Verdian Lee Fitzner
Marriages
Nina "Sugar" Luella Newby - August 29, 1947
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3D Obituary - November 24, 2019
Verdian Lee Fitzner September 20, 1923 - November 19, 2019 Verdian Lee Fitzner “Vern” passed away peacefully on Tuesday, November 19, 2019, at the age of 96, at The Commons of Hilltop in Grand Junction, CO. Our prayers are with all of the family as hearts are broken for our incredible loss, but we rejoice that he is now with the Lord and has, once again, been reunited with his beloved wife, Nina Luella Fitzner. He was a devoted Husband, Father, Grandfather, Great-Grandfather, Brother, Uncle, and Friend and he will be dearly missed. Vern was born September 20, 1923, in Logan, New Mexico on the family homestead, where he learned to ride horses, farming, carpentry, geology, and geography. He grew up with six brothers, one sister and loving parents who instilled the value of achieving the American dream through hard work, perseverance, and diligence on their family homestead in Logan, New Mexico. As a young boy he walked the riverbeds and countryside finding Indian artifacts and learning the geography of the Southwest. He graduated from Logan High School and continued his education researching and studying history throughout his lifetime. He became an expert historian and loved to share stories with friends and family. In particular he loved to recount the stories of his time spent in the Navy, his father who was the train conductor for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, or elderly neighbors who had personal accounts of Billy the Kid, and countless stories of the Indian Tribes including meetings at the Ute Council Tree. He was a local expert on the land, history, cooking and culture of the Southwest and in particular loved the Grand Valley. Throughout his years of travel, he collected countless antiques and shared his personal museum with family and friends. He was always proud to show off his treasured antique guns. Throughout his life he had numerous occupations including Carpentry, Contractor, Mechanic, Pay Master at both AS Horner and Switzner as well as the Colorado Big Thompson Project. He owned two filling stations and was always sure to welcome people with a cup of coffee and unparalleled service. He took great pride in providing for his family through his many businesses, building numerous homes, schoolhouses, motels, and piers that would withstand the ebb and flow of the Colorado River. In Santa Fe, New Mexico, April, 1943, he enlisted in the Navy serving on the U.S.S. Lauderdale stationed in the South Pacific. He fought in the Battle of Okinawa where his ship picked up nearly 3755 survivors from 30 sinking ships. Bravely serving our country in WWII, he took his duty to protect our nation with great honor and greatly respected his fellow Veterans. After WWII, he continued to serve his country in the Korean War. He was stationed in Greenland where he developed radar stations. He was honorably discharged from the military in 1946 as a PO 1st class. On August 29, 1947, he married Nina Luella Newby and moved to their first home together in Estes Park, CO. Nina, better known as Sugar, was devoted and had a lifelong marriage to Vern until she passed in 2011. In partnership they gathered the ship logs from the Library of Congress and dedicated time to documenting and sharing the stories of WWII for generations to come. He actively participated in Veterans meetings as the oldest member of the Western Slope VFW Post 3981. In his own words he was a “rock hound,” collecting fossils and different rocks. He lived a very active life even into his retirement, carving wood, collecting Indian artifacts, studying history, geology, jewelry making, drawing, painting, admiring the wildlife and his own personal flock of ducks and geese who visited his home located on the Colorado River, in Palisade CO. Vern loved being at home with his wife, Sugar, daughter, Diane, and their many fun loving pet parrots sharing the view of the Colorado River from his home in Palisade for many years. Surviving Mr. Fitzner is his daughter, Diane Fitzner of Grand Junction, CO; granddaughters, Dante Marie Johnson of Gulfport, MS; Amber Lynn Lloyd of Boulder, CO, and Ashley Jo Holden of Conifer, Colorado. Also surviving are great-grandsons, Robert Michael White Jr. of Golden, CO; Carlton Beckett White of Perkinston, MS, and Archer “Archie” Michael Holden of Bailey, CO, and numerous nieces and nephews, with whom he had special relationships communicating frequently while sharing stories of the old times and family roots in New Mexico. He was preceded in death by his wife, Sug; parents, Fred H. and Clara Fitzner; brothers, Herman, Ray, Lawrence, Clarence, James, and Julius, and sister, Thelma Dugger. A graveside memorial service with military honors will be held at Elmwood Cemetery in Fruita, CO, on Tuesday, November 26 at 1:00 p.m., followed by a memorial reception at The Commons of Hilltop, Grand Junction on Tuesday, November 26 at 3:30 p.m. Please join us in a celebration of a hero to our nation. We were blessed and honored to have him in our lives.
