Lavonne Lillian Riemer

Lavonne Lillian Riemer, age 89, died at the Ridgewood Rehabilitation and Care Center in Seward, Nebraska, on June 4, 2018. She was born on March 15, 1929, to Henry and Norma (Beer) Riemer on the family farm near Brillion, Wisconsin. She was baptized and confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church, Rantoul, WI. Lavonne attended elementary school in Wells, WI, and graduated from high school in Brillion, WI. She attended Concordia Teachers College in River Forest, IL, and received her B.S. in Ed. degree from Concordia Teachers College, Seward, NE. She earned a Master's degree in Library Science at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Course work toward a doctorate was taken at the University of North Texas, Denton, TX. From 1948-1960, Lavonne taught elementary grades in Lutheran parochial schools at Trinity, Rantoul, WI, Bethlehem, Sheboygan, WI, and Trinity, Freistadt, WI. She served three years (1960-1963) as library secretary at Concordia College, Milwaukee, before she began employment at Concordia College (now University) in Seward, NE. For 24 years (1963-1987) she served as an assistant librarian at Concordia, and also as a member of the faculty, teaching courses in school libraries, children's literature, and introduction to literature. In 1987 she began work as a school librarian at East Butler Public Schools (Dwight and Brainard, NE), followed by a similar position for the public school in Benedict, NE, until her retirement in 1995. Over the course of her working years, Lavonne pursued an avid interest in children's books. She attended many, many children's book festivals across the Midwest, and served for 10 years as head of book sales for the Plum Creek Literacy Festival held annually at Concordia. Through the years Lavonne amassed a personal collection of over 2,500 books, many of which were signed with personal inscriptions by the authors or illustrators. In January 2016 when she became a resident of Ridgewood Rehabilitation and Care Center in Seward, she embarked on a project of giving away most of her book collection to local libraries, preschools, and to individual children with whom she came into contact as visitors to the nursing home. It gave her great joy to place her books into the hands of young readers, whom she encouraged to become life-long friends with books. Lavonne also had talent as a storyteller and for reading aloud to young children. Another avocation of Lavonne's was traveling, having visited most of the states in the U.S., as well as traveling to foreign countries as diverse as China, Morocco, the British Isles, and most of the European countries. For recreation she attended auctions and garage sales, often generously sharing her "found treasures" with colleagues, friends, and neighbors. Among Lavonne's fondest memories were her experiences as a "house mother" when she provided off-campus housing for women students attending Concordia College. Lavonne was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Carl, and is survived by her sister-in-law, Dorothy Riemer, Brillion, WI; nephews, Robert Riemer, Brillion, WI, and Randall Riemer, Mineral Point, WI; and by a number of cousins. Visitation Time(s)
NO VISITATION
Service:
10:00 am - Monday, June 11th 2018 St. John Lutheran Church 919 N. Columbia Ave. Seward, NE  68434
Officiating:
Pastor David Rempfer
Inurnment:
Trinity Lutheran Cemetery Rantoul, Wisconsin

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Lavonne Lillian Riemer, please visit our floral store.