Sorry to hear of the passing of Vernon.
My mother who died in 2017 would have liked to have known what happened to him.
She was Theresa Matthews (nee Gardiner) who was the bridesmaid at his wedding in Beckenham, Kent in 1947 to Betty Gook. Both Vernon and Betty, along with their two children Paul & Alison attended my mothers wedding in Bromley, Kent in 1956. She told me before she died that they used to live in Surrey and had moved to Canada.
I have a photograph of both the 1947 & 1956 weddings.
The connection with my Mum was via the TB Sanatorium in Nayland, near Colchester, Essex where my Mum met Betty in 1947. They became close friends and stayed in touch until the 1960s.
Dear Ruth It was with great sadness we heard of Vern's passing. We will always remember you both for your love of life and the happy time we spent with you both on your boat and in Tortola. I am sure you will have lots of happy memories of your time together to sustain you at this sad time. With our love and best wishes Lesley and Kyle Phillpots
Dear Ruth, I cannot begin to express what an impact that Vern made on my life. There is no one who knows me that has not heard my "Ruth and Vern" stories, nor the brief histories that I know of Vern. I will always remember him as a most cherished friend and role model. My deepest condolences, Corrie Lanier
It was a wonderful surprise to have seen Vern at our NLSS reunion this year. After so many years of being out of touch I was delighted to have met him again and Leslie was impressed by both his wit and staying power. Our thoughts are with all of his close friends and family.
We wish to express our deepest sympathy to Ruth and the family. I (Ward) do not recall having any classes with Vern at NLSS, however, our lessons came later whilst I was a flight instructor at Huron Aviation at Sarnia Airport and Ruth and Vern took up flying. I shall never forget the good humoured wisecracks from Vern. He most certainly had a way to lighten the day.
