Vern Gilette

I cannot say that I knew Vern Gilette very well but I can say that I admired him from some distance. Vern was my idea of what a cowboy should look and act like. He was rather slender in build with broad shoulders and a shock of black hair. He wore a battered Stetson hat, chaps, beat-up boots and usually carried a gun. His modest spurs gave off a faint tinkle as he walked and he did not have very much to say about anything. Vern was quiet and self contained. He and my Dad were fast friends having great respect for each other. His ranch was on Haigler Creek northwest of ours and we often rode together to work our cattle. Vern's wife, Jo, was a wonderfully warm friendly person and a joy to be around. The Gilettes tended to shop mostly in Payson since Jo's family lived there. I have recently become good friends with Frank, their oldest son.