Vernon Earl Obrey

Vernon Earl Obrey

May 10, 1934 – April 12, 2025

Vernon Earl Obrey, 90, of Pocatello, Idaho, passed away peacefully on April 12, 2025 due to heart failure and complications from a serious infection. Just one month shy of his 91st birthday, Vern lived a full and memorable life.

He was born May 10, 1934, in Idaho Falls, Idaho, to William T. Obrey and Violet E. Struhs Obrey. Vern grew up in Idaho Falls and graduated from Idaho Falls High School, where he played flute in the school band. He earned an accounting degree from Idaho State University and later became the youngest Certified Public Accountant in Idaho at the time, earning the highest score in the Northwestern United States on the CPA exam.

Vern married Joyce Fay Harker on October 17, 1952. They had one daughter, Vicki Lynn. After college, Vern worked for Price Waterhouse in Portland, Oregon, before moving back to Idaho to start his own accounting firm, where Joyce worked alongside him. He continued working in the field until just months before his passing.

In his younger years, Vern enjoyed skiing, boating, water skiing, hunting, and camping—especially at Redfish Lake. After losing his leg to diabetes, he wasn’t able to do many of those things anymore, but he never lost his sense of humor or love of storytelling. He always had a story ready to tell.

His granddaughter Tina recalls fondly: “My Grandpa loved his family with everything he had and more. He loved to tell his stories. He loved to work on cars and fix things around the house—he thought he was a handyman who could fix anything and everything. He wasn’t, but you couldn’t tell him that. He loved to take his boat out on the lake and fly over those waves, almost bouncing everyone out of the boat. Camping, water skiing, and hunting were his favorite things to do. He had the best sense of humor.”

Vern is now reunited with his wife Joyce and daughter Vicki. He was also preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Joyce Williams.

He is survived by his granddaughter, Tina Keaton; his great-grandsons, Dillon Keaton and Chad Barrett; and his sisters, Christina Angell of St. Anthony, Idaho, and Gail Landon and Sandra Bybee, both of Idaho Falls. He also leaves behind several nieces, nephews, and extended family members.

Vern will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Wednesday, April 16, at Cornelison Funeral Home in Pocatello at 11:30 AM. An open mic for sharing memories will follow at 12:30 PM.