Vernon Bryce McDaniel of Pacific Palisades passed away on November 27. He was loved by family and friends, and he is missed.
Vern was born at home on February 9, 1933, in a rural community outside of Rifle, Colorado. He was the youngest of eight children—two girls and six boys—born to Lena May Starnes and Ralph Leroy McDaniel. Vern was educated in the one-room schoolhouse across the street from the family farm before attending Grand Valley High School in Battlement Mesa.
Vern served in the Navy from 1950 to 1954, where he trained as an electrician and was posted to an aircraft carrier in the region during the Korean War. He later received a degree in electrical engineering at California State University, Long Beach, and he made a career in the aerospace industry. He got his start working for an engineering firm contracted with George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. government’s civilian rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center. The last two decades of his career were devoted to the Space Shuttle program.
In 1962, Vern was invited to lunch at the home of a work acquaintance, where he met Camille Beaufour, who had recently emigrated from France. He was immediately smitten, and they were soon engaged. During this period, he delighted in introducing his fiancé to the families of several of his brothers, who had also located to Southern California. Vern and Camille were married on June 1 of the following year.
Vern and Camille purchased their Pacific Palisades home in 1966, and they lived there through the end of their lives. Vern had a lively, upbeat spirit. He loved to play at the beach with his children while they were growing up, and he would lead the family on day hike excursions throughout the Santa Monica Mountains. He loved to be in nature, and he passed that enthusiasm onto both of his children.
After his retirement, Vern and Camille broadened their horizons, traveling in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, as well as throughout North America. While at home, they enjoyed spending time with close friends and family.
Vern was predeceased in 2015 by his wife of 51 years and is survived by their daughter, Diane McDaniel (husband Philippe Browning); their son, Patrick McDaniel (wife Charleen McDaniel); and four grandchildren: Dexter Browning, Eva Browning, Dylan McDaniel and Riley McDaniel.
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