Vernon Anderson

Vernon G. Anderson, 80, of Kingsley, Iowa, passed away on Saturday, May 4, 2013, at a Sioux City hospital. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 8, 2013, at the Kingsley United Methodist Church. Burial will be at the Kingsley Cemetery. Visitation will begin at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 7, 2013, at the Johnson – Earnest Funeral Home in Kingsley. The family will be present from 5-8 p.m. A prayer service will be held at 7:00 p.m. There will also be one hour of visitation at the church prior to the service on Wednesday.

Vernon (Vern) Anderson, well-known implement dealer in northwest Iowa, was born January 12, 1933 in the historic Heacock Mill house at Quorn, near Kingsley. He was the son of George and Opal (Parker) Anderson, local farmers.

In 1949, his father and uncle bought an International Harvester dealership in town. Vern set pins at the local bowling alley for 10 cents a lane and worked at Anderson Implement. He graduated high school at Kingsley with the class of 1951.

The USS Jason, a navy repair ship sent to Japan, was his home for four years. Returning to California, he worked in the sheet metal trade for 12 years and attended night school at Cal Poly.

He married Barbara Foley and had a daughter Pam (partner Debbie) who lives outside of Carson City, Nevada. His son, Alan, of Portland, Oregon, and Pohoa, Hawaii, has a daughter, Becky Watkins of Kamuela, Hawaii. The great-grandchildren are Theo Watkins and Aria Rose Smith.

Vern returned to Kingsley in 1968 to work as a salesman at Anderson Implement. He was in his element “selling iron” and especially combines. The business was renamed Vern Anderson Inc. when he bought his father out in 1979. He faced the terrible farm economy of the 1980’s. He built the business to encompass four locations in three counties (Plymouth, Woodbury, and Cherokee.)

His helpmate in the planning and expansion was Jeannine (Woodall) Berger. They were married April 21, 1990 and recently celebrated 23 years of devotion and love and hard work. Soon after their marriage, they were forced to relocate the business to the junction of Highways 75 and 60 in Le Mars. A new 14,000 square foot showroom was built.

In 1993, the flagship store on the east side of Kingsley was built. The Anthon store was built in 1994, with a major addition added in 1996. The Cherokee location was remodeled and opened January 19, 1996. Vern loved doing hand-drafted blueprints and designed the layout for all of his stores. His floor plans were used by other Midwest farm dealerships. He retired in 2005, selling the nearly 60-year old business to Titan Machinery.

Vern also designed and built a new home, a “toy-box” garage and a duplex. He was continually improving the lake house at Okoboji. The couple also enjoyed 15 years at their condo on South Padre Island, Texas, where Vern enjoyed fishing and the “Liar’s Club.”

Vern had a passion for water and was a talented water skier on the Colorado River in his younger days. He fished the Laguna Madre in Texas and Okoboji in his many boats. Restoring cars and 1953 M Farmall were Vern’s other hobbies. He was an avid reader and political supporter of conservative candidates. He and Jeannine traveled extensively.

Vern was named Kingsley Community Action Member of the Year in 1995. He joined the Masonic Order and was a proud lifetime American Legion member. He supported youth library reading programs. The Vern and Jeannine Anderson Scholarship for student nurses has been established at St. Luke’s in Sioux City, Iowa.

Vern was baptized at the Evangelical Lutheran Trinity Church in Akron, Iowa, on March 26, 1933. His marriage to Jeannine Berger was at First Lutheran Church in Kingsley. He later transferred to the Kingsley United Methodist Church. The Island Baptist Church in South Padre Island, Texas, was his winter church and he grew in faith and was welcomed to God’s presence at his passing.

His wife’s family became his own and the grandchildren were special including grandson Cale Berger-Pell, and granddaughters Hannah and Caitlyn Berger. His step-sons are Wade Berger (Cathy) of Marcus, Iowa; Gentry Berger (Carolyn Johnson) of Rapid City, South Dakota; and Colt Berger (Krista) of Milford, Iowa.

Special blessing grandchildren include Tanner, Blake, Curt, Simon, Ariel, Mallory, Jajil, and Tommy.

Vern was preceded in death by his parents and several beloved cousins and friends.

Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Jeannine, of Kingsley and Okoboji; a sister, Joyce (Nick) Riser of Sioux City, IA; a sister-in-law, Jacque Woodall, of Jacksonville, FL; a brother-in-law, Bill (Janette) Woodall of Marcus, IA; and many dear friends and former Vern Anderson Inc. employees.

Memorials may be directed to the Plymouth County Museum Agricultural Implement Display, where Vern gifted his restored 1953 M Farmall.