Verner, James Edward Obituary

Verner, James Edward attended St. Charles High School in St. Charles, IL. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Verner, James Edward.

Graduation Year	Class of 1960
Date of Passing	Nov 25, 2005
About	James "Jim" Verner, 63, of rural St. Charles, passed away peacefully surrounded by the love of his family at his home on Friday morning, Nov. 25, 2005, after a long courageous battle with cancer that claimed his body but never his spirit. He was born Nov. 14, 1942, the son of Reuben and Rose (Peterson) Verner in Geneva. Jim grew up on the family dairy farm in St. Charles and graduated from St. Charles High School with the class of 1960. After graduation, he attended and was the first person in his family to graduate from Northern Illinois University. Following his time at NIU, Jim went to California and made a home for himself in San Francisco, where he worked for Lockheed Martin. In 1965, Jim received word that his mother passed away, so he packed his bags and came home to help his father. During this time, he also went to graduate school. It was while Jim was working at Jewel restocking shelves that his life changed. The superintendent of St. Charles Schools learned that he was getting his graduate degree in physics and personally asked him to become an eighth-grade math teacher. It was never his plan to become a teacher, but it was in the classroom where he found his calling. He would go on to teach math the following year and science for 36 more. During his time of teaching at Wrendling and Haines middle schools, he became well-known for his corny jokes and exploding experiments aptly named "Verner Burners." He also had the distinction at the school, as well as with the St. Charles Fire Department, of being the first person to set off the smoke detectors in the then-new, mobile classrooms (of which he was secretly proud). In addition, Jim was instrumental in orchestrating several Science Olympiads, competitions that brought out the best and brightest that St. Charles had to offer. Jim always had a special place in his heart for his students, and many of them will always remember the 35 years of field trips taken to Washington, D.C., including one trip that numbered more than 120 students. Jim not only found the life that he would come to love while working at Jewel, but also the love of his life. Pam Johansen also was working to make ends meet, and it was love at first sight. One year later, their two hearts became one when they were united in marriage in October 1968. They began their 37 years of marriage together in St. Charles. In 1990, they moved back to Jim's family farm that had diminished in size but not in heart. Jim retired in 2003 after 37 years of teaching science to his "kids." Jim was a past member of Golden Kiwanis and was well-known for beginning many Indian Princess Tribes, which were groups of children who learned about nature and the Native American culture. Jim and Pam were blessed with three girls, but despite having grown up in a family of all boys, Jim had a special gift for raising his daughters. He had a gentle spirit, infinite patience, compassion and understanding. Jim was generous to all and never expected anything in return. His advice, when asked, was simple: slow down; let your emotions catch up with your words; everything in balance; and music is the pathway to your soul. Along with three daughters, he had a love for cats, especially his gold cat named "Joules." A private passion, aside from teaching and his family, was genealogy. Jim had done extensive research on his Swedish heritage and had made the pilgrimage to Sweden three times. Through those trips and countless excursions to more than 40 farms, he found a piece of his history dating back to the 1600s. Of course, his driving across the countryside could only be done in a car fit for a true Swede, a Volvo. Jim will be remembered for many things, but one thing can be certain, he will be missed by all.