Lavonne Ann Knerr

Ashton, Iowa La Vonne A. Knerr, age 84 of Ashton, and currently living at the Country View Manor in Sibley, died Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at the Osceola Community Hospital in Sibley, IA. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 AM, Monday, May 18, 2009 at St. Marys Catholic Church in Ashton, with Father John Vakulskas as celebrant. Burial will follow at St. Marys Catholic Cemetery in Ashton. Visitation will be Sunday, May 17th from 3:00 " 8:00 PM, with the family present from 6:00 " 8:00 PM at the Jurrens Funeral Home of Ashton, with a rosary service at 4:00 PM and a vigil service at 7:30 PM. La Vonne Ann (Stallman) Knerr was born on January 30, 1925, the daughter of Leonard and Rose (Dries) Stallman on a farm near Ashton, Iowa, the third of six children. She grew up there and attended St. Josephs Catholic School and graduated the twelfth grade in 1942. Following her graduating she moved to Sioux City, Iowa with her sister to and worked at the meat packing plant there. During that time she met her future husband Wallace Knerr of Ocheyedan, Iowa, and in June of 1945 they were married. Wallace was serving in the military as a Paratrooper during the time they where married and when he had to serve over seas, La Vonne moved back to the family farm to take care of her parents. La Vonne sold Avon for fifty-one years, and her customers extended three family generations. She also made many lifelong friends and received many top awards for the highest volume of sales. She enjoyed canning, cooking vegetables that she grew in her very large garden. She loved flowers and had flower beds around the house and also between the vegetables in her garden. She took pride in how the farm yard looked and worked very hard to keep it clean and neat. La Vonne was a member of the St. Marys Catholic Church in Ashton, where she sang in the choir and served as a member of the Catholic Daughters until her health declined. She was involved in 4-H in her younger years. She liked playing cards, crocheting, embroidery and most of all visiting family and friends. After suffering two strokes on the farm she was hospitalized for a few days and then transferred to Country View Manor in Sibley in April of 2007. La Vonne and her brother Irving where both residents of the Country View Manor and spent a lot of time together and liked to play checkers, until La Vonnes health got worse after suffering two other strokes. La Vonne is survived by her daughter, Doris Kay (husband, Elmer) Hinkson of Grand Junction, CO; one brother, Irving Stallman formerly of Ashton, of Country View Manor in Sibley; two sisters, Verna (husband, Dean) Kruize of Sibley and Mildred (husband, Herbert) Poss of Sioux City, IA; many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Leo and Rose Stallman; one brother, Virgil Stallman and one sister, Bernice Reiners.