Vernie Lou Shockley

A funeral service celebrating the life of Vernie Lou Shockley, age 94, of Newark, will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21, at Criss Wagner Hoskinson Funeral Home with Pastor Josiah Beougher officiating. Burial will follow in Fairmount Cemetery.

Friends may call from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. prior to the service at the funeral home, 179 Granville Street in Newark.

Vernie was born April 10, 1932 in Buckhannon, West Virginia to the late Walter and Donis (Dawson) Caynor. She passed away on Thursday, April 16, 2026 at Licking Memorial Hospital.

Vernie was primarily a homemaker but had owned her own restaurant in Hanover years ago. An avid vegetable gardener for most of her life, Vernie invested endless hours in her garden, cultivating an array of vegetables and enjoying the bounty of her labor. She was a member of the Newark Eagles and loved to go there to listen to music and socalize.

She is survived by two sons, Charles Edward “Ed” Bennett and Donald Bennett; grandchildren, Charlie, Donnie, Adam, and Brian; great grandchildren, Carter (with whom she had a special bond), Ellie, Lilly, Nancy, Bailey, and J.D.; and many nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Lester "Whitie" Shockley; and by three brothers, Marvin Caynor, Clifford Caynor, and Leo Caynor; and sisters, Ruby West and Mary Armstrong.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Licking County Humane Society.

Criss Wagner Hoskinson Funeral Home is honored to care for Vernie and her family.