Vern Bertram age 73 of Colome, SD passed away on Staturday, March 6, 2010 at the Winner Regional Healthcare Center in Winner. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 10:30 AM at Trinity Lutheran Church in Winner. Burial will be in the Colome Cemetery. Visitation will begin on Tuesday, March 9th from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM with a 7:00 PM prayer service at the church.

Vern was born January 20, 1937 on the family farm to Frank and Bertha (Mavis) Bertram. He had 13 brothers and sisters.

Vern attended Stewart Country School until high school where he attended Colome High School. He enjoyed football, basketball, and track, and was the captain of all three his senior year, as well as the Homecoming King. Following his graduation in 1956, Vern enlisted in the Army and was stationed in Italy.

Vern married Marcia Soderholm on January 12, 2008. Vern loved life and being around people, spending time with family, having coffee, joking and teasing. Whether he was trucking, farming, harvesting, or working on his building and house, Vern was always busy. Most recently, he worked at Simplot. Everyone knew he had opinions that HE believed to be facts. He loved kids and was a proud father and “Papa” Vern.

Thankful for sharing his life are his wife, Marcia; five children: Laurie (Bob) Anderson, Winner, Rick (Denise) Bertram, Hinckley, OH, Tennille (Tim) Fitzgerald, Riverside, NJ, Brandon Bertram, Greenville, NC, and Tianna Bertram, Elkhorn, NE; 11 grandchildren: Zach (Sarah) Anderson, Josh Anderson, Claudia, Jared, Michaela, Lucas, Annika, and Ethan Bertram, Lauren, Blaine, and Ryah Fitzgerald; his brothers: Guy, Winner and Larry (Sherry), Colome; sisters, Millie Kaiser, Winner, Dorothy Bigelow, Winner, Maxine (Marlan) Larsen, Colome, and Joyce Smith, Omaha, NE, his mother-in- law Opal Soderholm, Slayton, MN; sister-in-laws Gail (Jim) Tucker, Tucson, AZ, Lynette (Doug) Sieve, Slayton, MN, and his brother-in-law Kurt (Kathy) Soderholm, New Ulm, MN.

He was preceded in death by his parents Frank and Bertha Bertram; brothers: Willis, Allan, Richard, Harold, and Bud; and his sisters: Erlene Ring and Lois Clark; and father-in-law Leland Soderholm; and brother-in-law Alan Soderholm.