Vernon Dean Maples

Mr. Vernon Dean Maples, 90, died Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at Baptist Memorial Hospital – North Mississippi. The funeral will be Thursday, February 20, 2025, at 11:00 A.M. in the Chapel of Waller Funeral Home with Father Joe Tonos officiating. Visitation will be held prior to the service beginning at 9:30 A.M. Burial will follow the service in Eastover Memorial Cemetery.

Vernon was born on June 11, 1934, in Taylor, Mississippi, to the late Rosie Estelle Tidwell and Benjamin Walton Maples. He bravely served his country as a Seargent in the United States Air Force, before beginning his work with the United States Postal Service. As Postmaster for the University Post Office, Vernon was known for his diligent service on campus. He retired from USPS in 1989 and began working part time for The University of Mississippi NFSMI department. A lifelong resident of Mississippi, Vernon was an avid outdoorsman. He valued time spent in nature, whether deer hunting, fishing, or taking his boat out on the lake. He and a group of friends frequently visited Craig, Colorado to hunt elk, deer, and other game. When he wasn’t outdoors, you could find Vernon around the poker table with a group of friends he regularly played with. Though surrounded by friends, he was known for his stoic and serious poker face, tolerating no distractions while the game was going. Vernon found the most solace in his shop, devoting entire days to piddling around and working on his various and never-ending projects. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife of 68 years, Geneva McCoy Maples and his brother, J.B. Maples.

Vernon is survived by his daughter, Terry Richmond and her husband, Basil, of Oxford, MS; son, Tony Maples and his wife, Laura, of Batesville, MS; sister, Lynda M. Davis and her husband, DeLane, of New Albany, MS; brother, Freddy Maples of Oxford, MS; five grandchildren, Ginny Scott, Justin Richmond (Kelsey), Dustin Maples, Devin Maples, and Craig Richmond (Meredith); as well as nine great-grandchildren.

Expressions of sympathy or memorial contributions in Vernon’s memory may be made to the Lymphoma Research Foundation online at https://lymphoma.org/.