LaVonne Nelson

LaVonne Nelson, age 71, passed away peacefully at home with her daughter and son-in-law by her side in West Des Moines, IA on November 4, 2022 after a hard fought battle against multiple myeloma.

LaVonne was born in Maryville, MO on March 19, 1951, the youngest daughter to Everett and Lenore (Zollman) King. She grew up in Blockton, IA attending grade school in Blockton and graduating from Bedford High School. In 1970 she married Royce Nelson and to this union her daughter Jennifer was born.

Throughout her adult life LaVonne lived in various cities in Iowa and Minnesota and held a number of different jobs from banking to farming. In 1988 she began working for Wal-Mart in Blue Earth, MN. She spent the next 33 years with the company in various positions at stores in Mankato, MN and West Des Moines, IA. It was work that she enjoyed because she loved to be with people and it reminded her of helping her grandparents in their grocery store in Blockton as a young girl. While living in Mankato she fulfilled her dream of going to college, earning BFA and MA degrees in art from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She maintained a lifelong interest in the arts. In 2006 she moved to West Des Moines to be closer to her parents. LaVonne was a kind and generous person who loved the outdoors, spending time with her friends and family, attending concerts and cultural events, and being anywhere that she could meet new people.

LaVonne was preceded in death by her parents and her niece Sandy Sollars. She is survived by her daughter Jennifer Nelson and son-in-law Patrick Luber of West Des Moines, IA; sister Linda Heiden of Punta Gorda, FL; sister and brother-in-law Lynette and Stanley Amrine of Dallas Center, IA; former spouse Royce Nelson; nieces Sherry Jacobs and her husband John, Rachel Amrine, and Robin Ludington; and numerous extended family and dear friends.

In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial contributions be made to either the Blockton Community Betterment Association with checks made payable to Blockton Betterment and mailed to Marci Friedman, 406 Oak Street, Blockton, IA 50836 or to the John Stoddard Cancer Center, 1221 Pleasant Street, Des Moines, IA 50309.

A memorial service will be held at the Blockton Community Center in Blockton, IA on Friday, November 18, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. A private inurnment will be held at Rose Hill Cemetery in Blockton, IA.

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