VERNON GILBERT GREGG, 82, of rural Cherokee, passed away Sunday, March 24, 2013 at his home in Silver Township.

Funeral services will be held Friday, March 29th, at 10:30 a.m. at Mt. Olive Baptist Church, rural Cherokee, Iowa. Pastor Jeff Harris will officiate. Burial will be in the Cedar Cemetery at Larrabee, Iowa. There will be military rites at graveside by American Legion Post # 390 of Aurelia and L. A. Wescott Post #2253 of the V.F.W. There will be a family prayer service at 10:15 a.m. at the church on Friday. Visitation will be on Thursday from 1 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee with the family present from 5 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. On line condolences may be left at www.boothbyfuneral.com The family suggests that memorials be made to Gideons International.

Vernon was born October 20, 1930 in rural Cherokee, Iowa to Raymond and Emily (Gilbert) Gregg. He lived in the Larrabee area until the age of 8. He attended Larrabee schools through the second grade. His family then moved to Silver Township where he attended country school, graduating from Aurelia High School in 1948. He served in the U. S. Army from January 1952 until December of 1953. He trained at Fort Riley, Kansas and served with the 7th Army in Europe during the Korean Conflict. He was married to Marlys Pingel on July 6, 1958 at Sioux Rapids, Iowa. Vernon lived on the family farm for 75 years. He farmed for 55 years; raising cattle and grain farming. He was a member of Mt. Olive Baptist Church, joining on profession of faith in 1946. He joined the Gideons in 1969. He enjoyed 40 years of flying for business and recreation and also enjoyed time spent on the computer, listening to polka music and spending time with his family.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Orville Gregg, a sister-in-law Kathy Gregg and a brother-in-law Ralph Sudbeck.

He is survived by his wife, Marlys, one son and two daughters; Jeff (Doris) Gregg of Alta, Iowa; Cherilyn (Jeff) Boice of Bloomington, MN; Andrea (Doug) Urban of Quimby, Iowa; 11 grandchildren; David (Elizabeth) Gregg, Sarah (Kevin) Callies, Daniel Urban, Rebecca Urban, Timothy Gregg and fiancé Kari Ford, Naomi Urban, Bethany Urban, Deborah Gregg, Nathaniel Urban, Kathryn Boice, Angela Boice; great grandchildren Kevin Jeffrey Callies, Annalynn Callies and Eden Gregg; sister Clara Sudbeck of Ames, Iowa; brother Lorace (Arta) Gregg of Cherokee, Iowa; sisters-in-law Ellen Gregg of Cherokee, Iowa and Joyce (Bill) Peters of Ames, Iowa; also several nieces, nephews and cousins.