LaVerne L DeMars

LaVerne Leo DeMars, age 83, of Mankato died Friday, November 28, 2008 at Immanuel-St. Joseph's Hospital, Mankato.

Funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, December 2, 2008 at Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Mankato with Rev. Jack Dahl officiating. Burial will be in Ft. Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis. Visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m., Monday at Mankato Mortuary and will continue one hour before service at church on Tuesday.

LaVerne was born June 28, 1925 to Leo and Antonia (Iverson) DeMars in Rockford, Illinois. He graduated from Elk River High School in 1943 and attended Mankato Commercial College. He served his country during World War II with the US Navy from 1943-1946, serving on the USS Enterprise in the Pacific Theatre. He was united in marriage to Hazel D. Frank on September 5, 1946 in Minneapolis, they were later divorced. LaVerne was employed by the Minneapolis Grain Exchange and then the US Postal Service for 35 years, and retired as Post Master of Kasota in 1986. He was a member of Our Savior's Lutheran Church and was a life member of the American Legion Post 11 and VFW Post 950 of Mankato. LaVerne enjoyed watching baseball and basketball, shuffle boarding, fishing and the outdoors, and wintering in Pharr, Texas.

LaVerne is survived by his four children, Peter (Sharon) DeMars of Maricopa, Arizona; Gary (Kari) DeMars of Minneapolis; Debra (Warren) Peterson of Mankato; Dan DeMars of Hawaii; ten grandchildren, Anne, James, Jill, Amy, Max, Ben, Elin, Joseph, Gustav, and Ava; three great-grandchildren, Leah, Jacob, and Leo; former wife, Hazel DeMars; seven sisters, Donna Jean Danberry, Shirley Fitzloff Hallberg (Lyle) all of Mankato, Rose Marie (Jim) Loeffler of Eagle Lake, Jackie (Mark) Haley, Janice Ellis all of Waseca, Kathy (Tom) Wright of Reston, VA, Pat (Tony) Staloch of Janesville; many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

LaVerne was preceded in death by his parents; two sisters, Darlene Kulseth and Joyce Hill.