Lavonne Perrott, 85, of Sheldon, Iowa passed away on January 15, 2019, in Surprise, Arizona following a short and courageous battle with cancer.
A celebration of life will be held at 11:00 AM, June 29th at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Sheldon with Pastor Craig Nissen officiating. Family visitation will be held from 9:30 AM until time of the service at the church with a luncheon to follow. Burial at St. Patrick Catholic Cemetery will be at 1:30 PM.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be directed to St. Paul Lutheran Church at 1425 Pleasant Court Drive, Sheldon, IA 51201 or the Sheldon Prairie Museum at PO Box 35, Sheldon, IA 51201. Online expression of sympathy can be sent at https://www.caminodelsol.com/
Lavonne was born to Robert H. and Margaret M. (Nickel) Ruesch on June 4, 1933, on a farm located in Elk Township, Minnesota nearing Reading, and was baptized in the Pfingsten Lutheran Church of Fulda. She attended the District 37 Rural School until 1943 when her family moved to a farm near Worthington, Minnesota where she attended public school and was a 1951 graduate of Worthington High School. During this time, Lavonne witnessed the transformation of farming from horses to mechanical equipment and rural electrification.
Lavonne was united in marriage to Vincent Perrott of Sheldon, Iowa on October 1, 1954, at the St. Patrick Catholic Church Rectory. They made their home in Sheldon where Vincent operated Perrott’s Auto Repair and Skelly station, and Lavonne became the mother of four children. She spent their early married years raising the children and instilling in them her values and sense of family.
When the children started school, Lavonne became bookkeeper for the family businesses, Perrott Sales and Service and later Trophy World. She and Vincent were a committed team in business as in life and were seldom seen apart. They enjoyed travel and spent every summer weekend with their children at the “Lakes”, first camping, and later at their summer West Okoboji home. In 1998, Lavonne and Vincent began wintering in Sun City West and retired in 2003, with the sale and closure of their businesses.
Following Vincent’s passing in November of 2005, Lavonne continued to winter in Sun City West where she was an active member of the community and various clubs. She enjoyed travel adventures, especially to Europe, Hawaii, and Alaska, and visiting her children. Summers were spent back in Sheldon and Lake Okoboji where she devoted time to gardening, canning, and making her famous lemon bars and rhubarb jam.
Lavonne became a fixture at Arnolds Park, attending concerts with friends, serving as a designated “grandmother” to accompany children on amusement rides, and socializing with visitors on a bench outside the Nutty Bar stand. She and her friends were patrons of the Park and developed close friendships with the crew of the Queen and others in the Park while enjoying boating and other amusement rides on weekends.
Today, a bench, honoring Vincent and Lavonne’s memory is located outside the Nutty Bar stand at Arnolds Park. Lavonne will best be remembered for her smile, kind and generous heart, concern for others, unique ability to engage with animals, progressive views, and positive outlook on life in the face of adversity. She was a family and Sheldon historian and a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Sheldon for the past 64 years.
Lavonne and Vincent were passionate about education and instilled their work ethic and a valuable pragmatic compass in their children. Their legacy is found in the children’s academic achievements, professional successes, and contributions to society.
Lavonne is survived by her children, Dr. David Perrott of Sacramento, Linda Perrott and fiancé Steve Fairfield of Albuquerque, Dr. Dennis Perrott of Atlanta and Dale Perrott of San Diego; brothers Larry (Peg) Ruesch and Leonard (Marge) Ruesch of Worthington, MN.; sisters Leola (Louis) Remmers and Norma (Leonard) Eigenberg of Heron Lake, MN and nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband Vincent, parents, and brother-in-law and sister-in-law Art and Adaline Van Meeteren.
