Obituary of Charles R. Vermace

Charles R. “Mort” Vermace, 75, of Oxford, passed away Wednesday, November 9, 2016. Funeral services will be held 10 a.m., Tuesday, November 15th at St. Mary’s Auditorium in Oxford, where visitation will be held 4-7 p.m., Monday. Burial with military honors will be at the Oxford Cemetery. Memorials in Mort’s name can be made to the Charles Vermace Memorial Fund. Online condolences may be shared with his family at www.gayandciha.com. Charles Raymond Vermace was born October 14, 1941 in Morrilton, Arkansas; son of Cyril and Wilma (Carney) Vermace. He graduated from Oxford High School in 1959, and went on to enlist in the U.S. Navy, serving from September of ’59 - October ’62; serving in the Western Pacific from ’60-’62 aboard the USS James E. Keyes. In his younger years, Mort worked many jobs, but had a career at Amana Refrigeration, where he retired in 2003 after 38 years of employment. Mort took part in his community including serving 34 years on the fire department and 15 years as the Oxford Fire Chief. Mort was a loyal Cub’s fan, sports enthusiast and an avid bowler, bowling in leagues for 53 years. He was a skilled wood worker and carpenter but also enjoyed the finer things in life: sunsets from the porch, nature, camping, fishing, family reunions at Kent Park and hosting 4th of July get-togethers. Mort will be remembered as a man with “old fashioned” manners, who was polite, courteous and kind and always had a quick wit, an excellent memory and was a great story teller. Another hobby of his was watching planes, he always enjoyed trips to the airport, and learning about the aircraft he watched. Mort’s family includes his daughter, Kelly Vermace of Joppa, MD; former wife, Judi Busche of Oxford; siblings, Martha Parks (Forrest) of Hiawatha and Robert Vermace (Shirley) of Iowa City; sister-in-law, Sandy Vermace of Ely, as well as numerous extended family members. He was preceded in death by his parents; siblings, James Vermace, Jeanne Bischof and Helen “DeDe” Harker.