Vern L Marble

Vern “L” Marble passed away in Roseville, California on April 3, 2026.

He was born September 27, 1928, in Tremonton, Utah, to Maggie Rampton Marble and Silas LaRain Marble, joining his older sister, Peggy. The family later lived in several California communities, including Gustine, Chino, and Salinas. 

As a youth, Vern was active in student government, athletics, and church service. He played football, basketball, ran hurdles in track, and briefly played the clarinet. At age 13, during World War II, he began working summers on his family’s 3,000-acre farm near the Utah–Idaho border. There he learned the value of hard work while operating farm equipment, harvesting crops and caring for livestock. 

Vern entered Utah State Agricultural College at age 18, where influential agronomy professors shaped his future career and where he met his future wife, Mary Heckmann, previous to serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Northwestern States Mission. They were married on June 7, 1951, in the Logan Utah Temple. 

Vern earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Utah State University and later completed a Ph.D. in Plant Physiology at the University of California, Davis, in 1957. He briefly worked for Chevron Chemical Company before beginning a 34-year career with UC Davis as a Cooperative Extension Forage Specialist. 

Dr. Vern Marble authored or co-authored more than 230 publications and provided statewide leadership in California’s alfalfa hay and seed industry. He developed the alfalfa hay quality evaluation system still in use today, and chaired the National Alfalfa Hay Testing Association. His work included international consulting in more than a dozen countries and a United Nations FAO evaluation of alfalfa research in the Near and Middle East. In 1990, he received the Outstanding Alfalfa Extension Specialist Award from the American Society of Agronomy. He retired on September 30, 1991. 

After retirement, Vern and Mary served for three years as mission leaders in Zimbabwe. He also served as a bishop (twice), temple missionary and ordinance worker for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chile, Ecuador and California. 

A devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, he cherished family time. He loved fishing, baseball, music, and experiencing new cultures and their cuisine. He quietly served others, giving generously, often anonymously, to benefit others. 

Vern was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 66 years, Mary. He is survived by five children and their spouses: William Marble (Sandy), Deborah Naegle (John), Rodney Marble (Tori), Barbara Kirkham (Jeff-deceased), and Michelle Schetzel (Jason); 18 grandchildren; and 30 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 1:30pm, April 11, 2026 at 211 Estates Drive, Roseville, California.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the charity of your choice.