William Anthony Vernon

Bill Vernon, a lifelong learner, historian, and reader, who lived for his family, his faith, and his community, died on March 20 in Sarasota, Florida. He was 97.

Bill's childhood in the Great Depression shaped him-the source of so many of his stories, his values, and his optimism. He trained as a Naval aviator, built a career as a successful advertising executive, and served his community in various roles.

He could sing like Sinatra, whistle like Crosby, and was an excellent athlete who played catch into his 60s, telling anyone who would listen that he still had it, and that his beloved Phillies could use him in the bullpen. He was everybody's dad and mentor, and could not do enough for his kids, grandkids, and their friends.

Bill had the good looks, good humor, and good fortune to spend his life with two exceptional women. He married Mary Rose "Posie" Brown in 1950, and across forty years of marriage they raised six children in Evanston, Illinois. He married Beverly "Bev" Dillon in 1994, and together they moved to Longboat Key, Florida, where Bill settled into life as a beloved grandfather to 22 grandchildren.

William Anthony Vernon was born on January 30, 1926 in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania-a fact that he would spend the better part of a century fudging. His parents, Bill and Sally, immigrated to America in 1925, but returned to Scotland in 1928, where Bill's younger sister, Patricia, was born. Fiercely proud of his Scottish heritage, Bill appropriated the same origin story for himself. From a young age, Bill's mother drilled two truths into his understanding: Scots had invented the world, and they had won all of England's wars for them.

Growing up in Mont Clare, Pennsylvania, on the banks of the Schuylkill River, Bill's childhood years rivaled anything Twain could dream up. His father was the town barber, and Bill spent his days playing sandlot baseball, riding horses bareback, trapping muskrats, building rafts, and, by age 13, driving pigs to the slaughterhouse in a butcher's truck. (Seeing how the sausage got made imbued him with a lifelong snobbery for all-beef hot dogs.)

After graduating from Phoenixville High School in the class of 1944, Bill tested into the Navy's V-5 Naval Aviation Cadet program. He spent two years of training at Bloomsburg College, and arrived on the West Coast just as the war ended. Hitchhiking across the country on his way back East, Bill experienced the kindness of Americans, including a Colorado family who drove hours out of their way just to show him Pikes Peak. Bill spent the rest of his life marveling at the generosity of strangers, and set out to live his life in the same way.

He graduated from Penn State University on the GI Bill in 1948, and, after meeting Posie at a dance at Villanova University, married her in 1950. They settled in Evanston, Illinois, her hometown, where Bill began his career in advertising with the Chicago Sun-Times. He and Posie raised six children in a house on Orrington Avenue, from which they would call Bill's office, leaving messages with his secretary letting Bill know that "his favorite child was calling." Each of the six has spent their lives independently claiming that their dad always knew from the relayed message who it was.

His social skills and athletic abilities were unmatched. When couples would gather for parties and bridge nights, and the veterans would begin competing after a few drinks, Bill cheerfully dominated the 50-yard dashes, push-up competitions, and high jumps over garden hedges.

A loving and occasionally demanding father, Bill nurtured his children's passions and also set an unofficial Illinois state record by having all six of his kids abandon his attempts at driving instruction, throwing the car keys at him in frustration at various points along Evanston's roads, and proclaiming that they would prefer to walk home rather than meet their father's exacting standards.

He was a man of faith with a pragmatic streak. He served for years as a lector and finance committee head at St. Athanasius in Evanston. In his later years, he was known to change parishes, or even denominations, if he felt the sermons were lacking.

Bill and Beverly Dillon were married in 1994, and moved to Longboat Key, Florida, where they lived for almost two decades before moving to Plymouth Harbor in 2012. Both Bill and Bev were active golfers and tennis players, and he continued playing sports and working out well into his 90s. Bill and Bev were members of All Angels Episcopal Church in Longboat Key, and they enjoyed traveling throughout the US and Europe.

Bill always appreciated how lucky he was, and even in his golden years, lived to level the playing field for others. He delivered Meals on Wheels, volunteered at Resurrection House, a resource center for people experiencing homelessness in Sarasota County, tutored elementary school students, and recruited for Penn State.

His faith and belief in justice guided his actions. Never an activist, he nonetheless lived his life according to his strong moral compass. Bill's life spanned the glory years of the American century, and he embraced the country while not ignoring its contradictions. His childhood heroes were Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, whose speeches Bill would quote into his final days. He could recite the roster of the 1950 Whiz Kids and he became friends with Jesse Owens and Johnny Weissmuller. He owned and loved a succession of mid-century automobiles-always American-made. He was an ardent student of history with wide-ranging interests; an engaged and always well-informed citizen and voter, he wrote regular letters to his congressperson on the subject of gun safety, recycling, unbridled development, and other important topics. To the end, Bill was always interested in new knowledge and experiences. "I hope there is a heaven," he was known to say. "Because this can't be all there is."

Bill is survived by his wife, Beverly, his children Katy (Cliff), Laurie, Tony (Jean), Peter, and John (Lori), his step-children, Joe, Kathleen (Chris), David (Tristin), and Danny (Anne), as well as 22 grandchildren and step-grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife Posie, his sister Patricia, his son Tim, and his grandson Chris. A celebration of Bill's life will be held April 8, 2023, at 3:00 pm in the MacNeil Chapel of Plymouth Harbor. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Plymouth Harbor Foundation or Heifer International.