Page Humphrey Vernon J.D. ’81 died Wednesday, February 20, 2013, in her home. It was a beautiful sunny morning, much like Page herself.
Page was born in Warsaw, NY, April 30, 1952 where she grew up with her parents Harriott Page Humphrey and Wolcott J. "Bud" Humphrey Jr., both deceased, and five brothers, Wolcott J. "Jay", deceased, Peter, John, Tom, and Mark Otis. In a house with five brothers, who called her "Princess", she learned to hold her own and was known for her sharp elbows.
Page loved her brothers, their wives, and families. She was the beloved "Aunt Page" to her nieces and nephews whom she loved deeply: Wolcott, Jamie (husband Todd and her children), Chris, Page, Katie, Thomas, Joe, Arielle, Haley, Jessica, and Danielle. She was overjoyed to spend time with these and her Summerlin kin, John, Tina, and John, Jr., at their family reunion in January 2013.  Page and her husband Jim were married October 10, 1981 in Warsaw, NY. They have resided at their home in northern Chatham County since 1983. Their children, Benjamin Tyler and Amos Alexander were born in 1984 and 1985 respectively and attended Chatham County schools through graduation. Ben is a law student at the University of Colorado-Boulder Law School. Amos is an actor and writer in Brooklyn, NY.  She was a loved member of the Vernon family, a daughter to Jim’s mother Nancy and his father Charles, a friend and sister to her husband’s siblings Eleanor, Catharine, Fox, and Patrick and their spouses. She cherished her time with her nieces Allison, Susanna, and Kate. Page enjoyed countless wonderful days with her family at their mountain cabin, "Sandy Bottom," in Celo, NC.  Over the course of more than thirty years in and around Chatham County, NC, Page built a large community of friends, with whom she enjoyed music, dancing, food, and the outdoors. She especially loved her time spent at the beach, in the mountains, and in the yard with the "Five Families."  Page graduated from Trinity College in 1974, and Santa Clara University School of Law in 1981. She began her career in Chapel Hill in 1981 as assistant district attorney for Orange and Chatham Counties. While raising a family, she wrote for the UNC School of Government before joining the law firm of Barber, Bradshaw and Vernon in 1991 where she practiced until 2002. Her special interest in children and education then led her to the Juvenile Criminal Law Clinic at the UNC School of Law and later Duke University School of Law’s Children’s Education Law Center. After several years as a volunteer guardian ad litem, Page was elected District Court Judge and served from 2008 through 2011. The judge’s robe fit Judge Vernon perfectly and she wore it with dignity, grace, and professionalism. Even her closest friends found it easy to call her "Judge".