Bassett Family Association Database

Vernon Leslie Petty

Male 1917 - 1994  (76 years)


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  • Name Vernon Leslie Petty 
    Born 26 Jun 1917  Lusk, Wyoming Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    _UID E2C396B7269BB54A89394FF6C11219670C7B 
    Died 20 Mar 1994  Joplin, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I18477  7B William Bassett of Cross Plains, Indiana
    Last Modified 12 Jul 2006 

    Father James Douglas Petty,   b. 5 Mar 1873, Vail,, Iowa, United States Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. WFT Est. 1924-1965, Kansas City, Missouri, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 91 years) 
    Mother Bertha Lee Fleming,   b. 22 Nov 1885, Virginia, Missouri, United States Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 20 Jul 1977, ,Osawatomie, Kansas, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 91 years) 
    Married WFT Est. 1897-1928 
    Family ID F5352  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Betty Joyce Rife,   b. 5 Feb 1927, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 16 Feb 1984, Nevada, Missouri Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 57 years) 
    Married 29 Apr 1944  Bloomington, Indiana Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Notes 
    • Family history information provided by Vernon and Joyce to their childrenstates that Vernon served in the South Pacific theater during World WarII. Vernon developed a tropical disease that he called "elaphantitis"that resulted in severe swelling of his legs. Vernon was shippedstateside and served the remainder of his duty with the United StatesMarines at Crane Naval Ammunition Depot near Bedford, Indiana. Althoughexact details of Vernon and Joyce's first contact was never told, Joyceworked at the University of Indiana for the Naval ROTC, and always saidthis was the way she and Vernon met.

      Vernon and Joyce traveled together to Camp Lejuene, North Carolina. Thisis inferred from a photograph this writer saw years ago with Vernon andJoyce standing by a sign labeled Camp Lejuene.

      During my (Vicki) early years, Joyce and Vernon lived with the Rife/Eadsgrandparents at Chapel Hill. I have only vague memories of this periodof time and remember when my family relocated to Judah where my fatheroperated a grocery store and garage and my mother worked for RCA Victorin Bloomington. Mom did not drive and had to ride with someone to workor my father took her.

      Joyce Petty learned to drive after our family moved to Arthur, Missouriin 1958. My father owned a white, 1962 Chevrolet that he traded to myuncle John David Petty. In return, my father got a 1958, ugly, pucecolored Chevrolet. It was this car that mom learned to drive. Mom nevergot the hang of driving a standard transmission (the 62 was manual), butdid well with an automatic.

      Mom and dad fought a great deal about money. Dad was an independent sortof man who preferred to remain self-employed. Mom always thought ourfamily would be better off financially if dad worked for someone else.One thing about the arrangement, dad was always around and none of uskids ever had a babysitter, unless one of the aunts or grandparents keptus.
    Family ID F8149  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 2 Living Petty 
    Family ID F8150  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart