build their new home. When he was in high school, he found that his favorite class was shop class. He also worked in a feed store and lumber yard for half a day throughout high school. When he was around 14 years old, his father had helped him buy his first car, a 1932 Ford Model A. This car was especially useful during his junior year of high school. Vern was invited to hike on Thumb Butte with a group of classmates, and it is there that he met Sherrol Fuller, a girl Vern knew he wanted to impress. Since very few young men owned their own cars in 1951, it helped her offer her a ride to school during her senior year. Vern and Sherrol started dating, and Vern started going to church with Sherrol and her family. In 1952 he was baptized and became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Vern and Sherrol graduated from Prescott High School that same year.
Upon graduation, Sherrol moved her family to Mesa and Vern followed suit. He lived on their farm with his sister Alice and worked for her husband Ted until he got a servant job working on power lines for the Arizona Public Service. Vern and Sherrol were married on January 2, 1953 and had three sons, Michael, Gregory and Rickie.
With his love of car and truck maintenance and engine work, Vern helped countless people with repairs. He also loved racing and traveled to Indianapolis in 1960 to see his nephew Wayne Weiler play the Indy 500.
Vern worked for APS for 38 years. During his career, he drove an articulated truck that hauled loads such as power poles and transformers from Page to Nogales and from Yuma to the Four Corners Power Plant in Farmington, New Mexico. In 1973 he accepted a position as Superintendent of Hauling and Warehousing for Northern Arizona and moved his family to Flagstaff. They lived there for six years before returning to Phoenix, where Vern continued to work as superintendent for APS. In 1991 he retired.
In 1993, Vern and Sherrol accepted a calling to serve in the Calgary Alberta Mission, Canada, for 18 months. Vern also served in three dioceses. He showed his faith by working with his hands to help everyone in need. When there was something to be done, he was always the first to arrive and the last to leave. Vern and Sherrol moved to Mesa in 2001, where Vern’s three-car garage has always been popular and tidy, and everything is in its place. Every summer, he and Sherrol loved visiting national parks and their children and grandchildren. Together they toured the western United States and Canada. Vern drove his semi truck to every campsite to meet his neighbors and always went knowing their stories and had helped fix anything that needed fixing.
Vern was a man who loved with all his heart. He loved his grandchildren and spent hours wrestling and tickling rowdy grandchildren and letting them climb into the cab and pretend they were driving his beloved truck, Ol ‘Blue. He worried and prayed daily for loved ones who were traveling or in danger. He was proud of everything he owned and every work he did, always grateful for what was given, and was generous to share with others. He was always proudest when he told people about his three sons, 18 grandchildren and 53 great-grandchildren. When saying goodbye to his family, he always asked if they needed something, adding, “If we don’t get it, we’ll get it”.
Vern is preceded by his parents Oliver David and (Adah) Marie Holbrook Horton. He leaves behind his wife Sherrol and sons Michael Vern (Mary), Gregory Thomas (Robyn) and Rickie Lewis (Christy) as well as his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
We invite everyone who knew and loved Vern to join us in celebrating his life. The funeral will be held on Friday, December 17 at 11:00 am at Latter-day Saints Church of Jesus Christ, 532 S Greenfield Rd, Mesa, AZ 85206. The funeral will be at 10:00 a.m. and the funeral will be preceded by a viewing and will be in Mesa Cemetery after the funeral.
The service can also be streamed live at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWwkbRM4y1mppq_uUziDP7A
Published by Bunker Family Funerals & Cremation – University Chapel on December 13th. until December 14th, 2021.
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