Vern Jon Corneliuson, 75

Vern Jon Corneliuson of Bigfork passed away peacefully May 26, 2017, at home on an evening with a beautiful mountain sunset.

The oldest of five children, Vern was born in Kellogg, Idaho, to Wilma and Chester (Chet) Corneliuson Sr.

Vern spent most of his life in the Flathead Valley where they lived across the pond from his grandparents’ farm and near his other grandparents’ farm. He attended Spring Creek School, began his first year of high school at Grass Range and then moved back to Kalispell that same year, graduating from Flathead High School, class of 1959.

In 1961, Vern attended mechanical drafting school at Boeing Aircraft in Seattle, where he also worked updating drawings on the Minute Man Missile project.

In 1962, Vern married Mitzi Rose in Seattle. His oldest daughter, Jami, was born in Seattle in 1963. They later moved back to Kalispell, where their second daughter, DeAnna, was born in 1965. Vern built their first home at Echo Lake in the late 1960s, although he and Mitzi divorced in 1972.

Vern married Sharon Noll Johnson in 1987. They lived at Echo Lake and later moved to the farm in Bigfork — his pride and joy, where he lived out the rest of his days.

Early on, Vern worked as a logger in the family business with his Dad and brother. He later became a skilled carpenter, receiving training as a Journeyman Carpenter. He worked for Matelich Construction and became a partner in ABC Builders. Later he designed and built many homes for his own local business, Sundance Construction.

Vern enjoyed antique car shows, fishing, hunting, gold panning and being anywhere in the woods or on back roads looking at nature and talking about history and geology. He especially liked showing photos and talking about the wild animals that would appear periodically at the farm. He was an avid reader, he liked history and westerns. Vern was an artist at heart. His work was his craft — he was a carpenter, journeyman builder, logger, artist, silversmith, musician, poet, outdoorsman and a proud father, grandfather and more recently, great-grandfather.

Vern was preceded in death by his infant brother Donald Corneliuson and infant sister Janice Corneliuson; and his parents Wilma amd Chester (Chet) Corneliuson, Sr.

Vern is survived by his wife, Sharon Noll Corneliuson; sister Mary E. and James Childers of Kalispell; brother Chet and Bette Corneliuson of Clinton; daughter Jami and Dr. Robert Lippencott of North Plainfield, New Jersey and their children BreeAnn Lippencott and Bradley Johnston and their sons Orion and Jasper of Griffin, Georgia; Ross & Manami Lippencott and their daughter Emi of Boonton, New Jersey; daughter DeAnna Corneliuson and Thomas Sapp of Kalispell, and their son Ethan; stepdaughter Corrina and Alton Arnold of Challis, Idaho, and their children Aspen and Tre’. There are also several nephews, nieces, great-nephews and nieces, and a great-great-nephew and niece. Vern also leaves behind many cherished cousins.

Vern will be greatly missed; we will hold him in our hearts and memories forever.

A memorial service to honor Vern’s life will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 7, at Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home. A gathering will be held at The Museum at Central School, Hollensteiner-Stahl Hall following the memorial. Friends and family are welcome.

Memorial donations may be made to The Alzheimer’s Association (P.O. Box 96011, Washington, D.C. 20090-6011, www.alz.org)

Johnson-Gloschat Funeral is caring for Vern’s family. You are invited to go to www.jgfuneralhome.com to view Vern’s tribute wall, offer condolences and share memories.