A most dedicated man of faith. The members of St. Paul’s in Ogilvie spoke of how dedicated he was to serving their congregation. And, a long time ago, when I first came to Holy Cross in St. Cloud, the ladies of their afternoon LWML told me that as far as they were concerned, Vern and his brother were considered to be “sons of the congregation” who had entered the ministry because they had worshipped at Holy Cross while attending SCSU. Vern was blessed with a heart for people and an even bigger heart for Jesus and sharing His love with the people who had been entrusted to his pastoral care. A humble servant of the Lord…and now he has heard the words in person from Jesus Himself: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord.” May our gracious Lord fill your hearts with His peace and comfort.
Vernon H. Dorn
August 9, 1942 – May 3, 2026
Services
Schedule Details
A visitation will be held on Thursday May 21 from 4pm – 7pm, and on Friday May 22 from 10am – 11am followed by an 11am celebration of life at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Inver Grove Heights followed by burial and lunch.
Vernon H. Dorn, age 83, of Blaine, MN passed away on Sunday, May 3, 2026 at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids surrounded by family.
A visitation will be held on Thursday May 21 from 4pm – 7pm, and on Friday May 22 from 10am – 11am followed by an 11am celebration of life at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Inver Grove Heights followed by burial and lunch.
Vernon was born on August 9, 1942 to Victor and Cleo Dorn in St. Paul Minnesota. He graduated from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, MN, and Concordia Theological Seminary in Springfield, IL where he met the love of his life, Wanda. They were married on August 5, 1967 and soon after he entered the full-time ministry serving congregations in Minnesota, Iowa, and Michigan over the next 58 years. He loved to travel and visited multiple locations on five continents. His favorite destination was the Holy Land leading over a dozen tours of sites mentioned in the Bible. He’ll be missed by his family and many friends in congregations past and present.
He is survived by his wife, Wanda; children, Andrew (Corie Jo) Dorn, Amy (Eloy) Dorn-Fernandez, Matthew Dorn, and Tammy (Bill) Mellin; siblings, Victor(Terry) Dorn, and Louise (Bill) Bohrer; brother-in-law, Bill (Betty) Saville; grandchildren, Elaine Dorn, Abigail Dorn, Noah Dorn, Sophia Dorn, Rayna Dorn, Nicolas (Rachel) Fernandez, Miranda Fernandez, Bryce Mellin, Emma Mellin, and Brady Mellin, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family.
He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Julie Saville.
In Lieu of flowers memorials are preferred to Jews For Jesus at jewsforjesus.org or Pastor’s Study at pastorsstudy.org
IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND THE SERVICE BUT WISH TO VIEW REMOTELY PLEASE CLICK THE LIVESTREAM LINK BELOW AT 11:00 AM ON FRIDAY, MAY 22.
Guestbook
May the peace and comfort of Jesus resurrection be with each of you. I will always remember Vernon at the pastors continuing education classes.