The beloved Seattle-area spokesman for Vern Fonk Insurance Agency passed away Sunday after a long battle with cancer at age 50.
For more than 20 years, Robert Thielke created and played in the colorful, over-the-top television ads for Vern Fonk, reminding high-risk drivers and homeowners in the Puget Sound area that they could still get insurance from the agency.
Thielke grabbed attention with his loud voice, exaggerated facial expressions and periodic spoofing of cultural touchstones like “Back to the Future,” “Napoleon Dynamite,” “X Factor,” and rapper Eminem.
Though many viewers thought Thielke was Vern Fonk himself, Thielke was just an employee of the agency founded in Seattle in 1952. An area native, Thielke grew up in East Seattle and quickly joined Vern Fonk after graduating high school.
“Vern hired him right out of the store and said he’d teach him the business,” said Joel Thielke, Robert’s younger brother.
Fonk retired in 1995, but not before pitching the idea for the silly commercials to Thielke. Beginning with a 1994 spoof of “Forrest Gump,” the ads made their mark and quickly improved business.
Between 1995 and 2010, Vern Fonk opened six new locations around Washington state before it was acquired by California-based Confie. Now, there are 23 locations for Vern Fonk throughout Washington and Oregon.
Confie said Thielke’s commercials were “instrumental in the company’s growth.” In 2013, he was even named president of the company.
He never lost his love for crafting commercials, however.
“He was involved in drama in high school and loved being in front of a camera,” said longtime friend Eric Matson. “So the fact that he became a local celebrity, he just loved it.”
Thielke died in his Snohomish home Sunday, surrounded by his wife and family. In his honor, Confie said they will air TV spots with a montage of Thielke’s best work and asked fans to remember the agency’s slogan: “Remember to honk when you drive by Vern Fonk.”
