Verda LaBarre, age 91, of Parkers Prairie, died Friday, October 14, 2011, at St. William's Living Center in Parkers Prairie.
Memorial services will be held 11:00 a.m., Monday, October 24, 2011, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Parkers Prairie with Rev. Kirk Lee officiating. Music will be provided by organist, Gloria Hollatz. Burial will take place at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.
Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service at the church.
Verda was born August 24, 1920, to Edward and Louise (Keusemann) Schugg in Plato, Minnesota. She was baptized September 19, 1920, at St. Paul Church in Plato and confirmed March 25, 1934, at St. John's Evangelical Church in Minneapolis. She grew up in Minneapolis and attended Minneapolis Public Schools. Verda was a gifted athlete and participated in all the sports. She was such an outstanding pitcher on the softball team; Verda was actually sought after by a scout from Chicago. She was united in marriage to Ernest "Bill" LaBarre August 31, 1941, in Delano, Minnesota. Following their marriage they began purchasing farms, remodeling the farmhouses and renting out the land both in Minnesota and Wisconsin. They owned various businesses, including a restaurant/bar and the Marion Hotel in Menomonie, Wisconsin. Verda lived in Plum City, Wisconsin when her husband moved into a nursing home. Following his death in 1988, she moved to Maple Grove, where she lived until moving to Parkers Prairie in 2005. She was a former member of New Hope Lutheran Church. She has been a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church since 2005. Verda loved creating something new out of something old, fixing up old homes and redecorating. Her additional hobbies included playing cards, gardening, canning, cooking, dancing and lots of walking. Verda and her sister, Bea spent a lot of time at Jerry and Deb's lake home in Miltona. She enjoyed dancing the polka around the bon fires, but the pontoon rides were her favorite.
Verda is survived by two sons, Willard "Bill" (Rose) LaBarre of Panama City, Florida and Donald (Nell) LaBarre of Sparta, Wisconsin; sister, Bea Jacobs of Parkers Prairie; 12 grandchildren; along with many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Bill; five brothers, Harold, Melvin, Walter, Leslie, and Lawrence; and two sisters, Evelyn Romatko and Helen Bourdeau.