Vernon Arthur Dirks

April 23, 2015, ended a life lived well. Vernon Arthur Dirks, of Sioux City, passed away at the age of 72, surrounded by his family at home.
Services will be 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 28 at Nativity Church, 4242 Natalia Way, with the Rev. Steven McLoud officiating. Visitation will be 4 to 8 p.m. Monday, with a rosary at 4 p.m., at Morningside Chapel, Christy-Smith Funeral Home, 1801 Morningside Ave.
Vern was born Oct. 27, 1942, on the kitchen table of a house in Laurel, Neb., to Alfred John and Claudine Amanda (Fitch) Dirks. He was the second of seven children, and the oldest son. He grew up in the rural areas around Sioux City, attending school in a one-room schoolhouse in Plymouth County, and then living in a cleaned-up turkey coop near Bronson, Iowa. When he was roughly 10 years old, the family moved into Sioux City. He attended Central High School.
Growing up poor, Vern learned the value of hard work at a young age. At age six, he was gathering firewood for the stove, and carrying it long distances through the snow. Starting at age 10, he was either bagging groceries, setting pins in a bowling alley, or delivering newspapers. The money he earned went to help support his parents and siblings. In his teen years, Vern discovered he had a strong mechanical aptitude, something that would serve him and his friends well for the rest of his life.
Vern joined the U.S. Navy in 1961, serving as a boiler tender on the U.S.S. Hoel (DDG-13), on which he was a plankowner, and then on the U.S.S. Henry B. Wilson (DDG-7). After leaving the Navy, Vern built engines at Rohr Aircraft in San Diego, and then at Aero Spacelines at Vandenberg A.F.B. near Lompoc, Calif.
He met the love of his life, Martha Mildred Culver, on May 5, 1964, while stationed in San Diego. The two were married there on Nov. 19, 1966, and had three sons. Vern moved his family back to Sioux City in 1970, where he began work on the Chicago Northwestern Railroad, first as a machinist and then as an electrician. In 1979 he began working for the Burlington Northern Railroad as a brakeman, fireman, and then as an engineer. He retired from the BNSF Railroad in 2002.
Vern believed that the real measure of a man was how hard he worked, and how well he took care of his family and neighbors. He truly excelled at these. When he wasn’t working, Vern was with his family. He shunned alcohol, saying that he could not understand why people would pay so much money for something that just took people away from your families. He attended nearly every one of his sons’ football games, band recitals, and parent-teacher conferences. He regularly took his family on long overland trips to visit relatives in San Diego, once driving there via Vancouver, Canada, simply to encourage his son’s interest in geography.
As his sons grew up, he transitioned from excelling at fatherhood to excelling at grandfatherhood. He loved nothing more than the time he spent with his grandkids. As he began suffering from the cancer that would claim his life, the most effective pain relief seemed to be the sound of his grandchildren playing.
Throughout his life, Vern was defined by his cheerfulness, his humility, and his love of others. He was very strong, but gentle. He always stood up for himself and others, but he forgave easily and gave generously. On the railroad, he routinely came home from work missing a scarf, coat, or gloves, because he had encountered someone who had a greater need for them. Vern has always been well-loved because he was always so generous with his love.
Survivors include his wife; sons, Michael Ralph (Mary) Dirks of Columbia, Mo., John Lowell (Bridget) Dirks of Nevada, Iowa, and Vernon Arlo (Kristin) Dirks of Sioux City; mother, Claudine Dirks; brothers, Jerry (Marci) Dirks of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Arlo (Joyce) Dirks of Sioux City; sisters, Marion Dirks of Sioux City, Judy (Ernest) Johnson of Council Bluffs, Iowa, Karen Magnussen of Sioux City, and Bonnie (Charles) Walsh of Omaha; and six grandchildren, Samantha, Michael, Katie, Seth, Hannah and John.
Vern was preceded in death by his father.
In lieu of flowers, it is suggested that memorial contributions be made to Hospice of Siouxland.