Lavonne Richert

Richert, LaVonne (nee Nichols), age 93, formerly of Lake Elmo and in recent years living at Croixdale in Bayport passed away June 1st at the Cerenity Care Center in White Bear Lake.

LaVonne married Wilbur Richert on September 15, 1945. They spent their entire married life on their homestead adjacent to the Richert farm near Lake Elmo.
LaVonne was proud of her ancestry most notably the Mdewakanton Dakotah and French-Canadian heritage of her mother Sophia Mavis that was centered around Pt. Douglas and Grey Cloud Island in southern Washington County.

LaVonne was a devoted wife, mother, homemaker and a caring and proud Grandma and Great Grandma. While raising her children, she spent countless volunteer hours leading Christian education activities at St. John's Baytown Lutheran Church; providing leadership and guidance as a project leader in their 4-H club, and was a gifted and creative cake decorator of numerous wedding, anniversary, birthday and special occasion decorated cakes. She currently was a member of Salem Lutheran Church and had assisted with activities and administrative work at the Salem Church School for many years. With her husband Wilbur, they loved traveling in the U.S. and snowmobiling with friends in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. Many family vacations were spent at Duluth and along the North Shore of Lake Superior. Visiting the North Shore and her family in Sitka, Alaska were her most favored travel destinations.

LaVonne was preceded in death by her husband Wilbur; father Ervin Nichols; mother Sophia Mavis Nichols Paulson; step parents Henrietta Nichols and Herman Paulson; sister Doris Alexander; brother Richard Nichols; a nephew and two nieces. She is survived by a brother Roger Nichols (Shirley) of Beldenville, WI; sister-in-law Laverne Downs of Lake Elmo; daughters Sandra (James) Russell of Sitka, Alaska; Gloria (Bryan) Burns of Maple Grove; Leslee (Randy) Krebs of Stacy; son Weldon (LeeAnne) Richert of Hudson; one granddaughter Sara Russell (Dennis) Peterson of Sitka, AK; 8 grandsons and 9 great grandchildren: Jared (Lisa) Richert (Collin and Mason) of Hudson; Fred (Melanie) Richert (Freddie and CeCe) of Somerset; Max (Amanda) Russell (Payton, Callie, Anna) of Sitka, AK; Jon (Stacey) Richert (Cole and Lucas) of Chetek, WI; Joe and Andy Burns of Maple Grove and Zachary Krebs of Stacy. Also many nieces, nephews and friends.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 17th 1:30pm at the Bradshaw Celebration of Life Center in Stillwater with visitation one hour prior to the service. Private burial at St. Johns of Baytown Lutheran Church Cemetery.