Obituary of Vernon Storbakken
Vernon Amun Storbakken was born at his family farm home on March 8, 1925, to Ingvald and Valda Storbakken, his grandmother and aunt Gunda in attendance. He passed away September 10, 2018, at the age of 93 at Galahad Care Centre with his family at his side. Vernon was the third son in a family of six children. He grew up as a farm boy in the Sedgewick and Lougheed areas, settling on the farm south of Lougheed in the Cambridge district.
At an early age, Vernon went to live with his grandmother to help her out with chores. At school, Vernon was fortunate to have a teacher that brought an old car to let then tear down and redo thus his interest in mechanics came, as he was raised farming with horses.
Vernon met Rita Manning in Hardisty as the war years and fuel rations were on, he and his friend often let some of the air out of the tires of the old model T and drove down the railroad track to Hardisty to court.
Vernon and Rita married in November 1944, at the young age of 19. The first years were hard ones with hail taking their crops, they went to Edmonton one year for the winter, he cut wood to sell another year, also working to build a road south of Lougheed. But with their first daughter Marie, they decided to settle in a CPR house a mile south of his folks and invested in his first steel-wheeled tractor. Soon Verna arrived and then a boy Jim. The family was completed with Lorna, Catherine, Garry, and Ivan. Vernon loved to play ball in the summer and caught for the Cambridge men’s softball team, in winter he was at the Lougheed curling rink, also hunting and fishing. They raised all their children on the farm in the area, 1982 they built a new home in Sedgewick where they resided until the fall of 2017. In retirement they did traveling to Alaska, Cruises, spent time in the fifth wheel in the USA, with their fishing summer or winter and floor curling. The love for all his grandchildren and gg’s, the sparkle in his eye when they walked in a room was seen by all. He and Rita spent hours on the back deck watching the garden grow, and Vernon with a sprinkler in hand. The apple tree in the backyard always gave him a huge harvest and he peeled them and offered them to his children and grandchildren. He loved the walking path in Sedgewick and used it several times a day. Vernon spent the last months of his life at the Galahad Care Centre where he loved to tease the staff and they enjoyed every moment, helping with the gazebo care and still watering his tomatoes, strawberries, and flowers.
He leaves to mourn his loss his children Marie Hartfelder of Edmonton, Verna Steil of Sedgewick, Jim (Sandy) of Calgary, Lorna (Bob) Read of Stoney Point, Ont., Catherine (Doug) Kells of Forestburg, Garry (Laurel) of Lougheed and Ivan of Victoria B.C., 14 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great-grandchildren.
He was predeceased by his wife Rita of 72 years in September of 2017, his parents Ingvald and Valda, brothers Henry, Reuben, Archie, Harvey, and sister Louise. Sons-in-law Edwin Hartfelder, Ralph Steil grandson Murray Steil and great-granddaughter Lauren Brodie.
As per Vernon’s request, there will be a family graveside service on September 29, 2018, at Sedgewick Cemetery.
