Obituaries : Lavonne (Koopman) Thompson

LaVonne (Koopman) Thompson, age 92, passed away on Saturday, December 15, 2018 at Virginia Gay Nursing and Rehab in Vinton. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am, Saturday, December 22, 2018, at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Van Horne with Rev. David Lingard officiating. Interment will be held at St. John Cemetery in Newhall. Visitation will be held from 9:45 until 10:45, Saturday at the church. A memorial fund has been established. LaVonne was born on January 11, 1926 in rural Newhall, the daughter of John and Ilma (Hertle) Koopman. She was baptized on February 28, 1926 and confirmed on March 27, 1940 at St. John Lutheran Church in Newhall. She graduated from Newhall High School. On April 13, 1947, she was united in marriage to Russell Thompson. The couple farmed in the Van Horne area and LaVonne worked as a study hall supervisor at Benton Community until her retirement in 1988. LaVonne and Russell enjoyed wintering in New Braunfels, TX with their Van Horne friends. She was a member of St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Tara Hills Country Club and Trees forever in Van Horne. In her leisure, she enjoyed golfing, bowling and participating in various card clubs. LaVonne loved to follow her grandchildren’s school activities and sporting events. Her greatest joy was spending time with great-grandchildren. She is survived by her children, Cynthia (Mark) Albers of Decorah, Douglas (Nancy Knapp) Thompson of Van Horne; three grandchildren, Amy (Jon) Peterson of West Fargo, ND, Brad (Martha) Albers of Chicago, Justin (Lindsey) Albers of Decorah; four great-grandchildren, Brock Peterson and Paige Peterson-with whom she shared a birthday, Elisabeth Albers and Marit Albers; and her brother-in-law Niels Schmidt of Becker, MN. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Russell; brother Donald (Mildred) Koopman and her sister Delores Schmidt. On-line condolences may be left at www.phillipsfuneralhomes.com