Vern Mumford Tueller Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Our dear father, Vern Mumford Tueller, departed this life peacefully the morning of October 19, 2021 at 95 years, of causes incident to age. Vern was born on January 27, 1926 in Montpelier, Idaho to Emily Mabel Mumford and Benjamin Edward Tueller. Most of his childhood was spent on a sheep ranch in southwestern Idaho. It was not an easy task for him and his older brother Edward, along with their father and Basque sheepherders, to track 24,000 head of sheep. Vern delighted his grandchildren with stories of his humble years on the sheep ranch during the Great Depression, where his attributes of frugality and resourcefulness grew. Always proud of his Swiss heritage and his ancestors who joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he sought to remain faithful and true to the Tueller name. Vern attended junior high and high school in Mountain Home, Idaho, where he participated on the football, basketball and tennis teams, and played the French horn and trumpet in the school bands. While still in high school, Vern enlisted in the Aviation Cadet Program in the Air Force, and after graduation he began training as a bomber pilot in the Army Air Corps, flying B-29s. The war ended before he was deployed. At the encouragement of his parents and brother, Vern began his studies at Brigham Young University. He counted this decision as a pivotal point in his life due to three results: finding and marrying Carol Lee Pitcher, gaining a broad education, and developing his testimony. During college, Vern lettered in tennis and supported himself by playing the trumpet in dance bands, along with working at a soda fountain. Vern graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Art in 1950. Carol and Vern were married in the Cardston, Alberta, Canada temple on July 26, 1950. After Carol’s graduation the following year, they moved to San Francisco where Vern was an art director for an advertising agency and Carol taught school. Having welcomed two children into their family by 1956, Vern decided to return to school to become a dentist, studying at the University of California in San Francisco. Upon graduation from dental school, Vern was invited to join the faculty there. Throughout his career of thirty-five years, he enjoyed both teaching at the dental school and private practice. Professional memberships included: The American Academy of Restorative Dentistry, The Pacific Coast Society of Prosthodontics, The American College of Dentists, and the LDS Academy of Dentists. As satisfying as his career was to him, family life and church service were top priorities. Carol and Vern raised their family in Concord, California and created a home filled with love and happiness. Weekly tennis and baseball clinics were a staple of family life, along with annual trips to Canada and Idaho to visit grandparents. Vern served in numerous church leadership and teaching capacities, including Gospel Doctrine teacher, Bishop, Stake President, and home teacher. Upon retirement, Carol and Vern moved to Provo, Utah where they had easy access to BYU sporting events. Still wanting to serve, they received a call to Jakarta, Indonesia, where Vern served as mission president along with teaching at a dental school. Subsequently, they served a proselyting mission to Spain, after which Carol and Vern taught senior missionaries at the MTC and served in the Provo temple for over a decade. Service, in any capacity, brought them both great joy. Acting as an advisor to pre-dent students at BYU was something Vern was able to do up until the time of his death. Since Carol passed away in 2015, Vern has missed her deeply. As a family however, we have cherished this time to better come to know our father and to serve him. He revered Carol and always treated her with love and respect. Their reunion in heaven is one we rejoice over. No matter his age or physical restrictions, Vern’s mind remained sharp and he continually sought learning and self-improvement. He memorized scriptures and favorite adages, kept up on current events, and was very generous with his resources. Vern never doubted the Lord nor His timing, nor the words of the prophets and apostles. Vern was preceded in death by his parents (Ben and Emily), his brother (Edward), wife (Carol), son (Hal), and stillborn daughter (Julie). He is survived by his children: Carolyn (Kirk), Richard (Patricia), David (Margaret), Janine (Matthew), Mark, seventeen grandchildren, and twenty-nine great grandchildren. A viewing will be held on Saturday, October 30, from 9:00 -10:30 a.m. at the Grandview 13th Ward at 1260 W. 1150 N. Provo, Utah, followed by the funeral at 11:00 a.m. Interment with Military Honors will be at the Orem City Cemetery at 1:00 p.m. Services will be live-streamed on Saturday at https://my.gather.app/remember/vern-tueller Funeral Directors: Utah Valley Mortuary.

Vern Mumford Tueller

January 27, 1926 - October 19, 2021

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