Lavonne Vander Hamm

Ireton, Iowa ~ Lavonne Vander Hamm, 87, of Hawarden, Iowa formerly of rural Ireton, Iowa, passed away on Thursday, May 3, 2018 at the Hillcrest Health Care Center in Hawarden, Iowa.

Funeral Service will be 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 7, 2018 at the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Ireton, Iowa with Michael Boothby officiating. Burial will follow in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Ireton. Visitation with the family will be from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. with a Prayer Service at 7:00 p.m. Sunday at the Porter Funeral Home in Ireton. Condolences may be sent to www.porterfuneralhomes.com.

Maxine Lavonne (Courtney) Vander Hamm was born May 22, 1930 in rural Monona County, near Onawa, Iowa to Arlone (Ingle) and Charley Courtney. She was baptized as an infant (records burned) and rebaptized January 7, 1945 in the Onawa Methodist Church.

She attended country school (Herring Township) and graduated from Onawa High School May 1948. Lavonne then attended Wayne State Teachers College in Wayne, Nebraska for two years and received a teachers’ certificate. She taught elementary schools at Ireton, Atlantic and Cushing, Iowa each for 1 year.

Lavonne married Wallace Vander Hamm October 5, 1952 at the Onawa Congregational Church by Rev. Warren Bentz, the Methodist minister. She was confirmed and joined the St. John’s Lutheran Church of rural Ireton, Iowa November of 1954. She later transferred her membership to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Ireton on January of 1967.

Lavonne and Wally made their home on the farm northeast of Ireton where Lavonne was a busy wife and mother as they raised their three children. Lavonne enjoyed raising her chickens and doing her gardening. She always made sure that her family and any others were always well fed! She would make hot egg sandwiches for the morning lunch, then noon lunch, and follow that up with an afternoon lunch she would deliver out to the field. She was always the happiest when she was home cooking and being with her family. Lavonne had wonderful penmanship and was a great letter writer.

Lavonne and Wally seldom missed a church service at St. John’s or St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. They instilled in their children the value of faith and always assisted them with their religious education. They helped to start the fellowship time at St. Paul’s with Lavonne making all the cookies.

Lavonne’s beloved husband Wally passed away suddenly on June 30, 2015. Following his death, she started to make her home at Mica Hill and then Hillcrest Health Care in Hawarden.

Survivors include three children, daughter, Debra Rutlen and husband Craig of Minneapolis, Minnesota and her children, Thomas (Meredith) Bruner and Jonathan Rutlen; daughter Diane Schreur of Alcester, South Dakota and her children, Karen (Remco) Hermes, Rebecca (Ethan) Petersen, Ted (Kristi) Schreur, and Emily Schreur; and son, Robert Vander Hamm and wife Gail of Ireton, Iowa and their children, Kristy Damrau, Teri Vander Hamm, and Brian (Kara) Vander Hamm; 13 great-grandchildren; sister, Lottie Pierce of Onawa, Iowa; sister-in-law, Joan Osterkamp of Alcester, South Dakota; and nephews and nieces.

Lavonne was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Wally; brother, Charles Courtney and his wife Norma; and her sister, Loretta Gallatin and her husband Joe.

Visitation with the family

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM ,Sunday, May 6, 2018
Porter Funeral Home ~ Ireton
502 7th Street Ireton, Iowa 51027

Prayer Service

7:00 PM ,Sunday, May 6, 2018
Porter Funeral Home ~ Ireton
502 7th Street Ireton, Iowa 51027

Funeral Service

10:30 AM ,Monday, May 7, 2018
St. Paul's Lutheran Church
602 Main Street Ireton, Iowa 51027