Born in Rochester, NY, Vern graduated from Spencerport High School in June 1950, after which he served as a sonarman in the Navy for two years.  While in the Navy, he successfully competed for assignment to the Naval Academy Prep School, later graduating from USNA with the class of 1956, a member of the Ninth Company.

After commissioning, he completed flight training and flew AD’s for the next four years while deployed on two different aircraft carriers.  His subsequent Navy duty was as the First Lieutenant of Spiegel Grove (LSD-32).  He then had a tour at the Defense Intelligence Agency, followed by consecutive tours aboard destroyers Norfolk (DL-1) and Wallace L. Lind (DD-703).  Shore duty followed in OPNav, then back to sea duty as Executive Officer, Francis Marion (APA-249).  After graduation from the Armed Forces Staff College, he served a tour as naval attaché and naval attaché for air in Cambodia.  Next, he returned to the Armed Forces Staff College as an instructor, and then took command of his old friend, Spiegel Grove.  After a tour in Okinawa, his final duty was on the staff of Commander, Fifth Naval District, in Norfolk, VA.  He retired as a Captain.

In retirement Vern worked for Radio Shack and later formed his own computer company, Customized Data Services, Inc.  He died of emphysema on 20 April 2002 and is survived by his daughter, Leslie Corpuz of Virginia Beach, VA; and son, Vernon R. Bush, Jr. of Beaufort, NC.