William (Bill) Laurence Vernor, 75, of Yorba Linda, CA, passed peacefully March 25, 2020, at St. Jude's Medical Center in Fullerton, CA after suffering a stroke at his home on March 16, 2020.
Bill was born on August 20, 1944, in Charlotte, NC, to parents Annabelle (Smith) and Harold Vernor. Bill attended high school at Western Military Academy in Alton, IL, and graduated from Wake Forest College in North Carolina on June 5, 1967, with a Bachelor of Science degree. Bill served for two years with the Illinois National Guard, beginning with the rank of Brevet Second Lieutenant.
He resided in Edwardsville, IL, and later in Collinsville, IL, before moving to Southern California in 1980, where he lived in several communities until moving to his last residence in Yorba Linda in 2010. For the many years Bill resided in Illinois, he was a sportswriter for the Metro-East Journal in East St. Louis. His beat was baseball, and he was a member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. He also was the beat writer for live music for the paper and wrote countless reviews of concerts in and around the St. Louis Metro area for many years.
After moving to California, Bill held many positions in publishing and marketing. Bill was a gifted writer and proven communicator. Bill worked as production manager for Fancy Publications and then as manager, print production/direct-mail for Harcourt/Classroom Connect. After that he held management positions with Enterprise Comm, New Century Mortgage and The Spritle Group.
Among Bill's many passions, that included sailing, scuba diving and skiing, indeed golf was near the top. He was a natural athlete who excelled at nearly any sport he tried, but golf remained a constant throughout his life. He went to Wake Forest after being recruited by fellow alma mater, Arnold Palmer. Even into his 70s, Bill's handicap was 3 or 4. He shot below his age many times, including one of his last rounds where he shot a hole-in-one on his way to carding a 75, his age at that time. Golf was so important to him that he worked at El Prado Golf Course upon retirement. That allowed him to play free, which he did with a rotating group of friends and compatriots. Bill prided himself on carrying his bag and walking the course, which he played three or four times a week for decades.
Sports were a vital part of Bill's life. Each year he could not wait for the NCAA annual March Madness tournament. Though hardly a technophile, he always managed to MacGyver a bunch of video recording devices so he could record each game to watch. He also loved motorsports and sportscars. Starting with his beloved 1966 Austin Healy 3000, he owned a succession of 2-seater roadsters—always with a manual transmission, and with the main criteria that his golf clubs fit into the trunk.
Bill was a true lover of "The Blues" and both classic and prog-rock music. He had a deep appreciation for music of many genres and artists. By his count, he attended more than 1,000 intimate to epic-sized concerts from Europe to New York to Chicago to St. Louis to Los Angeles, including the famous Woodstock Festival in 1969. Bill became good friends with many of the musicians he followed, including one of his favorites, with whom he was most dedicated - Walter Trout. As a writer and journalist, Bill possessed the magical "Press Pass," which allowed him backstage at many of these concert events to network with many musical artists and left with many of their cherished autographs. Bill reveled in attending concerts with close friends, particularly his best friend Barney Davey. Bill was also a master of detailed and colorful concert reviews, another of the many examples of his tremendous talent for writing.
Bill was also a purveyor and collector of fine wines and thoroughly enjoyed sharing his exceptional wine collection with friends, often while indulging in a gourmet meal of Beef Wellington or Steak Dianne.
Bill was a man of many talents, and he experienced much in his extraordinary life, but of all things, his love and dedication to his friends was his true talent.
Bill is preceded in death by his parents and his dear friends of many years, Lois (Buchta) Ladd, Michael Ladd, and Neil Buchta, who he considered his sister and brothers. Bill is survived by his extended family of many loving friends, who will deeply miss him, his undying love, his unique humor, and his sincere devotion.
A private memorial service will be held next spring (2021) to honor Bill's final wishes.