LaVonne E. Bekkum

LaVonne Ellen Bekkum, age 70, of Viroqua, Wisconsin, passed away on Saturday, September 9, 2023, at Vernon Manor Nursing Home in Viroqua from complications due to Alzheimer’s.

LaVonne was born on January 16, 1953, in Viroqua, Wisconsin, to Milnor and Elizabeth (Aalgaard) Bekkum. She has two siblings, a brother Eldon (Eli) and a sister Marion.

LaVonne graduated from Westby High School and the University of Wisconsin Madison with a degree in education. After earning her bachelor’s degree, she returned to UW LaCrosse for her master’s in Early Childhood education. She worked her entire career for SWCAP Head Start in Iowa, Grant, Richland and Lafayette counties where she focused on making the lives better for children and families and helped them navigate the sometimes complicated world of special education. LaVonne was a fierce defender of underdogs and always enjoyed a good political debate.

LaVonne lived in Livingston, Wisconsin, for most of her working years. She had a very close friend, Jeff Morse, with whom she spent much time enjoying fancy restaurants around the state and attending performances at the American Players Theatre and organ concerts. LaVonne enjoyed knitting, reading, jigsaw puzzles, watching old movies and working in her garden. After she retired; she spent a couple of years caring for her older sister in her home before she became ill. LaVonne absolutely loved and adored her cats, and she always had at least one!

LaVonne is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Eli and Martha Bekkum of Middleburg, Florida, her sister Marion of Westby and her devoted cousin, Lisa Aalgaard and her husband Hajo Stahmer of Coon Valley. She was preceded in death by her parents, Milnor and Elizabeth, and her friend, Jeff Morse.

There will be a private family service at a later date. Memorials can be given to the Bekkum Memorial Library in Westby or the Driftless Humane Society in honor of LaVonne. The Seland Funeral Home in Coon Valley is assisting the family.

The family would like to thank Pam and Al Hendrick for their friendship and St. Croix Hospice, Creamery Creek Assisted Living, and Vernon Manor staff for providing such excellent care to  LaVonne these past several years.

“The connections we make in the course of life ~~ Maybe that’s what heaven is.” Fred Roger