LaVerne C. Vondran 1918-2008

SOAT, VONDRAN, COMPTON, CLEMONS, MAAS, OGDEN, GREENWALD, HANSON, MCCABE, MITCHLEY

Posted By: Volunteer
Date: 3/16/2008 at 18:50:27

LaVerne C. Vondran

LaVerne C. "Vern" Vondran, 90, 1381 Oak Park Place, Apt. 212, formerly of Bettendorf, Iowa, died at 2:20 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008, at The Finley Hospital, Dubuque.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Behr Funeral Home, 1491 Main St. Burial will be in Mount Calvary Cemetery, where military rites will be accorded by the American Legion, Dubuque Post 6. Friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.

He was born on Jan. 12, 1918, in Dickeyville, Wis., son of John A. and Catherine M. (Soat) Vondran. LaVerne attended school at Holy Ghost in Dickeyville. He joined the Army during World War II.

He married Helen J. Compton in 1937. He later married Ethel E. Clemons on Oct. 17, 1959, in Sandy Hook, near Kieler, Wis.; she preceded him in death in 1993.

Mr. Vondran was a logger in Cascade, Iowa, for a number of years. He moved to Dubuque and worked at the Battery Factory, drove truck, Caradco Manufacturing and retired from Klauer Mfg. Co.

In his younger days, Vern enjoyed dancing and drinking beer. He loved woodworking, especially wooden tulips and wishing wells. He was a true flirt with the girls and loved to have his picture taken.

Surviving are a daughter, Helen (Don Wernke) Maas, of Dubuque; a stepdaughter, Becky Ogden, of Des Moines; three sons: Bill (Inez) Vondran Sr., of Dubuque, John Vondran, of Coffee, Mo., and Michael (Brenda) Vondran, of Davenport, Iowa; a daughter-in-law, Sherry Vondran, of Davenport; a sister, Mildred Greenwald, of Monrovia, Calif.; two brothers-in-law, Vince Hanson, of Dubuque, and Bill Clemons, of Des Moines; and an aunt, Julia McCabe, of Platteville, Wis.

He also was preceded in death by: his parents; his former wife, Helen J. (Vondran) Lyons, a son, LaVerne A. "Butch" Vondran; two grandsons, Russell "Rusty" Vondran and Hunter A. Vondran; two brothers, Merlin Vondran and Norbert "Bud" Vondran; and three sisters, Dolores Mitchley, Margaret Hanson and Agatha Vondran.

The family wishes to thank Dr. Bruce Obbink and Dr. Mark Runde and the nurses and staff at The Finley Hospital for the care and concern they showed to LaVerne and his family. Also, thank you to Oak Park Place for all of their help.

Copyright (c) Woodward Communications, Inc. 2008, All Rights Reserved. Dubuque Telegraph Herald, Saturday, February 2, 2008