Alice Vernon

Alice Avonne Vernon passed away on April 1st, 2026.

She was born in Moline, Kansas on June 23, 1933, the daughter of Lawrence and Zelma (Carter) Terry. She grew up in Topeka, graduating from Topeka High School, and earning a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Washburn University. In high school and college, she was a member of volleyball, basketball, and synchronized swimming teams. She was an athlete all her life, completing several triathalons in her fifties, and often winning her age group in Topeka’s Tinman Triathalon.

Alice loved spending summers on her aunt Aletha and Uncle Jim’s farm as a child. She loved animals, especially horses, owning two as a teenager, riding for pleasure and also participating in barrel racing. As an adult, she assisted with therapeutic horseback riding for children with special needs.

Alice’s mother was a medical secretary at the VA hospital, and she encouraged Alice to learn typing. However, Alice never learned to type, because when her mother signed her up for a summer typing class, she got a job teaching swimming in a municipal pool, and unbeknownst to her working mother, taught swimming instead of learning typing. This was the beginning of a career lasting sixty years, during which she taught several generations of Topekans to swim in her backyard pool, and trained many new swim instructors. When her children joined the swim team, she became a coach for the Topeka Swim Club.

Alice also taught aerobic dance, step, and other physical fitness classes at the YMCA and the YWCA. Besides becoming fit, her students had great fun in her classes, and many of them became dear friends, and danced and stepped with her for decades.

Alice met her husband Gayle at the wedding of their friends Bobbie and Blackie Blackburn. Alice and Gayle were married on December 11, 1955. They raised their family in Topeka, with short stints in Phoenix and Los Angeles.

Alice was an extraordinary mother. She taught her children to be independent, and she appreciated and respected their different personalities. She steadfastly helped them through many ups and downs, loving them unconditionally. She taught them to notice and enjoy beauty. She supported them in everything they did. One summer she let her daughter take her car to a summer job on the east coast, and rode her bike around town all summer.

After retirement, Alice and Gayle traveled throughout the U.S. and the world. They loved seeing the world’s beauty in all its different manifestations – both its places and its people. They hiked in Colorado, Texas, Washington, the Grand Canyon, and Nepal, and they completed a hike around Mont Blanc in the Alps. They enjoyed visiting their children and grandchildren often, once taking grandchildren Clare and CJ on a fabulous glamping trip in the mountains of British Columbia.

Alice was a member of the First Congregational Church in Topeka. She was involved in the Alzheimer’s Association, organizing the first Memory Walk in Topeka, and helping with the planning and running of every Walk to End Alzheimer’s through 2025. She also served on several YWCA committees and boards, and was involved in planning the new YWCA building.

Alice is survived by her children Susan (Steve) Tabor, Paula (Jim) Glackin, and Jeff Vernon; grandchildren Clare Glackin and CJ Glackin; step grandchildren Sean Tabor and Austin Tabor; and many beloved family and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Gayle, and her sister Bonnie Parton.

Memorial services will be at The First Congregational Church, 1701 SW Collins Avenue, Topeka, Kansas on Tuesday, April 14 at 11:00 am. The family will greet friends an hour before the service. Burial will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery in Topeka. A visitation will be held at Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home, 1321 SW 10th Avenue in Topeka on Monday, April 13 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Gayle and Alice Vernon Scholarship at Washburn University to benefit women scholar athletes, Washburn University Alumni Center and Foundation, 1701 SW Jewell Ave., Topeka, KS 66621, or the Alzheimer’s Association, 8001 Conser St., Ste. 240, Overland Park, KS 66204.