FORT WORTH – Vernell Sturns, a pioneering public servant, civic leader, mentor, husband, father, uncle, grandfather, and great grandfather whose career helped shape Fort Worth and North Texas, passed away after a life defined by leadership, perseverance and service to others.
Visitation: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Thursday, August 27, 2026 in Memorial Suite C, Greenwood Funeral Home at 3344 White Settlement Rd., Fort Worth, Texas.
Funeral: 10:00 a.m. Friday, August 28, 2026 at Mount Olive Baptist Church, 301 W Sanford St., Arlington, Texas, with interment to follow at Greenwood Memorial Park, 3100 White Settlement Rd., Fort Worth, Texas.
Born into a family with deep roots in Rusk County in East Texas, Vernell’s journey took him from rural Texas to the highest levels of public administration in one of the nation’s fastest-growing regions.
He proudly attended Prairie View A&M University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Arts. After serving in the United States Air Force, Vernell began his public service career in Wichita, Kansas, during the 1960s. At a time of profound social change in America, he worked in municipal government and in police-community relations, helping address the difficult relationship between government and communities that historically had been excluded from positions of influence. He later pursued graduate studies at the University of Kansas where he obtained a master’s in public administration, preparing for a career that would span government, aviation, health care, education and civic leadership.
Vernell eventually returned to Texas and joined the City of Fort Worth, where he rose through the ranks to become assistant city manager. In 1984, he was appointed acting city manager, serving as the city’s chief administrative officer from December 1984 through March 1985. His service came at a time when relatively few African Americans held senior executive positions in major American cities, making his accomplishments especially significant.
After leaving Fort Worth city government, Vernell continued his career at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. In 1991, he was named executive director of DFW Airport, assuming leadership of one of the world’s largest and most important aviation facilities. His work at DFW placed him at the center of the extraordinary growth that was transforming North Texas into an international center for commerce, transportation and economic development. As a result, the Texas Senate formally recognized his appointment and accomplishments.
Vernell later brought his experience to the health-care sector and remained deeply involved in Fort Worth’s civic life. He proudly served as a Board Member for Harris Methodist Health Plan and the Moncrief Radiation Center. His leadership extended into higher education through his service to Texas Christian University, where he became a member of the TCU Board of Trustees and was later named Trustee Emeritus. He also served on the Board of Trustees at Jarvis Christian University in Hawkins, TX, and the Board of Visitors at Texas Wesleyan University and the University of North Texas.
He did all of this while remaining deeply committed to his community, serving as an advisor to many organizations, including the North Texas Commission, the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, the Fort Worth chapter of the Sickle Cell Disease Organization, North Texas Community Foundation, TXU Electric, and CP&Y Inc. He poured into his childhood community by serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of Fairview Title Company. He also worked alongside family and friends to co-found the Fort Worth Metro Black Chamber of Commerce, the North Texas chapter of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, and Southeast Fort Worth, Inc. (SEFWI), creating spaces and opportunities for diverse communities while promoting economic development across North Texas.
His accomplishments were significant not simply because of the positions he held, but because of the time in which he held them. He entered institutions and leadership positions where African Americans had historically been underrepresented and demonstrated, through competence, determination, and character, that those doors belonged open.
Yet those who knew Vernell understood that his life could not be measured only by titles and accomplishments. He was a mentor who encouraged younger public servants to keep learning and to persevere. He possessed a sense of humor and an ability to find joy even amid the pressures that accompany leadership. His influence extended across generations of public administrators, civic leaders, and professionals throughout Fort Worth and North Texas.
While public service was a large part of the Sturns family tradition, his family was the most important thing to him. He was a source of guidance and example, while also bringing fun and laughter. He loved his family fiercely, and nothing was more important to him than showing up for them. He attended sporting events, award ceremonies, school plays, and graduations, making a point of being there for his children, grandchildren, and other loved ones.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert Lee “R.L.” and Emma Sturns; his wife, Vera Sturns; and his brothers, Guardia B. Bennett and Riley Sturns.
He is survived by his wife, Debra Brown-Sturns; his children, Michael Sturns, Paula Sturns (Gerald), Robert Sturns (Cynthia) and Chris Kinchon (Caela); his grandchildren, Michael Sturns II, Allegra Sturns, Alexander Sturns, and Samuel Sturns; his great-grandson, Mikeelen Sturns; his brothers, Louis Sturns (Marilyn) and Wiley Sturns (Lucresia); his in-laws, Ettie Sturns and Frederick Brown (Rochelle); and a host of nieces, nephews, other family members and friends.
Vernell leaves behind a legacy seen throughout the community he served, in the institutions he helped lead, in the people he mentored, in the barriers he helped remove, and in the family he loved. His was a life of consequence, a life of service and, above all, a life that mattered. He will be deeply missed and proudly remembered.
