Laverne M. Thomsen

LaVerne Marion Thomsen was born March 25, 1937, the son of Paul and Arlene Thomsen. He died at the Veterans Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, Saturday, November 5, 2016, at the age of seventy-nine.
LaVerne was born in Arion, Iowa and grew up on a farm between Dow City and Arion. He received his education in the Dow City Community School, graduating from high school with the class of 1955. After completing his education, he worked on the farm for a short time before being drafted in the U.S. Army. He served his country as a radio repairman at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds and in the Btry D 54th AAA MSL BN Fork in air defense at Fort Meade, Maryland near Washington D.C. After receiving his honorable discharge in 1958, he returned to Crawford County and continued farming near Dow City. August 15, 1960, LaVerne was united in marriage to Judy Farley at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Dow City, Iowa. The couple was blessed with the birth of four children and made their home in Denison, where LaVerne worked at Dr. Pepper, Community Oil, Skelgas and farmed with his father and brother. He continued his education at Western Iowa Tech, where he received an Associates Degree in Farm Management in 1976. He then worked at FSC, Rosen Corporation, and owned and managed Tripps Lounge.
In his leisure time, LaVerne loved his family and enjoyed socializing with them at family events and preparing holiday meals. He always had time for a cold beer with his family and friends, enjoying the races, playing euchre and darts, deer hunting, tractor pulling and farming.
LaVerne is preceded in death by his parents, one daughter, Sheryl Lou; siblings: Paulene; Jack and his wife, Barb; Carol Lou as a child; Mary Ann in infancy; Paul Jr.; brothers-in-law, Don and Dean. Survivors include his wife, Judy; two sons, Dale; Dean and his wife, Cheri; one daughter, Darla and her husband, Lynn; six grandchildren, Sabrena, Josh, Brian, Joe, Cody and Kyle; great-grandchildren, Austin, Ethan, Aidan, Evan, Kyra and Khysen; two brothers, Chuck and Vic; and one sister, Diane and her husband, Pat; other relatives and friends.