Vern E. Sword Jr.

Vern E. Sword Jr., 71, of Hume, Mo., passed away Dec. 20, 2018, at Nevada Nursing & Rehabilitation in Nevada, Mo. Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 29, at the Hume Christian Church. There is no visitation. Burial will follow services in the East Liberty Cemetery near Stotesbury, Mo. Memorial contributions are suggested to the American Cancer Society. Arrangements entrusted to Mullinax Funeral Home, (660)679-0009, in Butler. Messages of condolence for the family may be left at www.mullinaxfuneralhome.com.

Vern Everett Sword Jr. was born Aug. 28, 1947, to Vern E. Sword Sr., and Virginia Hartzell. In 1951, he came to live with Glen and Doris Nelson who raised him as their own son.

In 1964, while still in high school, he married Joyce Elaine Moberly and to this union was born a son, Michael Earl and a daughter Misty Eve. Vern finished his senior year and graduated from Warrensburg High School, Warrensburg, Mo. While there he felt God’s call to the ministry and started by preaching at Oak Hill Christian Church just outside Warrensburg.

In 1967, Vern enrolled in Ozark Bible College, Joplin, Mo., where he also worked as a night watchman. He liked that job so well that he joined the Joplin Police Department in 1969 to help pay for college. He graduated from OBC in May of 1972 with a Bachelor of Sacred Literature degree and was ordained into the ministry in October 1972 at the Hume Christian Church, Hume, Mo. He was their first “Timothy” thanks to Ron Culp and James Dillon.

Vern had dual careers as both a minister and a police officer. Besides ministering at Oak Hill, Vern served as minister to Foster Christian Church, Foster, Mo.; Crane Christian Church, Crane, Mo.; First Christian Church, Commerce, Okla.; Wyandotte Christian Church and Schell City Christian Church, Schell City, Mo. He served in law enforcement in Joplin, Commerce, and with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Patrol, and the Fairland Police Department in Fairland, Okla.

After his first marriage dissolved, he met his dream woman in Teresa Le Long and married her in 1992. For 24.5 wonderful years they were inseparable in everything; you seldom saw one without the other.

Vern loved fishing when Teresa was alive; four-wheeling, smokin’ chickens as Christmas gifts and going and listening to Teresa sing or perform in a band.

At the time of his death Vern was a member of Ohio Street United Methodist Church, Butler, Mo., and filled the pulpit when Pastor Dave was gone.

Vern was preceded in death by both his biological and adoptive parents; his wife, Teresa; two sisters, Vickie and Rhonda; and two brothers, Steven Sword Sr. and Vern E. Sword III. Vern is survived by his son, Michael, in Cameron, Mo.; his daughter, Misty (Tim) Bogardes of Schell City, Mo.; four granddaughters, Kristina, Tiffany, Chrystal and Amber; one grandson, Clayton; three great-granddaughters, Abby, Lydia and Emerson; one great-grandson, Isaiah; three brothers, Roger, David and Johnny Sword; and two sisters, Susan Strutton and Karen Dudley.