LaVonne Martin, 91, of Shannon died peacefully Thursday, April 30, 2015, surrounded by her daughters, family and friends. She left a strong legacy of faith, hope, and love; remembered by her children and grandchildren for her compassion, friendship, resilience, and positivity. LaVonne was born in Shannon on March 30, 1924, to Howard and Iva Woessner, and grew up the only girl in a farm family with three boys, Kenneth, Bill and Jim. In 1945, she graduated from North Central College where she majored in home economics. In 1946, LaVonne was hired as the home economics instructor in Milton, Wisconsin where she soon met the ag instructor, Keith Martin of Bloomington, Wisconsin - the love of her life. LaVonne and Keith were married on June 20, 1947, at Bethel Church in Shannon. When land became available near the 'home farm' in Shannon, the growing family moved to Illinois, remodeled an old farmhouse and settled into a home where LaVonne would live happily for the next 60 years. Their active farm family of three daughters, Sandy, Kathy, and Susan was guided by LaVonne's love and her insistence on shared responsibilities. LaVonne was a wonderful mother, making sure her children pitched in on all the chores, from milking the cows to cleaning the hog house, from gardening to preparing and preserving foods all the while maintaining an appropriate "tone of voice". Though she never returned to classroom teaching, her daughters were well instructed. LaVonne had a very strong faith in God, and Bethel Church played a key role in nurturing that faith. Over the years, her beloved church was the continual foundation of her closest lifetime friendships. As LaVonne's life moved from raising her daughters to helping them raise their own families, she became first a wonderful grandmother and then an adored great- grandmother. Each daughter married and settled locally, keeping the family close on holidays, birthdays and even family traditions. Often, the farmhouse would be overflowing with kids especially on days like "corn day." In 1985, Keith and LaVonne retired from active farming and began to enjoy more time traveling and visiting friends and family. Keith passed away in 2007, and LaVonne, though challenged by partial blindness and other infirmities, chose to stay at the farm, where she lived with help from family and friends for eight more years until her passing on April 30. Her husband, Keith, put it best in describing LaVonne many years earlier: "Life is not always sunshine and roses. There are times of jubilation, hard work, disappointment, and sorrow. LaVonne has experienced the whole spectrum of these feelings. She could have become crippled, frustrated and unhappy. Her years of suffering could have made her bitter and sullen, but this was not for her. Time heals wounds. The scars are there, but have not remained open sores that have adversely affected her attitude or personality. She continues to enjoy all that life has to offer. She continues to smile." LaVonne will be treasured for her loving guidance to family and friends; for her wonderful skills at counseling and supporting people in times of difficulty, and for the courage she showed in overcoming adversity. With faith, hope, and love, Mother, Mom, and Grandma - we will continue to smile. LaVonne is survived by three daughters, Sandy (Lynn) Feaver, Kathy (Bob) Eden, of Freeport, Susan (Brad) Osborn of Sycamore; seven grandchildren, Aaron (Dana) Feaver, Shelly (Ian) Shaw, Angela (Bob) Tsihlopoulos, Rebecca (Perry) Tatooles, Andrew (Rosie) Eden, Kim (Greg) Wheaton, Kate Osborn; and 13.5 great- grandchildren, Caleb and Stella Feaver, Sydney and Maisey Shaw, Ava Statdfield, Hunter and Addie Tsihlopoulos, Peter, Ryan and Sara Tatooles, Christopher and baby Eden on the way, Lucy and Augie Wheaton. A celebration of LaVonne's life will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, May 4, at Bethel United Methodist Church in Shannon. Visitation for friends and family will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, May 3, and preceding the funeral at 9 a.m. at the church. The burial will follow at the Shannon Cemetery. A memorial has been established in her memory for the Shannon Bethel Church.

Published in The Journal-Standard from May 2 to May 3, 2015