Vernon “Vern” Richard Konczal passed away peacefully at his home
with his son, Michael, at his side. Vern was born on May 8, 1935, to
Stanley and Lillian Konczal and lived in Detroit, Mich., with his
elder brother, Norman, and younger sister, Elaine.
Vern attended high
school and college at the University of Detroit and graduated from
dental college in 1959. During these years, he was responsible for
the distribution and sales of the Detroit Free Press at the
Packard Motor Complex, which allowed him to proudly pay his own way
and buy a car. He loved telling stories from those days — scraping
by, working through freezing conditions and having fun exploits with
his friends.
Vern joined the U.S.
Army and served as the post dental surgeon at Fort Greely in Alaska.
While in Alaska, he met JoAnn Bobian, a teacher from Essex Junction,
Vt., and they were married in Massena, N.Y., in 1962. After settling
in Lathrup Village, Mich., Vern and JoAnn raised their three
children, Michael, Steven and Marilee, and he
practiced dentistry in Redford, Mich., for 35 years.
He had a strong
sense of responsibility toward others and often bartered with his
patients.
Having played
American Legion and high school baseball, Vern always listened to
Tigers baseball, but he was also a devoted fan of other Detroit
sports and held seasons tickets to the Red Wings, Lions and Michigan
football. He was also a superfan of his children’s activities and
coached their Little League and recreational sports teams.
Vern was a man of
very strong faith and was deeply devoted to service, public and
professional alike. He served on the board of directors at the
University of Detroit Mercy, was a charter member of the Association
of Professions of the Knights of Columbus, a life member of the
Association of Military Surgeons, president of St. Bede Christian
Services, University of Detroit Mercy and a member of American Legion
Post 91. His half days of work on Wednesdays found him serving at his
favorite soup kitchen in downtown Detroit.
Vern had a dry sense
of humor and a pragmatic view on life. His catch phrase was “Keep
it simple.” He found pleasure in his homegrown tomatoes, fishing,
golfing, Stroh’s beer, cookies baked from his mother’s recipes
and tinkering on all sorts of projects. He also was keen on staying
on top of investment and the latest health-related tips.
Later in life, Vern
proved that you can teach an old dog new tricks, when he left his
hometown and joined his wife in her dream of living in Vermont. Not
one to loll away his days, retirement found Vern helping out at the
Burlington Free Press and the Jericho post office. Both of
these jobs offered him the opportunity to be engaged and to become
minutely intimate with his new environment.
As JoAnn’s health
declined, Vern took on the role of caretaker with great love and
devotion. It was his few hours every Friday at the Hornets’ Nest,
embraced by a lovely group of fans and led by his very special friend
and dedicated caretaker over many years, Debbie Lang, that sustained
him week after week, when he could no longer spend time with his
buddies on the links at the Catamount Club or Essex Country Club.
Vern is predeceased
by JoAnn and his daughter-in-law, Janet (Cook) Konczal. He is
survived by his brother, Norman, and sister, Elaine; his children,
Mike, Steven (Julianna Doherty) and Marilee (Burt Willey); numerous
cousins, nephews and nieces; and nine grandchildren.
A
celebration-of-life happy hour will be held on Tuesday, May 7, 5
p.m., at the Hornets’ Nest, in Essex Junction. A graveside ceremony
will be held on Wednesday, May 8, 10 a.m., at St. Thomas Cemetery,
Range Rd., in Underhill, followed by a gathering at noon at the
Catamount Club in Williston.
This article appears in The Money & Retirement Issue 2024.