Vern A. ‘Bun’ Popour

Vern was born on December 6, 1928 in Cooks, Mich. to Dominick E. and Merilda E. (DeMars) Popour. On August 10, 1948 he married Phyllis E. Besner and together they had two sons.

Vern started his work career as a young man for the Soo Line Railroad. He worked for them for about seven years before moving to Inland Steel where he was employed for another six years. Vern then went to work for the U.S. Forest Service in Rapid River, MI as a heavy equipment operator until his retirement in 1990. He and Phyllis lived in Manistique, Mich. for about 25 years raising their sons there, then moved to Gooseneck Lake near Manistique to do all the fishing, hunting and gardening that he loved to do. They moved to Gwinn on July 10, 2006 to be closer to family, and continued his hunting and fishing until he was 95.

Vern and Phyllis loved to go out dancing and were known to dance to a few tunes at their home when the mood struck them. Vern’s love of the outdoors, hunting and fishing was his claim to fame and was noted for his famous “fish booyah.”

Vern is survived by his son, Terry (Bonnie) Popour of Gwinn; daughter-in-law Connie Popour of Green Bay, WI; grandchildren, Jolene (Casey) Ault of Green Bay, WI, Brandi (Justin) Andrews of Appleton, WI, Misti Popour of Green Bay, WI, Tim (Melissa) Popour of Rockford, MI, Gina (Justin) Debelak of Negaunee, MI, Kristi (Terry) Dahlstrom of Gwinn, MI, Tammy (Dave) Marier of Gwinn, MI and Michael (Jenny) Lowney of Germantown, WI; great-grandchildren, Aiden and Sullivan Popour, Owen and Reyna Debelak, Brooklyn Goodlet, Isabella and Eliana Ault, Wilson and Malcolm Andrews, Sydney (Keith) Grabarczyk, Sophia Marier, Austin Grass and Michael J. Lowney; one great-great-grandson, Theo Grabarczyk; and numerous nieces and nephews and close friends. Preceding him in death besides his parents is his wife, Phyllis Popour; his son, David Popour; his grandson-in-law, Troy Goodlet; and his siblings, Edward Wilford “Pete” Popour, Clifford Richard “Manny” Popour, Floyd Dominick (Polly) Popour, Raymond Louis “Babe” Popour, Lila Ann DesJardin, Leona Stella (Lorna) Rochefort, Verma Ula Rochefort, Velida Exilda Vanderville, Rita “Alta” Peterson and infant brother, Raymond Leonard Popour.

A special thank you to Jamie Sims of Lake Superior Life Care and Hospice for her professional caring and compassion for Vern, and comfort and friendliness to the family.

A private family graveside service will be held at Gwinn Cemetery this summer.

Canale Gwinn Funeral Home and Cremation Services is assisting Vern’s family where memories and condolences may be shared at canalefuneral.com