LaVerne Clark Jahlas, 20 Nov 1930 - 20 Jan 2020

JAHLAS, BURKE, HEITMAN, ROBERTS, SCANDRIDGE, SANDERSFELD, TRIMPE

Posted By: Sarah Witte (email)
Date: 1/30/2020 at 15:24:14

LaVerne C. Jahlas, 89, of Victor, died on January 20, 2020, at Highland Ridge in Williamsburg.

Funeral services are schedule for 10:00 a.m. Saturday, January 25th, at St. James Lutheran Church in Victor with Pastor Michael Kolesar officiating. Organist will be Teri Neuhaus. Pallbearers are his grandsons, Craig, Justin, Shawn, Nathan, and Dawson Jahlas and Paul Scandridge. Burial will be in Victor Memorial Cemetery.

Visitation will be held from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friday at the Smith Funeral Home in Victor with the Jahlas family present from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions may be designated to the LaVerne Jahlas Memorial Fund.

LaVerne was born on November 20, 1930, on the family farm, near Deep River, the son of Wilhelm Heinrich Johann and Maria Anna Emilie Burke Jahlas. He was baptized on December 14, 1930 and Confirmed into the Lutheran Faith on May 21, 1944 at St. John’s Lutheran Church. He was raised in the Deep River area while attending St. John’s Lutheran School in rural Iowa County.

On January 12, 1952, he was united in marriage to Earlene Elizabeth Heitman, at St. John’s Lutheran Church; a union of 68 years! The couple lived near Deep River and moved to Victor in 1961 while raising six children. He had been a resident at Highland Ridge since 2011.

LaVerne farmed near Deep River for several years and was employed as a custodian at HLV and LIS schools where he also drove a school bus. In 1970, LaVerne began his career as a maintainer operator for Iowa County. He retired in 1997 after 27 years and was considered one of the best operators the county has ever had!

LaVerne was a long-time member of St. James Lutheran Church and was very active as a trustee, elder Sunday School Superintendent and custodian. He was also a member and past president of the Victor Lions Club. He loved attending his children’s and grandchildren’s activities, playing Dart Ball, doing home repairs, and traveling. He enjoyed tending to his large vegetable garden and was a fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes and Chicago Cubs.

Survivors include his wife, Earlene of Highland Ridge in Williamsburg; five children, Vickie (Bill) Roberts of Victor, Kevin (LuAnn) Jahlas of Brooklyn, Kim (Chris) Jahlas of Victor, Rick (Renee) Jahlas of Belle Plaine, and Brad (Connie) Jahlas of Victor; a son-in-law, Dan Scandridge of Hartwick; one sister, Esther Sandersfeld of Homestead; 12 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; a daughter, Connie Scandridge; three brothers, Harold, Raymond, and William “Bill” Jahlas; two sisters, Mildred and Marie Trimpe; and two grandsons, Joshua and Kyle.

Smith Funeral Home website, an Abbreviated Version published in The Gazette on January 23, 2020