A celebration of life for J. Holland Vernon will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19, at the United Methodist Church of Lander, 262 Third Street, Lander.
Rev. Vernon died of natural causes on Tuesday morning, Nov. 10, 2009, at his in home in Lander. He was 90.
J. Holland Vernon was born in Elizabeth, Tenn., in 1919 to George Bernice and Mary Vernon. He grew up with four sisters, two brothers and other cousins, aunts and uncles living at various times in the family's "dog trot" cabin on the little farm above the country church.
At the age of 16, he went to God’s Bible School in Cincinnati, Ohio where he met and married Dorothy Louise Henry. In 1942, they moved with their baby daughter Elizabeth, to Kansas where he studied to receive a Masters degree in history from Fort Hays State. In Kansas, he taught history at Haddam High School and began to preach part-time at the Methodist church there. A daughter Pat, son Jim, and daughter Linden were all born in Kansas.
After eight years in Kansas he moved his family to Calhan Colo., where he was pastor of the Methodist church there as he studied for a Doctorate of Theology at Iliff Seminary in Denver.
In 1958, he took a position at the Laurel Methodist Church in Laurel Mont. He was then appointed to the job of Superintendent of the Glacier District for the United Methodist Church.
In 1972, he took the job of pastor of the Methodist Church in Missoula. Two years later he was sent to Riverton where he was pastor for many years until he retired, the first time. He came out of retirement to serve the church in Pavilion for several years until he retired, the second time, and then filled a vacant parish in Fort Fairfield, Maine for two years before finally retiring for good.
His family said Rev. Vernon's favorite thing to do was take children camping.
He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Dorothy Vernon; a daughters, Elizabeth Vernon, Pat Brown, and Linden David; a son, Jim Vernon; grandchildren, Robert and Donald Canning, DaNelle Bakke, Jeffrey and Beth Ann Bondy, Annah Brown, Jessica and Jacob David, and Kezia and Jessse Vernon; eight great grandchildren with one great-great grandchild who will arrive in the spring. He is also survived by a sister, Joy Waybright.
Memorials may be made to the God’s Bible School, 1810 Young St, Cincinnati, OH 45202.
On-line obituaries are available and condolences for the family may be made at: thedavisfuneralhome.com
Services are under the direction of the Davis Funeral Home of Riverton.