Ronald William Vernon Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Dr. Ronald William Vernon (“Doc”), formerly of Julesburg, passed away on February 9th, 2018 at Poudre Valley Hospital in Ft. Collins, CO. He was 96 years old. Ronald was born on a farm on June 22, 1921 near Sedgwick, CO. He and his siblings, Duward and Alice, walked 1.5 miles to attend a one-room country school. In High School, Ron rode a horse 4 miles to catch a bus that drove the final 4 miles to school. He and his brother milked the cows and fed the farm animals daily. Unbeknownst to his parents, Ron's favorite pastime was riding bucking calves, leaving him “mighty sore!” Ronald belonged to 4-H and Future Farmers of America, organizations that contributed to his success as an Agriculture major at Colorado State University. Ron worked his way through college doing odd jobs and janitorial work at the student center. While at CSU, Ron made the college livestock team his junior year, performing as the top individual livestock judge. He also scored scholastically within the top 10% of his senior class. Ronald was a member of the Artillery ROTC and received an Army commission at Ft. Sill, OK in 1943. At the end of WWII, he was assigned to the US Agriculture Department in Vienna, Austria with the Army of Occupation. Later, he was assigned to Linz, Austria as Chief of the Agriculture, Forestry, Food, and Supply section for land revitalization of upper Austria. While stationed in Linz, Ron helped to re-establish show performances of the famous white stallion Lipizzan horses. During his tenure in Linz, he met his future wife, Gabriella. Ronald became a Captain and after occupation in Austria, he attended the CSU School of Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 1953. Ron and Gabriella were married in Wenatchee, Wa during his 2nd year of vet school. After 20 years of private veterinary practice in Julesburg, CO, Ron entered federal regulatory work with the US Department of Agriculture's Food, Safety and Inspection Service. Even at the age of 70, he still was actively employed and enjoyed veterinary work. Ronald was an avid, life-long fan of all CSU sports, the Julesburg Lions and later the Sedgwick County Cougars. Ronald is survived by his wife, Gabriella , his children, Mick (Sheri) Vernon, Monica (James) Palser, Marcy (Rick) Wilborn, 5 grandchildren, 3 step-grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren and 6 step great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lloyd and Margaret Vernon, in-laws Ewald and Martha, brother Duward (Vivian) Vernon, sister Alice (Dale) Cochran, granddaughter in-law Debra Palser. The family wishes to thank the excellent doctors and nurses for the compassionate care Ron received while at Poudre Valley Hospital. A family memorial service will be held at a later date. Condolences may be expressed online or mailed to: Ronald Vernon Family c/o GOES Funeral Care 3665 Canal Dr., Suite E Ft. Collins, CO 80524

Ronald William Vernon

February 9, 2018