Vernon K. Collett was born on June 3, 1964, in Warrensburg, Missouri, the son of Melvin and Joan (Kenney) Collett.

Vernon proudly graduated from Knob Noster High School in 1982. He dedicated his full-time career to the Johnson County Road and Bridge Department, where he worked diligently to serve the community. In 1995, he joined the Johnson County Fire Protection District as a firefighter, beginning a long and honorable commitment to emergency response. Throughout his years of service, he pursued extensive training, completing Fire Investigation courses in 2014, Grain Bin Rescue in 2015, and Fire Officer Training in March 2018. His expertise extended to ice rescue, trench rescue, and vehicle extrication, for which he trained in 2010.

Vernon’s leadership and dedication were recognized through his promotions, achieving the rank of lieutenant in 1997 and later being promoted to captain in 2011. His dedication to his career left a lasting impact on his colleagues and the community he proudly served.

As much as Vernon loved and dedicated his life to his career, he was also a proud uncle to his two nephews, Jesse and Terral McKinney. He spent many hours at his farm with his nephews working on trucks, his beloved tractors, and anything else he felt needed to be fixed. He always had his beloved father, Melvin, by his side making sure they were getting work done. His love for his farm and the work he put into it made his nephews want to continue making him proud by finishing things he could not finish and keeping things in pristine shape for their uncle!

He will always be remembered as a loving uncle, son, colleague, friend, and firefighter. He is deeply missed by many and will always have a place in our hearts for the impact he made.