Geoffrey B. Vernon's Obituary
Geoffrey Burnside Vernon, 70, of Rehoboth Beach, passed away Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, at Beebe Healthcare, Lewes, of congestive heart failure. He was born Oct. 18, 1946, in Wilmington, son of the late Albert Burnside Vernon and Marilyn “Will” Crook Vernon.
Geoff spent his early years in Odessa before moving to Rehoboth Beach as a youngster, living on Henlopen Avenue and attending Rehoboth Elementary School and Junior High before graduating from Rehoboth High School in 1964, one of “The Seahawks, a Dying Breed.” Geoff ventured off to Pittsburgh, Pa., to attend Robert Morris College, and then enrolled in the U.S. Coast Guard, traveling the high seas as an electronics technician. Upon discharge, Geoff returned to Rehoboth Beach, where he pursued a number of career paths, including as a real estate agent for Howard-Vernon Real Estate, where his older brother William H. Vernon, along with Charles Howard presided. Geoff decided real estate was not his chosen profession and soon embarked upon a career as a merchant and screen printer. He worked with Karen Shaud at the former Doc’s variety store on Rehoboth Avenue before they established Designs on You on Airport Road. He was the original designer of the “Dela-Where?” T-shirts that are still very popular to this day, and sported by then-Gov. Pete duPont. Soon this evolved into Logomotive, a screen printing shop in Lewes, where he supplied apparel to many businesses, sports teams and nonprofit organizations. He also was employed at Nixon Uniforms in Wilmington for a number of years in the 1990s.
Geoff was also the designer of the first Cape Gazette logo and its first editorial cartoonist, and enjoyed creating clever greeting cards and “Tourist Go Home” party shirts for friends and family. He was a feature writer for the now-defunct Whale, the News Journal, Beach Life magazine and Sailing magazine, in which he wrote an illustrated adventure with the late Delaware artist Jack Lewis around the Chesapeake Bay.
He especially enjoyed being out on the Inland Bays and ocean in one of his less-than-trustworthy vessels. Each day was an adventure, often ending at the Rusty Rudder dock, having designed its logo for Jay Prettyman in 1979. He also enjoyed his trips to Ireland with his wife Allison, especially the western coast of Ireland, where “The Quiet Man” was filmed. Trips to Chincoteague, Va., were also high on the list, reveling at the space shots from Wallops Island. He was a member of American Legion Post 5 and Rehoboth Beach VFW Post 7447.
Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Allison Murphy Vernon; and his brother, William H. “Bill” Vernon.
He is survived by his son, Glenn Burnside Vernon and his wife Charity of Rehoboth Beach; his brother, Gainan C. Vernon of Rehoboth Beach; his former wife, Patricia “Trish” Vernon of Rehoboth Beach; his sister-in-law, Sharon Vernon and her children Jennifer and William of Rehoboth Beach; and his close friend, Sherry Calloway of Odessa.
Graveside services will be held at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, October 18, 2017 at Old Drawyers Cemetery; North DuPont Highway, Odessa, DE.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions in Geoff's memory to the Brandywine SPCA Georgetown Shelter: 22918 Dupont Boulevard; Georgetown, DE 19947.
Please sign the online guestbook located on this site.
FLORIST NOTE: PLEASE DELIVER ALL FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS BY 9 AM WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2017 TO OUR LEWES LOCATION.
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