Vern Stevens

Vern Stevens, 91, passed away February 19th, 2026, at Benefis Peace Hospice in Great Falls, Montana. Vern was born Floyd Vern Hatfield February 8th, 1935 to Floyd Hatfield and Alice Andrews Hatfield in Seattle, Washington. Vern's parents divorced when he was very young and his mother remarried to Don Stevens. His father, Floyd, died when Vern was 10 years old. Vern's family moved often and they lived in many different areas including Seattle, Vashon Island, Bothell, Chewiliken and Omak. He left his family at 13 years old and using money he had saved, took a bus from Bothell to Riverside. His family had lived in Chewiliken previously so he decided to head back. There he met the Wilson boys after school knowing he could live and work at the Wilson's ranch in Chewiliken. He rode horseback to attend the Chewiliken one room school house. As he got older he started riding the Tunk Creek school bus to the Riverside school. When he started high school he moved in with Austin and Ethel Olsen in Riverside.

They became his foster family and around that time he officially changed his name to Vern Stevens. After graduating high school in 1953 he enlisted in the Army with many of his friends. He spent time at Fort Lewis, Washington and Fort Ord, California. He would tell of times coming home on weekends with his buddies, sometimes hitch hiking if they didn't have a ride. After the Army in 1955, Vern worked with his brother-in-law, Boyd Welch, in the Tri Cities hauling U.S. mail between the post office and the train.

He also worked on a wheat farm operating a CAT pulling a combine. Missing the Okanogan Valley he moved back and worked at a gas station on main street Omak. It was there he saw a pretty girl, Edie Moomaw, who would stop in to get gas. One night while at a dance in Twisp, he saw Edie. They started talking and that was the beginning of their courtship. Vern and Edie were married May 26, 1956, in Omak . He worked road construction for a while and then started working at Biles- Coleman Lumber Co. driving a water truck. Over the years Vern drove logging trucks, lumber trucks, and lumber jacks. Vern and Edie bought their first home on Cherry Street, then a place on Duck Lake Road and finally moved to their home on Hendrick Road where they raised a few cows, planted an apple and pear orchard and then grew some hay just to keep busy. Vern was up every morning to change sprinklers at the crack of dawn so people didn't think he was sleeping in. In January of 2022, after 50 years in their house on Hendrick Road, Vern and Edie moved to Apple Springs assisted living in Omak. Sadly, Edie passed away January 9th, 2023. Suffering from dementia, Vern was at a loss, forgetting that Edie was no longer with him. Vern moved to a memory care facility in Great Falls, Montana to be near his daughter, Mary and his son-in-law, Terry. He was well loved and cared for in his last home. His comment when asked how he was doing by fellow home residents was usually, "Well, I'm getting away with it!"; Vern is at peace, now back with his beloved Edie, dancing to some good old country music. He is reliving his fishing trips with Bill Byrd and Bud Fisher, reminiscing hunting deer with Bob Clough up Tunk Creek, visiting with Bud and Diane Doust on Crawfish Lake and getting mad when losing while playing Nertz card games with his Moomaw in-laws.

Vern is survived by his daughters, Mary (Terry) Robbins of Great Falls, MT and Dianna (Pat) Smith of Arlington, WA. Granddaughters Sara (Pete) Colenso; Shannon (Troy) Solomon of MT. Grandsons, Tyler and Casey Smith of WA. Great-granddaughters Kali and Kelsey Colenso and Evelyn Smith. Great-grandsons, Colter and Teegan Solomon. Sisters, Loretta, Judy, Diana and Susan. Brothers, Donald, Jack and Tony. Numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by Edie, his sisters Jean and Dorothy and his brother Jim.

A graveside celebration of life will be held at 11:00 AM, Saturday, May 16th, 2026 at Okanogan Valley Memorial Gardens. Dinner to follow at the Riverside Grange. A shared story or 2 about Vern would be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to put one in writing or share at the service.