June Bug's

• Vern started at Kimball's in the spring of 1952. June Bug’s father Vern Norton Sr., worked for Darwin Kimball's founder of Kimball Appliance, his father, Harvey Kimball, at Kimball's feed store that used to sit on the corner of Lapeer and 7th Street. That is where Dad first worked driving delivery truck.

  June Bug was 13 years old when he started driving a truck for Harvey. How is that possible, you ask?

  Well, he got a special permit to drive the truck. He got stopped once and the officer noticed that Dad was sitting on a pillow and was really questioning this. The officer did say that Dad handled the truck as good as or better than a full–grown man. The officer followed Dad back to the feed store and talked to Harvey. From what I was told, Harvey went to a friend he had in the court (Judge Stay) and got Dad a special permit to drive, only for delivery purposes only.

  He also told me that if he wanted to go on a car date, he always had a bad of feed or straw or something on the back of truck in case he got stopped. He also had a backup in case anyone called a customer told him to give them his phone number and would back him up and say he was expecting a delivery, pretty smart.

  Try to do that in today's world. This sort of thing just doesn't happen anymore.

  He worked for Harvey Kimball mostly until he started caddying for Darwin. Then June Bug said he then started at Kimball Appliance Full-Time.

Darwin Kimball was part owner of Midwest foundry in Marysville, Michigan, which for about 5 years. June Bug worked his way up to a foreman quickly with hard work and dedication. But, as many foundries did, it closed, so June Bug still being Darwin’s employee just went back to his first love—appliances—and has been with appliances ever since. Then as years past, he worked for Darwin’s son Charles “Chick” Kimball and then finally to current owner and special friend, Nick Bondarek whom June Bug told me personally he was the best boss he ever worked for in all of his 67 years working.

June Bug also told me that the new appliances would come in on train cars instead of today's standard shipping by truck. They would have to go to the train yard with the delivery trucks and unload the train cars by hand.

June Bug also remembers when they were still using the meters that Darwin Kimball installed on refrigerators during the depression. These meters were a way for people to pay for their new refrigerator without having a big payment. I believe they would put in a dime or a quarter each day and the refrigerator would run for 24 hours. Which of course June Bug had to go around still when he started and collected the coins every week because people liked this method of payment and did it well into the mid 1950s.

In his spare time, which was not much, June Bug had his own fireplace wood business called "Juniors Fire Wood" for numerous years. When he decided to give up cutting wood in 1977, due to lack of supply, June Bug and two other men went into business and opened World of C.B. during the huge C.B. craze of the 1970s on Pine Grove Ave, where Applebee's sits today. Tim Struble his faithful employee and close friend operated the C.B. shop until closed after over 40+ years of business.

Still to this very day, June Bug has that old C.B. Radio in Kimball's delivery truck. You may even pass him on the road and see him talking on it with a big smile.

June Bug also is a "gear head". He loves classic cars. He has a 1951 Ford called "Great Balls of Fire," which he has owned since about 1975. He traded an old farm tractor for it. I remember the day he brought it home, he literally brought parts of it home in baskets that they used when picking apples. I remember that the baskets came in handy when one would get empty, needless to say, one at a time.

With Bill Hauver and Tim Struble’s help, the car was ready road just in time for his partner of 40 years, Bill Hauver's, wedding in 1977. The car was a Hawaiian Bronze then, which he later changed to midnight blue and stayed that way 'til 1994 when the car was transformed and painted white with flames and "Great Balls of Fire" was born. He loved to drive in cruises or car shows with his Ford whenever he had a chance.

June Bug also served in the U.S. National Guard for 6 Years, and the U.S. Army for 2 years.

June Bug also loved the Detroit Tigers. He also liked to play softball in the local church league back in the 1980s. Also, a lot of you may remember when June Bug had wood working as a hobby, on a delivery you may not get away from him before he could sell you a window frame with sconces, a center piece or his last pieces, a cow or teddy bear bank.

He has been supported by a loving wife, Darlene, of 59 years. And also his son Andy. Bill Hauver, his delivery partner and friend whom has been on the passenger side of the Kimball delivery Truck for 48 years (since 1972-2020).

"Junebug" Vern Clifford Norton June 19th 1939 - May 25th 2024

“You ask me how I know, it is because he is my Dad and friend”

• So, when it comes to knowing the appliance business and how to treat customers, the saying is true…

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