A Celebration of Life Service for LaVonne S. Schroeder, 84, of St. James, Minnesota will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday morning, May 28, 2015, at the First Lutheran Church in St. James.
Interment will be in Mount Hope Cemetery in rural St. James.
Visitation will be at Kramer Family Funeral Home in Trimont, Minnesota, located at 71 Second Avenue S. E., on Wednesday, May 27, 2015, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. A second visitation will be at the church the day of the funeral service from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Pastor Maggie Cumings will officiate at the services.
LaVonne Schroeder passed away on Friday afternoon, May 22, 2015, at Mayo Clinic Health System-Mankato, Minnesota.
Messages of Sympathy may be sent to the family on line at www.kramerfuneralhome.com.
LaVonne Sarah Sandmeyer was born on October 26, 1930, the daughter of Herman and Marie Ellen (Hanson) Sandmeyer in a rural farm house northwest of St. James, delivered by her grandma, Sarah Hanson. She was born in the same house in which her eventual daughter-in-law, Nanette Watkins grew up. LaVonne was baptized and later confirmed both at Salem Lutheran Church in Comfrey, Minnesota.
She grew up on a farm by Comfrey. LaVonne attended country school through the sixth grade. She could read before she started school and talked about her open sleigh rides to school in the winter months. LaVonne attended two years of town school in Comfrey. She was employed doing domestic work for various neighbors and family members and later was employed at Scherr-Tumico Plant in St. James.
In 1952, she moved to St. James until she was united in marriage to Armand Schroeder on June 6, 1953 at First Lutheran Church in St. James. After their marriage they lived on a farm in rural Mountain Lake, Minnesota and then in rural St. James.
After Armand’s death on August 29, 1988, she moved into St. James. LaVonne was employed at the A & W-DeToys in St. James until it closed.
She was a member of First Lutheran Church in St. James and was a volunteer with Thin Blue Line Memorial Vehicle, Watonwan County Relay for Life and with NPK (Nicholas P. Koenig) Hero Foundation.
She was an avid reader, enjoyed doing crossword puzzles, gardening, doing difficult word find puzzles, baking and listening to music by Daniel O” Donnell and the Statler Brothers. When she could, she enjoyed watching her grandchildren’s and great-grandchildren’s sporting and school events.
She is survived by her six children, Fred (Diane) Schroeder of Sterling, Virginia, Roger (Nanette) Schroeder of Northfield, Minnesota, Shirley (Norman) Anderson of rural St. James, Ron (Renee) Schroeder of Butterfield, Shelly (Mike) Corry of Mankato and Sherrey Schroeder of North Mankato, Minnesota; 11 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; four sisters, Mildred (Lloyd) Weckwerth of Springfield, Minnesota, Norma (Marlyn) Sieg of rural Truman, Minnesota and Joyce Sandmeyer and Mary Ellen Sandmeyer both of St. James; sister-in-law, Carolyn Sandmeyer of St. James and several nieces and nephews and other relatives and friends.
LaVonne was proceeded in death by parents, Herman and Marie Sandmeyer; husband, Armand Schroeder; brothers, Jerry Sandmeyer and Norman Sandmeyer; sister, Doris Mae Ayers and other relatives.