Vernon Wayne Petrick Jr. Obituary (1945

Vernon Wayne Petrick Jr. of Hillsboro Oregon passed away on Wednesday January 16th 2019 at the age of 73. He was enveloped by the love of his family when his body finally succumbed to the complications and effects of Parkinson's Disease, which he endured for 20 years. Vern was the second oldest of fifteen children, born to a teenage mother and raised in the Northern California region and in Klamath Falls Oregon. His father left the home when he was a toddler and he grew up as the "man of the house", often caring for his many younger siblings. An instrumental middle school teacher got him involved in sports which provided him with a positive school connection, structure, care and ultimately direction and purpose in his life. From the lessons learned on the sports fields, along with the experiences from his challenging childhood, he forged a strong spirit of perseverance and an unwavering work ethic. Vern Petrick never got out worked and the word quit was not in his vocabulary. Vern graduated from Klamath Union High School in 1964 and then enrolled at Southern Oregon College and worked three jobs to pay for his tuition. At S.O.C. he excelled on the football team as a linebacker but his biggest accomplishment was getting the S.O.C. Homecoming Queen and future love of his life, Marcia Diane Snyder, to go on a date with him. After marrying Marci in 1969, Vern started his educational career as a teacher and coach at Medford High School. He then taught and coached at Aloha High School. Vern's early career dream was being a collegiate level football coach. He pursued his coaching dream at Willamette University and Southern Oregon College, where he also taught health science classes. Realizing that college football would not allow him to be the present father that he aspired to be, Vern accepted the position of Athletic Director at Hillsboro's newly built Glencoe High School in 1982. Vern loved his job as a teacher and Athletic Director at Glencoe High School. To him, his work at Glencoe was not a job, it was his joy, his passion, his family, his life. He felt blessed working with so many wonderful people and had enormous pride in both his work and service to the Glencoe Community. Vern had a special place in his heart for "the underdog". No one was beneath him and he stressed kindness and respect. His favorite classes were working with students with disabilities and he relished getting the most unengaged students involved in activities at Glencoe. Vern served as the A.D. at Glencoe for 24 years and might even still be in that role today had he not been forced to retire in 2006 due to increasing Parkinsons Disease symptoms. It was at the time of his retirement that the gymnasium at Glencoe was named in his honor by the Hillsboro School Board. A few years later in 2010, Vern received his occupations highest honor when he was inducted into the Oregon Athletic Directors Hall of Fame. Vern was an exemplary father, always putting his children's interests above his own. He spent countless hours coaching and mentoring them and their friends. A certified swim instructor, he was known for teaching neighborhood kids how to swim. He served on various community organization boards, including being the President of the Oregon Athletic Directors Association. Vern was a man of faith and was very active in the Hillsboro United Methodist Church for many years. Vern was also an enthusiastic but amateur barber, only occasionally nipping small pieces of flesh off his boys ears during haircuts. Vern enjoyed playing and coaching golf, running, woodworking, performing as a square dance caller and maintaining an immaculate yard. However, his favorite pastime was always cheering on his children, all who were three sport letter winners in high school and played either collegiately or professionally. Vern is survived by his loving wife Marci, who not only was his spouse of nearly 50 years but his tireless and relentless caregiver. Vern is also survived by his three children, their spouses and ten grandchildren. Children: Rian Petrick and wife Melissa of North Plains, Ben Petrick and Wife Kellie of Hillsboro and Mari Lyn Stewart and Husband Jeremy of Hillsboro. Grandchildren: Preslie, Jackson, Brooklyn, Makena, Caleb, Madison, Hope, Bailey, Molly, and Elizabeth. Donations can be made in Vern's honor to: The Michael J. Fox Foundation Click here or The Glencoe Athletic Department Click here