06/19/2026
Flash - Back - Friday!
Happy Fathers Day to all the fathers out there. Celebrate your father.
Here we celebrate our founding father, Vernon Lipton Mickey.
Vernon was born on December 3, 1910, in Hoxie to Earl B. and Lucy H. (Lipton) Mickey. He grew up working with his father in the family business, Mickey Hardware. Vernon graduated from the Sheridan Community High School in 1929. In the early 1930s, Vernon attended Cincinnati Mortuary College in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Williams Institute in Kansas City. From 1939 to 1981, he owned and operated the Mickey Funeral Home in Hoxie.
Vernon was united in marriage to Isabelle Summerson on June 9, 1935, in Hoxie. Four children were born to this union: one son John and three daughters Ann, Marie, and Lois.
Vernon enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served from July 19, 1944, to November 24, 1945. He achieved the rank of Pharmacists Mate 3rd Class and served at the USNCTC Great Lakes Ill., and USNH Chelsea MA. During his service, his father Earl Mickey continued to run the funeral home during his absence. Vernon sold the Mortuary to his nephew David Leopold in 1981 but continued to assist in the funeral home until the time of his death. Vernon continued in the hardware business, later purchasing the store, and operating it until 1976 when he sold it to Joe and Mary Ellen Welshhon.
Vernon was very active in his community. He was involved in many civic organizations, maintaining memberships in the Hoxie chapters of the Lions Club, Elks Lodge, Masonic Lodge, Eastern Star and American Legion. He was also a member of the ISIS Shriners Organization in Salina and a former member of the Area Agency on Aging. He was a strong supporter of the youth of Sheridan County, lending his encouragement to the 4-H and Boy Scouts programs. He also served on the USD 412 Board of Education and the State Board of Education. His professional memberships included the Kansas and National Funeral Director's Associations and the State Board of Embalming. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church of Hoxie and an Elder on the Session at the time of his death.
Vernon and Isabelle were very passionate about Sheridan County history and the preservation of it. They loved it so much that they started the Mickey's Museum which is now the Sheridan County Historical Society and Mickey's Museum. The main building was built in 1963 and was a replica of an early day hardware store. They saw the great importance of preserving the history that not only informs us of the past but of the present and the future. Vernon and Isabelle gave freely of their time, energy, and personal resources to make sure that the history of Sheridan County did not disappear. Their vision was to see that the history of Sheridan County be preserved for future generations.
Vernon said goodbye to Isabelle on June 10, 1990, and laid her to rest in the Hoxie Cemetery. Vernon passed away on August 1, 1996, at the age of 85 four months short of his 86th birthday. He was laid beside his beloved Isabelle in the Hoxie Cemetery.
Do you remember the gentlemen sitting around the potbellied stove at Mickey Hardware sharing stories?
