LaVerne LaBarge

LAVERNE LABARGE

Anamosa

LaVerne LaBarge, 85, passed awy on Friday, May 22, 2020, at his home following a brief illness.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Tuesday, May 26, 2020, at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Anamosa, with interment in the St. Joseph Cemetery in Prairieburg with military honors. Father Nick March will officiate at the services. With the COVID-19 pandemic, this service is private for the family. Goettsch Funeral Home in Anamosa has taken LaVerne and his family into their care. Please sign LaVerne's guestbook at www.goettschonline.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Anamosa Fire Department.

Surviving are his wife, Carolyn; two sons, Mike and Dennis (Lisa) LaBarge, all of Anamosa; two grandsons, Jeff (Macy), Maple Grove, Minn., and Curtis, Cedar Rapids; and his siblings, Rosemary LaBarge, Marion and Francis (Pat) LaBarge, Fairfax.

He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, LeRoy and Donald; and a sister, Kathy.

LaVerne Dennis LaBarge was born on June 25, 1934, in Brown Township, Linn County, Iowa. He was the son of Clifford and Clara Lawrence LaBarge. He received his education at St. Joseph Catholic School in Prairieburg. LaVerne worked at LaPlant-Choate in Cedar Rapids, before he married Carolyn VanAlst on April 10, 1956. He was drafted soon after the wedding and served in the U.S. Army. Following his military duty, LaVerne worked at Clinton Engines in Maquoketa, the Anamosa Creamery, Smith Oil Company in Anamosa, and was the manager of the first Theisen's Store in Anamosa. He worked the longest for Borden's Dairy (later Swiss Valley) as a milk distributor. In retirement, LaVerne drove a Jets Bus for Jones County.

LaVerne was a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus. He served on the Anamosa Fire Department for 33 years. He enjoyed tinkering with his tractors and working on his acreage. His greatest love was his family, especially his grandsons.