LaVonne Ardelle (Casper) Holland, 91, died peacefully at home Monday, Nov. 2, 2015. She was born Feb, 27, 1924, on a farm near Lake Preston to Arthur and Agnes (Petersen) Casper.

She attended and graduated from Oldham High School in 1941.

LaVonne later moved to Sioux Falls where she worked in an office job at Lakeside Dairy for $64 a month. It was there that she met her future husband, Robert "Bob" Holland, on a blind date. They were married on June 2, 1946, and moved to Sturgis in October 1946. She had lived in Sturgis since.

LaVonne began working at Montana Dakota Utilities in Sturgis in 1947 and worked there until just before the birth of the couple's daughter, Catherine, in 1950. They welcomed a son, James, in 1956. She remained home serving as wife and mother until 1968, when she returned to work at MDU.

She and Bob decided to build a new home at 1639 Fulton and moved there in 1966. "I have thoroughly enjoyed this house, and I think everybody else has too. It isn't a fancy house, but it is a comfortable house," she said in an interview.

LaVonne loved to cook and bake. Her family waited all year to enjoy her lefse during the holidays. Making lefse was truly a labor of love because it was a days-long delicate process. Several years ago, she spent a day sharing her lefse making skills with her grandchildren. She also enjoyed embroidery and crocheting, sharing afghans with family and friends.

LaVonne cherished her children and grandchildren. "If I were to offer all of life's wisdom to my grandchildren, I would say, 'be yourself,'" she said. "Don't try to be somebody you're not. And don't get so tied up in activities that you become a robot to the world. Take time to enjoy the beauty that you see around you. Enjoy life whenever you can."

LaVonne lived that philosophy to the end. She, her daughter, Cathy, and son-in-law, Mike, had gone on a picnic in the Black Hills on Sunday.

She was a longtime member of Grace Lutheran Church of Sturgis and active in the Martha Circle.

Survivors include her daughter and son-in-law, Cathy and Mike Hafner of Sturgis; her son and daughter-in-law, Jim and Deb Holland of Sturgis; grandchildren, Chris and Leigh Hafner, Sophia and Jackson, Seattle, WA, Amy Hafner, Atlanta, GA, Aaron and Elizabeth Holland, Aurora, CO, and Matthew Holland, Brookings; a brother, Warren and Carolyn Casper, Lake Preston; a sister-in-law, Ruth Casper, Madison; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Bob; a brother, Wallace; a sister, Lila; and four sons in infancy.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at Grace Lutheran Church, with Rev. Henrique Fleming and Randy Bradley officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to services. Burial will follow at Bear Butte Cemetery.

A memorial has been established to the "LaVonne Holland Memorial Fund" and will be distrbuted to the following, Grace Lutheran Martha's Circle, Sturgis Public Library children's section and Sturgis Bereavement Support Group.

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