Ed Lavalleur (1953)

LAVALLEUR, CONWELL, WADE, CRAWFORD, COHEE

Posted By: Mary Welty Hart (email)
Date: 1/13/2007 at 13:05:10

Winterset Madisonian, Winterset, Iowa
December 16, 1953

ED LAVALLEUR, 51, Died Saturday

Ed Lavalleur, the Winterset business man whose courage in carrying on a successful business in spite of a 25 year struggle against arthritis, finally succcumbed to the ravages of that illness at Ottawa, Ill., last Saturday, Dec. 12, 1953. His death occurred at the General hospital there, where he had been a patient the last two weeks. He was 51 years og age.

Mr. Lavalleur was born in Jasper county, near Colfax, on Sept. 27, 1902, a son of L. L. and Della Conwell Lavalleur, but most of his life was spent in Madison county. As a child, he came with his parents to Lorimor. They later lived on a farm in Madison county, north of Lorimor.

About 40 years ago the Lavalleur family came to Winterset, residing here about five years before moving to Howard, Kan., where they engaged in farming for seven years. Returning to Madison County about 33 years ago, this community had since been his home.

In partnership with his father, he entered the oil business here about 1925. They operated a service station at the east edge of Winterset, and a tank wagon business. He later operated the service station on the highway, one block south of the southeast corner of the square.

In 1940, he sold out his oil interests here, and opened his first Winterset locker plant, now known as the South Lavalleur locker. The next year he opened the locker plant at Pitzer, and in 1945, the North Lavalleur locker in Winterset. His final venture, the Peru locker plant, was opened in 1947.

Mr. Lavalleur was stricken with arthritis in 1929. In the ensuing years, his disability spread gradually, until the last few years he had been confined to bed most of the time, but despite the handicap under which he labored, he maintained an alertness, drive and cheerfulness, that enabled him to conduct a successful business and hold a wide circle of friends in this community.

Mr. Lavalleur was married in 1928 to Lucinda Wade, who survives him. He also leaves a step-daughter, Carolyn Cohee; a granddaughter, Donna Jane; his mother, Mrs. Della Lavalleur of Winterset; a brother, Harry Lavalleur of California; and three sisters, Velma, Alta, and Beatrice Lavalleur, all of Winterset.

Funeral services were held here Tuesday from the Anderson Home for Funerals, conducted by the Rev. Glenn Parrott, pastor of the Winterset Methodist church. Burial was made in Montpelier cemetery near Patterson.