Laverne H. Wegmann

LaVerne H. Wegmann, 80, of Riverdale, Iowa, died Tuesday, May 16, 2006 at his residence. Funeral services will be 11:00 A.M., Friday, May 19, 2006 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Bettendorf, where he was a member. Visitation will be held from 4:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. Thursday at McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home, Bettendorf. A Christian Wake Service will be held at 6:00 P.M. Thursday evening at the funeral home. Burial with
military rites conducted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9128 of Bettendorf will be in Rock Island National Cemetery, Rock Island, Illinois. Memorials may be made to Our Lady of Lourdes Choir.
LaVerne was born January 28, 1926 in Dyersville, Iowa, the son of Ludwig and Nellie (Tauke) Wegmann. He was united in marriage to Mary Kathryn Murphy on August 16, 1952 in Davenport, Iowa. She preceded him in death on May 9, 2000.
In his early years, LaVerne was employed as an electrician for the former Besler Corporation where he wired locomotives. He then worked for the Alcoa Company, first as an electrician and then as a maintenance planner and scheduler. He retired from Alcoa in 1988 after 35 years of employment. LaVerne also served as Fire Chief of the Riverdale Fire Department for 25 years. He was very active in his church and had sung in the church choir for many years. Recently, he was a volunteer driver for the Mississippi Valley Blood Bank. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9128 and the Pleasant Valley Lions Club.
LaVerne enjoyed fishing trips to Canada and Minnestoa and had at times served as a fishing guide in Minnesota. He was also a Northwoods Chef and enjoyed cooking for friends and family.
In earlier years he and Mary had enjoyed ballroom dancing.
Those left to honor his memory include his daughters, Theresa Hupp, of Bettendorf, Sandra Schloemer and her husband, Michael, of Knoxville, Iowa, Rita Mendel and her husband, Joe, of Delaware, Ohio, Julia Diercks and her husband, Allen, of Riverdale, and Laura Gould and her husband, Tom, of Davenport; his sons, John Wegmann and his wife, Melissa, of Monmouth, Illinois, and Michael Wegmann and his wife, Lisa, of Bettendorf; twelve grandchildren; one great-grandchild; his sisters, Jean Cox and her husband, Francis, of Manchester, Iowa, Carol Bean and her husband, Lloyd, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Janice Russ of Delhi, Iowa; and his brothers, Merle Wegmann and his wife, Pat, of Conroe, Texas, and Richard Wegmann and his wife, Judy, of Beaufort, South Carolina.
In addition to his wife, Mary, he was preceded in death by his sister, Mary.
Online condolences may be expressed to the family by visiting LaVerne’s obituary at www.McGinnis-Chambers.com.