Home > United States of America > Kansas > Ellis County > Saint Anns Cemetery > Vernon Lee Berens

Vernon Lee Berens

Birth	:	1 Aug 1935 Walker, Ellis County, Kansas, USA
Death	:	21 Jul 2010 Hays, Ellis County, Kansas, USA
Burial	:	Saint Anns Cemetery, Ellis County, USA
Coordinate	:	38.8731003, -99.0772018
Description	:	Vernon Lee Berens, 74, Victoria, died Wednesday, July 21, 2010, at Hays Medical Center. He was born Aug. 1, 1935, south of Walker, to Herman W. and Sophie (Windholz) Berens. He was a 1953 graduate of Victoria High School and received his bachelor's degree from Fort Hays State College in 1957. He completed his education degree in 1961 at Kansas State Teacher College in Emporia. He married Norma Jean (Kuhn) on Dec. 27, 1961, in Victoria. He was a school teacher and basketball coach for 30 years. He taught at... Read More	Vernon Lee Berens, 74, Victoria, died Wednesday, July 21, 2010, at Hays Medical Center. He was born Aug. 1, 1935, south of Walker, to Herman W. and Sophie (Windholz) Berens. He was a 1953 graduate of Victoria High School and received his bachelor's degree from Fort Hays State College in 1957. He completed his education degree in 1961 at Kansas State Teacher College in Emporia. He married Norma Jean (Kuhn) on Dec. 27, 1961, in Victoria. He was a school teacher and basketball coach for 30 years. He taught at Walker Grade School from 1961 to 1970, then at Victoria Grade School from 1970 until his retirement in 1993. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army. He has been an Ellis County Commissioner since his election in the fall of 1996 to present. He was a past Victoria City Council member from 1973 to 1981 and served as mayor of Victoria from 1983 to 1989. He was a past St. Fidelis Parish Council member and taught religious education for 30 years. He was a Victoria Credit Union Board member. He was a member of St. Fidelis Catholic Church, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 1751, 3rd degree Knights of Columbus and a 4th Degree Knights of Columbus Assembly, all of Victoria. Survivors include his wife, Norma Jean Berens, of the home; three sons, Michael Lee Berens and companion, Cheryl, Victoria, Mitchell Aaron Berens and wife, Stacy, Hays, and Matthew Jon Berens and wife, Cheryl, Johnson City; a daughter, Michelle Denice Berens, Overland Park; his mother, Sophie Berens, Hays; two brothers, Delmer Berens, Fullerton, Calif., and Raymond Berens, Russell; three sisters, Sharon Thompson and husband, Olen, Hondo, Texas, Joyce Newell and husband, Stan, Hays, and Mary Kay Schippers and husband, Dan, Victoria; six grandchildren, Jenna Lynn, Tia Cherie, Devin Lee, Hogan Matthew, Shelbie Elizabeth and Shane Christopher Berens. He was preceded in death by his father; a brother, Larry Dean Berens; and a daughter, Milissa Rae Berens. Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Fidelis Catholic Church, Victoria; burial in St. Ann Cemetery, Walker, with military honors by Victoria VFW Post No. 1751. Visitation will be from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, at Cline's Mortuary, 412 Main, Victoria, KS 67671, from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, at the church, and from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. Saturday at the mortuary. A Victoria Daughters of Isabella rosary will be at 7 p.m. Friday, a 3rd and 4th Degree Knights of Columbus rosary with the Victoria VFW joining at 7:30 p.m., and a vigil at 8 p.m., all at the church. The 4th Degree Knights of Columbus will stand honor guard from 7 to 8 p.m. Friday at the church. Memorials are suggested to St. Fidelis Catholic Church or St. Ann Cemetery Fund in care of the morturary. Hays Daily News, 7/22/2010 ------------------------------------------ Vernon Berens: County commissioner loses battle with cancer. By Diane Gasper-O’Brien Vernon Berens had several passions in life. But none probably stronger than his family and serving others. Berens, an Ellis County commissioner since 1996, died Wednesday afternoon at Hays Medical Center after a six-month battle with lung cancer. Berens, who was not a smoker, was 74 and would have turned 75 on Aug. 1. His obituary appears on page A6. Walk into Berens' home in Victoria, a house he built himself, and it was obvious what was important to him. There was a twinkle in his eye when he talked about the people in numerous photos on the fireplace mantle - his family. Four grown children. Six grandchildren. A wife who was there by his side for more than 48 years, including his final days in the hospital. Berens, who retired in 1993 after a long teaching career that spanned four decades, all in Ellis County, didn't really think that retirement meant quitting anything. Not going to school every day just gave him more time to restore antique tractors, wagons and horse-drawn buggies. And more time to spend serving others. Berens already had served his country (he was a U.S. Army veteran) and his city (Victoria city councilman and mayor) by the time he successfully sought a seat on the Ellis County commission 14 years ago. He also taught language arts and science for 30-some years in grade schools in Walker and Victoria. Berens even strung together 36 straight wins while coaching eighth-grade boys' basketball in Victoria. Berens first got into politics after a teenager died at a railroad crossing in Victoria in 1973. Berens ran for city council and was instrumental in getting cross bars installed at the local railroad crossing. Following a 14-year stint on the council, including six as mayor, he decided to run for county commission. There were numerous improvements to the county during his tenure on the commission. Implementing ambulance service in Victoria. Major renovations and additions to the Ellis County Fairgrounds in Hays. Repairs to major bridges, roads and intersections throughout the county. While Berens thoroughly enjoyed helping make life better for others, family came first. His brother-in-law, Dan Schippers, described Berens as the family spokesman. "He always had a voice of reason, a certain calmness about him, " said Schippers, who lives on former Berens farmland near Victoria with his wife, Mary Kay - Berens' youngest sister. Those who shared public service with Berens agreed. "He always took his time patiently to really study and work through issues before making decisions on them, " said Troy Hickman from Hays, who was elected to the Hays City Commission during Berens' first term on the county commission. "He took what he did very seriously." "He didn't just serve his particular district, " said Dennis Pfannenstiel from Hays, a retired commissioner who worked two terms with Berens. "He was a commissioner for the people, for the entire Ellis County." "I respected Vernon highly, " added Glenn Diehl, current commissioner in his first term who lives west of Hays. "We could disagree on something; everyone has different opinions. Then we'd still be friends." Schippers said he has fond memories of family get-togethers with his in-laws. "Just about anything he put his hands on, he had a knack of figuring out how to do it. He even was good at checkers, " Schippers added with a chuckle. "From checkers to politics, those aren't something you usually associate together. But he had an unusual amount of skills." Berens was born, raised and lived his entire life in eastern Ellis County, a region that he was extremely proud of. In 2008, Progressive Farmer Magazine rated Ellis County the No. 2 county in the United States, and No. 1 in the Midwest, in which to live. Not surprisingly, Berens gave the magazine's senior editor, Gregg Hillyer, a tour of his home and antique collections, when Hillyer visited Ellis County. Berens was short and to the point when telling what makes living here special. "We have time for family and cards in the evening, " Berens said at the time. "We don't have to have the fast way of life." Berens, chairman of the commission, ran the meetings through June before he took a turn for the worse and was too sick to attend. "He would muster all his energy to send out the message that he was going to whip this thing, " said Jerry Brungardt, a former fellow teacher and coach with Berens at Victoria. "He was so optimistic. He loved playing cards, especially pinochle, and was so good at checkers. But in pinochle, if you don't get dealt the right cards, sometimes there's nothing you can do. "But even if he'd lose, he would say that the sun was going to shine on his porch (in the morning) anyway, " Brungardt added. "He told me once that every book has a last chapter, and that last chapter has a last page." Berens didn't want that last page to call him a "former" public servant. Five years ago, he said he enjoyed his public service career so much he didn't know if he would ever retire from it. And he never had to. Hays Daily News, 7/22/2010 ------------------------------------------ VICTORIA -- Vernon Lee Berens, 74, died July 21, 2010. Survivors: wife, Norma Jean; sons, Michael (companion, Cheryl), Mitchell (Stacy), Matthew (Cheryl); daughter, Michelle Berens; his mother, Sophie Berens; two brothers; three sisters; and six grandchildren. Preceded in death by: father, Herman; a brother; and daughter, Milissa Berens.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Vernon Lee Berens's memorial?
Vernon Lee Berens's memorial is located at: Saint Anns Cemetery, Ellis County, USA.
When did Vernon Lee Berens death?
Vernon Lee Berens death on 21 Jul 2010 in Hays, Ellis County, Kansas, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Vernon Lee Berens's memorial?
Latitude: 38.8731003
Longitude: -99.0772018

Family Members:

Parent

Herman W Berens

(1914 - 1998)

Sophie Windholz Berens

(1915 - 2011)

Spouse

Norma Jean Kuhn Berens

(1936 - 2022)

Siblings

Delmer Francis Berens

(1936 - 2012)

Raymond Joseph Berens

(1938 - 2011)

Larry Dean Berens

(1939 - 2005)

Children

Milissa Rae Berens

(1966 - 1969)

Mitchell Aaron Berens

(1968 - 2020)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Saint Anns Cemetery
Ellis County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8731003, -99.0772018

2. Prairie Lawn Cemetery
Gorham, Russell County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8786011, -99.0385971

3. Saint Marys Cemetery
Gorham, Russell County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8835983, -99.0214005

4. Saint Fidelis Cemetery
Victoria, Ellis County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8647003, -99.1500015

5. Saint George Cemetery
Victoria, Ellis County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8457985, -99.1421967

6. First Catholic Cemetery
Ellis County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8665900, -99.1513300

7. Union Pacific Railroad Cemetery
Victoria, Ellis County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8468190, -99.1504830

8. Sacred Heart Cemetery
Emmeram, Ellis County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9618988, -99.1350021

9. Saint Boniface Cemetery
Ellis County, USA
Coordinate: 38.7743988, -99.1144028

10. Saint Catherine Cemetery
Catharine, Ellis County, USA
Coordinate: 38.9233017, -99.2189026

11. Winterset Cemetery
Russell County, USA
Coordinate: 38.7550011, -99.0310974

12. Saint Francis Cemetery
Munjor, Ellis County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8059190, -99.2690830

13. Holy Cross Cemetery
Pfeifer, Ellis County, USA
Coordinate: 38.7111015, -99.1706009

14. Fairport Cemetery
Russell County, USA
Coordinate: 39.0463982, -99.0207977

15. Sentinel Hill
Hays, Ellis County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8804425, -99.3152361

16. Ebenezer Cemetery
Russell County, USA
Coordinate: 38.7765030, -98.8735200

17. Saint Marys Catholic Cemetery
Russell, Russell County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8856200, -98.8370100

18. Russell City Cemetery
Russell, Russell County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8851500, -98.8369600

19. Mount Allen Cemetery
Hays, Ellis County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8838997, -99.3181000

20. Saint Johns Lutheran Cemetery
Russell, Russell County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8819900, -98.8359200

21. Saint Joseph Cemetery
Hays, Ellis County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8847008, -99.3193970

22. Boot Hill Cemetery
Hays, Ellis County, USA
Coordinate: 38.8783650, -99.3281360

23. Trinity Lutheran Cemetery
Russell County, USA
Coordinate: 38.7470000, -98.8798900

24. Saint Severin Cemetery
Ellis County, USA
Coordinate: 39.0236015, -99.2596970