Elgin man loved life, singing

Longtime Elgin resident Vernon Burnidge made a name for himself running dairy, cattle and commodities businesses.

But to his family, Burnidge likely will be remembered as much for his love of life, golf and singing.

"Any time there was a piano and somebody was playing, he'd be singing," Vernon's son Stan said. "Everybody loved him."

Vernon Burnidge died Sunday in a Milwaukee hospital at the age of 84.

Born in Elgin in 1922, he'd been living after retirement in Wisconsin and Naples, Fla.

"He was a very social person," said David Burnidge, another of Vernon's sons. "A very nice person. Just a hard-working businessman."

Vernon Burnidge graduated from Elgin High School in 1940 and from Purdue University in 1943.

A former member of the Purdue Glee Club, family members say Vernon once spent a week performing with the club on a radio show at Radio City Music Hall.

A veteran of World War II, Burnidge went into the dairy business with his father after leaving the service.

"People came from all over the world to buy dairy cattle here in Elgin," said Charles Burnidge, Vernon's younger cousin. "Anyone who lived in Elgin at that time would have remembered this business."

They later started a feeder cattle business in Hampshire, which is where Burnidge began work in commodities.

"Vernon was a fun-loving guy," Charles Burnidge said. "He always had a disposition that was very pleasant and agreeable. Whenever you saw him he made you feel good."

Visitation will be from 4 to 9 p.m. today at Laird Funeral Home in Elgin, and from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the services Saturday at the Church of the Redeemer, 40 Center St., Elgin.

Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the church, with burial to follow at River Valley Memorial Gardens in West Dundee.