Finding the right home for his clients and helping them purchase it was a challenge Vern J. Konen never tired of, family members said. “He’d go the extra mile, scrambling to help them get financing or do whatever it took,” said his daughter, Karla Heimann. “He treated his clients as if they were family.” Mr. Konen, 79, of Aurora, the owner-operator of Vern Konen Real Estate Inc. in Aurora, died after a yearlong battle with leukemia Sunday, Aug. 1, in Provena Mercy Center in Aurora. Born and raised in Aurora, Mr. Konen was a graduate of Marmion Military Academy. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he studied to be an electrician. In 1958, Mr. Konen began working for Randy Hutchinson Real Estate in Aurora as an independent salesman and contractor. He received his broker’s license a year later. In 1970 he opened his real estate business, selling residential and commercial property, until he closed the business in the late 1980s. Over the years Mr. Konen also developed and helped build dozens of homes in the Johnston and Konen subdivisions in Aurora. “He was a very honest businessman, always maintaining the highest ethical standards,” his daughter said. Mr. Konen was president of the Aurora Board of Realtors in 1966. In 1974 he was honored with the Realtor of the Year Award from that board and served as president and chairman of the board of the Greater Aurora Chamber of Commerce in 1978. In 1990, Mr. Konen was elected to the Aurora Board of Realtors Hall of Fame. “He was respected in the community, not just for his work as a realtor but also for the kind of person he was,” his daughter said. Mr. Konen was a lifelong member of Annunciation Catholic Church, where he served as a lector and Eucharistic minister for many years. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Western Catholic Union. Other survivors include his wife of 56 years, Marie; a son, Kevin; his stepmother, Ceil; two brothers, James and Vince; two sisters, Marilyn Nickels and Audrey Kayzar; two stepbrothers, Pete and Jerry Jungels; a stepsister, Dolores Dunn; and two grandchildren. Services have been held.
