A long-time resident of Morgan Chapel Village in Columbus, he was born on February 7, 1916, in Hastings Minn. He was the son of Charles and Gena Larson Skogan. Raised in Red Wing, Minn., he was starting center on Central High School&squo;s 1933 state champion high school basketball team and an honor student. He was granted both a bachelor of science degree in 1938 and a master&squo;s degree in chemical engineering in 1939 from the University of Minnesota. He was a proud member of Sigma Chi fraternity and remained an alumni member for the rest of his life.

He began his career working at Standard Oil of Indiana in 1939. He married Jeane Winifred Parker in 1940 in Minneapolis. They later lived in Hammond and Munster, Ind., where they were active in the First Presbyterian Church of Hammond. Vernon retired in 1978, following a period in which he directed environmental projects at Amoco, the successor to Standard Oil. They moved to Morgan Chapel Village in 1979. There they were active in the Tryon Presbyterian Church, and Vernon in Rotary International and the Sigma Chi alumni group. After his wife&squo;s death, he moved back to Chicago, where he lived on the north side and enjoyed the company of his friend, Verena Aarthun, and his visiting family.

He was predeceased by his wife, Jeane. They were wonderful parents to their four children: Wesley Skogan (a resident of Chicago), Lynda Cook (Indianapolis), Gail Grose (Chillicothe, Ill.) and Janet Roemer (San Diego). Vernon had seven grandchildren and step-grandchildren, and four great grandchildren.

A memorial gathering will be held at a later date in the memorial garden of the Tryon Presbyterian Church. Memorials may be made to Hospice of the Carolina Foothills, 130 Forest Glen Drive, Columbus, N.C. 28722.

‐ paid obituar