Vernon R. Mercer

Mercer: Vernon R. Mercer passed away peacefully at Lloydminster Hospital on February 27, 2023, at the age of 82.
Vern entered this world February 5th, 1941. He joined the family of Chester and Mary Mercer, with brother Jim and sister Geraldine. Later the family was completed by brother Neil and two sisters Flora and Jeanne.
Vern’s active life began when they moved to Imperial around 1946. Here Vern got to run free and be a kid. He and his buddies were repeatedly in trouble. His throwing arm was developing, often at the expense of glass that was supposed to be “out of range”.
In Imperial he learned to swim, at a gravel pit, and developed a style that could have won competitions. He also took piano lessons, but after some time he just played hooky with the 25 cents that was meant for the lesson.
Chester, his dad, ran a dray business in Imperial – for Vern that meant the excitement of meeting the train and being around the horses.
Then in 1953 Chester sold his business and bought a farm North of Frenchman Butte. Here Vern first attended school in Rock Bottom, which meant walking miles through the bush. By this time Vern was the one to watch over his siblings. Neil had vision problems that wouldn’t be discovered until later, so often the job was to get Neil to move faster. When they got home, there was work to do; getting the cows in, milking, doing the chores and the endless job of supplying firewood and water for the house. All this and homework to be done in lamp light, as power was not yet in the area.
In 1955 the little school closed and they now attended the Big Frenchman Butte School. Riding horseback to school was now an option. Vern spoke fondly of the fellow students at the Butte and remembered many shenanigans that went on.
At this point in his life, Vern found out that all the glass he broke was paying off. He loved baseball and was developing different pitches without ever really being taught.
Mostly he pitched for Fort Pitt, often more than 2 full games at a tournament, rarely he had enough money for lunch or drinks during the event. Then he would get home and the real work would begin! Through this time Vern developed a trait that would remain with him all his life – he could work and work hard!
During his early years Vern worked for farmers, which often meant long hours for only 3 dollars a day and room and board.
As time went on, he met and naturally fell in love with Sharon Weinhandl. They were married on February 20th, 1965.
Now with a wife to care for, another job had to be found. First was on a dairy farm by Vermilion, that provided a small house and all the milk you could drink. After a couple months of that Vern realised that he couldn’t survive in close quarters with the grain dust, so they moved to Lloydminster.
Following the move, he worked at Husky Travel Center and then the City of Lloydminster. At the city, he began what would become his life’s work as a heavy equipment operator.
During this time, the young couple had Lorelie and Quinton and their family was complete. As with many young families, an acreage seemed like a good goal. They moved to an acreage 4 miles north and 4.5 miles east of Lloydminster. Here was a piece of property where the beauty was almost smothered in caragana’s. Vern, Sharon and their young family cut out all those shrubs by hand and hauled them away. When it was cleared, there remained a beautiful orchard and a driveway to be envied. However, there was no way to fix the house. So, feeling very anxious about the project, the decision to build a new house was made.
During this time, Vern worked for the County of Vermilion River and then went on to the RM of Wilton. While working out of Marshall, Vern joined a fastball team and though he enjoyed it he missed the finesse of baseball. Also, during this period, the family took up cross country skiing and then downhill skiing, making many trips to the mountains. In the summer the family camped – no not in the camper with the many comforts of home – they camped rough and sometimes, rougher than planned. Like when the tent wasn’t packed and the spruce bows under a tree had to suffice. Or the time the frying pan wasn’t packed, and a hub cap was used to cook the fish over an open fire. Camping was “ROUGH” but so much fun. Usually at a little hidden lake in the years before it was discovered by others.
In the year Lorelie graduated there was another move – back to town. After working for Valley C and Alec Brown, Vern started for the RM of Britannia in 1986. He stayed with Britannia until he retired in 2007. Britannia was like another family to Vern. Winter was always difficult for him. At night if there was a storm, he worried about those who would be snowed in, those he knew had health issues and what direction the wind came from, a lot of sleep was lost. Vern’s road work was ‘signature work’ because he was always trying to figure out a way to improve the quality.
After retirement he spent 5 years as a seasonal operator for Frenchman’s Butte. This put him right back in his old stomping grounds.
In 2005, Sharon inherited 80 acres and the old farmhouse from her dad and so, another project began. By now, children and grandchildren were part of the crew. They all spent many hours working and just enjoying the freedom and the space the farm gave them.
In 2012, we suddenly lost Quinton in a motor vehicle accident. That loss hit the family hard and continues to do so.
Vern and Sharon’s family expanded in 2015 when Samantha married Cody Golinowski and brought into their lives two great grandchildren, Layla and Brody. Shay married Aaron Lutz in 2018 and they added two more great grandchildren, Luca and Finley. Ashley has graduated from the University of McEwen with a degree and currently lives in Camrose.
Then in 2018, their now adopted daughter, Kelsey married Clarence Gatzke and added his two kids, Adam and Shalynn to the family.
In 2020, Mackenzie married Dom Simeone in England, where they currently live. Currently Lorelie and Harley remain in Calgary.
Vern was contending with Lung Fibrosis and undiagnosed cancer. Fortunately, Vern and Sharon were able celebrate their 58th wedding anniversary. The family was able to celebrate at home with Sharon and have short visits in the hospital with Vern. Good memories were made and will forever be treasured.
Vern is survived by: Sharon, his loving wife of 58 years; his daughter, Lorelie, granddaughter, McKenzie (Dominic) Simeone and grandson, Harley Grodzack. Also, daughter, Kelsey (Clarence) Gatzke and granddaughter, Samantha (Cody) Golinowski and their children, Layla and Brody; granddaughter, Shaylene (Aaron) Lutz and their kids, Luca and Finley; as well as granddaughter, Ashley Mercer; brother, James Mercer and sisters, Geraldine Dmyterko and Jeanne (Greg) Fahl and their extended families.
Vern was predeceased by: his precious son, Quinton; as well as his mom and dad, Mary and Chester Mercer; sister, Flora and brother, Neil. Also important in Vern’s life were his in-laws, John and Rhoda Weinhandl, Richard Zweifel and James and Doreen Weinhandl.
A Memorial in Vern’s memory was held at Blackfoot Hall on March 4, 2023.
Card of Thanks
The Mercer family would like to thank all those who showed their support and the friends who provided an amazing lunch. The family also wishes to thank the many Dr’s and nurses at the Lloyd Hospital for their care and compassion. Thanks as well to Donald & Celina at McCaw’s for their guidance and support.
Sharon
Lorelie and family
Kelsey and family

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Meridian Source Staff
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