ALBRECHT, LaVonne Anne (Luloff, Maas) 1932-2017

ALBRECHT, LULOFF, BONORDEN, MAAS

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 4/16/2017 at 12:57:50

ROCKFORD, IOWA - LaVonne Anne (Luloff) Albrecht, 84, of Mesa, Arizona, and formerly of Rockford, Iowa, died Wednesday, March 1, 2017, in Mesa, Arizona, from complications during surgery.

A memorial service will be at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, April 21, 2017, at Zion Lutheran Church in Rockford, Iowa.

Interment will follow the lunch at the New Hampton Cemetery in New Hampton, Iowa.

LaVonne Anne (Luloff) Albrecht was born December 28, 1932, on a farm near Brandon, Iowa, to Herbert H. and Mary A. (Bonorden) Luloff, joining her brother, Everett.

She was baptized January 1, 1933, at Westberg Lutheran Church. She attended Immanuel Lutheran Church in Independence, Iowa, where she was confirmed into the Lutheran faith on March 30, 1947. She attended school in Brandon, Iowa, and quit her junior year.

On September 29, 1950, she married Henry J. Maas and of this union she had two daughters, Darla and Diann. They later divorced.

On November 8, 1956, she was out with a friend at the Riviera Ballroom in Janesville, Iowa, where she met the love of her life, John W. Albrecht. On December 25, 1956, after a whirlwind courtship, they were married. He adopted Darla and Diann and they had the start of their family. They would then have eight more children, Debra, Donna, Doreen, Dorothy, Denine, DaNell, John and Darcy.

LaVonne was a jack of all trades. She could fix anything. She was an excellent artist (she would have us sit for her and do profile pictures), carpenter, quilter, seamstress, gardener, nurse, baker, cook, etc.

She settled into the life of a pastor’s wife and they moved around. In the early years they lived in Dubuque while John was in seminary. Their first parish was in Boyceville, Wisconsin, then on to Stratford, Wisconsin, Readlyn, Iowa, Joice, Iowa and finally Rockford, Iowa, where they lived until John retired and they moved to Mesa, Arizona in October of 2000. She had various jobs to help with expenses raising 10 kids.

She loved to travel and took various trips around the United States, visiting all states except Alaska. She also made three trips to Germany to visit relatives. She was very excited when she was able to go to Hawaii. We took several road trips and it was always an adventure. We couldn’t afford to eat out or get hotels, so we camped using a tent and with several children that was quite a feat. We would stop at grocery stores and mom and dad would go in, get bologna and bread and away we would go. Mom would make sandwiches on the road and pass them back to us. We didn’t have a lot of money but we have many fond memories.

LaVonne is survived by her husband of 60 years, Rev. John Albrecht. Daughters, DiAnn (Stanley) Gritzner of Plainfield, Iowa, Debra Albrecht of Bellflower, California, Doreen (Ross) Schreuder of Mason City, Iowa, Dorothy (Raymond) Vesper of Buckeye, Arizona, Denine (Dennis) Borchardt of Plymouth, Iowa, DaNell Albrecht of Scottsdale, Arizona and Darcy (Kevin) Murphy of Mason City, Iowa. One son, John L. Albrecht, of Mason City, Iowa, 21 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren. One brother-in-law, Theodore (Beth) Albrecht, two sisters-in-law, Ruth Moeller and Rita Luloff. Several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her two daughters, Darla Dee Allison and Donna Ruth Albrecht, her parents, Herbert and Mary Luloff, her brother, Everett, her Father and Mother-in-law, Otto and Renata Albrecht, and her brothers-in-law, Floyd, Otto and Robert.

Source: Mason City Globe Gazette, 16 APR 2017