The funeral for LaVina Krueger, Wishek, North Dakota will be held Wednesday, January 8, 2014 at 10:00 AM at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Wishek, ND. Visitation will be Tuesday, January 7, 2014 from noon to 7:00 PM with a prayer service at 7:00 PM at Dahlstrom Funeral Home in Wishek, ND. Burial will be at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan, ND.

LaVina Lorentina Heyd was born November 23, 1927 to John and Christina (Fischer) Heyd in rural Long Lake, SD. She attended elementary school in SD and high school in Ashley, ND graduating in 1945. The next 5 years she taught 2 years of country school, worked at the ND State Capital for one year and was in the Navy for two years. LaVina married Harold Krueger on June 30, 1950 in the Zion Lutheran Church in Seattle WA. The next 20 years she traveled and moved with her Marine husband throughout the US. In between Harold's overseas time they lived in Barstow, 29 Palms, San Diego, CA, New Orleans, LA, Parris Island, SC and Camp Lejuene, NC. When Harold retired they bought a home in Oceanside CA. In 1974 they moved to Grand Forks, ND and in 1986 to Wishek, ND. During those 20 years they had two daughters, Debbie and Denise. LaVina did a lot of volunteer work and took many classes to further her education. She was president of various organizations, such as PTA, Staff Wive's Thrift Shop, Dorcas Society, was on church counsels, Financial Secretary for her church, Girl Scout Leader for five years, room mother for her daughters classes, a Red Cross volunteer and always saw to it that her girls had plenty of books to read and music to listen to. LaVina enjoyed playing cards, was a Bridge Club member and she and Harold belonged to a Pinochle Club. She took cake decorating classes in Oceanside, CA, Grand Forks AF Base, Grand Forks, ND and two years at the Maid of Scandinavia in Minneapolis. She then taught cake decorating for nine years at the various high schools in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks. LaVina was a charter member of "Die Deutchie Kinder" Germans from Russia Club in Grand Forks and charter member of the Merryettes Homemakers Club in Grand Forks and she was president of both clubs. LaVina had many health issues but always overcame them because she believed in prayer.


LaVina died Friday, January 3, 2014 at St. Alexius Medical Center in Bismarck, ND. She was 86 years old.

LaVina leaves to mourn her death her husband Harold, Wishek, ND; her daughters, Debbie (Perry) Turner, Wishek, ND and Denise Brown (partner Charlie Keller) Towner, ND; four grandchildren, and their spouses, Isaac and Melanie Turner, Emily and Lyle Snyder, Jodi and Danny Groves and Charlie Brown; five great-grandchildren, Adeline Turner, Millicent Turner, Lucas and Logan Stettner, Astrid Snyder; sister-in-law, Loretta Heyd, Grand Forks, ND; six Heyd nephews, Duwayne & Frank, both of Grand Forks, ND; Clyde, Billings, MT; John, Shafer, MN; Glenn and Richard, both of Omaha, NE; two Heyd nieces, Roxanne Heyd Sorum, Grand Forks, ND and Sandra Heyd, Omaha, NE and many cousins. She was preceded in death by her grandson Kevin Harold Turner, parents, and three brothers, Jacob, Milbert and Edwin.