It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to Vernon Dalgleish, who passed away on November 23, 2023 at the age of 85 years. Vernon was born in Hampstead, New Brunswick, on June 16, 1938, to the late Louise (Bernard) Gray and Kenneth Dalgleish.
Vernon will be forever remembered by his wife of 40 years, Linda; daughters Kim McCrary (Kris) and Jackie Dalgleish (Dean Jones), and son Stephen Dalgleish (Darlene); seven grandchildren: Bryant McCrary (Leah), Jamie Lam (Darren), Jesse, Brett (Jesse) and Riley Jones; and Cody and Dallin Dalgleish; three great granddaughters: Emersyn and Addisyn Lam and Halle McCrary; cousin John Cameron (Janice), sister Sharon Stein (Morley), brothers-in-law Doug Cochrane and Lawrence, Earl (Bobbie), Robert and Glynn Wong, along with many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.
Vernon was pre-deceased by his sister Donna Cochrane; and brother-in-law Jesse Wong.
Growing up in Hampstead, Vernon lived with his large extended family that included his maternal grandparents, Hazel and James Bernard, mother Louise, sister Donna, Aunt Emily and her four children, John, Carol Ann, Gene, and Carl Cameron.
Vernon and his cousin John were the same age and inseparable during their childhood where the St. John River and surrounding forest was their playground. Vernon’s love of nature and the outdoors continued throughout his life and he was happiest when he was camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, and gardening.
At age 18, Vernon joined the Canadian Air Force where he was trained as an electronics technician where he installed and repaired airplane radios. Vernon was initially based in Chatham (now Miramichi), New Brunswick, followed by Beloeil, Quebec, and finally Edmonton, Alberta.
In 1971, after 15 years in the Air Force, Vernon left and worked for Tundra Technical at the Edmonton Municipal Airport where a lot of his time was spent working in remote locations in the Canadian Arctic.
In 1979, Vernon joined AGT (now TELUS) where he worked out of town in northeastern Alberta. As technology advanced, he started installing and repairing the new mobile communications infrastructure that included working on cell phone towers.
Vernon taught himself how to fix almost anything and how to build anything with wood. In 1977, his strong carpentry skills were put to use when he built a new house in Sturgeon County, where he lived with his kids. As his children became adults, he was often called upon to fix things in their homes and to teach them how to fix or build things.
Vernon was a hard worker with a quiet nature. He enjoyed playing darts with his wife Linda at home or at the Legion and going to neighbourhood pubs or the casino where they listened or danced to country music.
Vernon loved his family deeply and enjoyed spending time with them at family dinners and on family camping trips and vacations.
There will be no formal funeral service. A family celebration of life will be held at a later date.
Donations may be made in Vernon’s memory to the Hope Mission in Edmonton or a charity of your choice.
780-477-7500
