Final Salute

Vernon (Vern) Stieben passed away on February 17, 2022. He was born May 29, 1926 in a farmhouse near Ness City, Kansas. A first generation American, he was born to a German immigrant family who came to this country by way of Russia in 1900. He is survived by his son Greg and his wife Anne Whittington, and grandchildren Jack and Callie Rose Stieben. He is predeceased by his bride of over 69 years Dorothy, his parents Adam and Stella, his sister Laverne, and his daughter Cheryl Stieben. The Stiebens moved to Denver in about 1930. Growing up in the Great Depression, Vern quickly learned the value of a buck and maintained this philosophy throughout his life. At the age of 17, Vern joined the US Navy during the height of World War II. He became a Navy Seabee and was quickly shipped off to Tinian in the Mariana Islands. He spent over 2 years living in a tent while helping to build the runways for the largest airfield in the world at that time. He had a personal involvement in ending the war by working as a mason’s assistant in the construction of the building used for the final assembly of the atomic bombs, which conclusively brought WWII to a close. Following the war, Vern married Dorothy in 1948. After working for a few years at a GM factory, he qualified for the Denver Fire Department. In the fire department, he methodically worked his way up the ranks from mucker, trucker, engineer, lieutenant, and captain. He also worked on the Retirement Board alongside Chief Wise and Mayor McNichols. He retired in 1980 as Captain of Denver Fire Station No. 1, the flagship station in the city. At the time of retirement, he was House Captain and Captain of the Rescue Squad, including the underwater unit. He was a hard disciplinarian with his men, but they came to love him and he maintained close friendships with them through the decades. As a firefighter, he was able to do part-time jobs. At one point, he drove a truck picking up milk from farms to be processed into cheese. He and his father also had a tree removal service. After retirement from the fire department, Vern began his second career as a long-distance truck driver for Leprino Foods. Vern was a great driver and very safety conscious; he was put in charge of training the younger drivers in the “Vern way of doing things.” He was particularly proud of his award for 1,000,000 accident-free miles. Vern retired from this career after 20 years. Vern made it his life practice to help others. He could fix anything and was always willing to help the neighbors, whether it was shoveling the snow from their driveways or fixing their car or sprinkler system. Vern never really retired. He was always working on projects around the house. He remained the “House Captain” to the end. He was proud of his lifetime achievements and his ability to provide for his family, friends, and relatives. Vern was blessed with amazing friends and family members who helped take care of him in his last years. He will be remembered well and missed by all who knew him. Of special note was his care and devotion to Dorothy during the final year of her life while she struggled with Alzheimer’s. In lieu of flowers, we encourage donations to The Denver Hospice (https://thedenverhospice.org/). Services will be held on Wednesday, March 16th at 10:00 AM at Olinger Crown Hill, Chapel of Peace with burial to follow at Olinger Crown Hill Cemetery.