Laverne Dolores Hefcke

LAVERNE DOLORES HEFCKE

Laverne Dolores Hefcke,  passed away Monday, April 27, 2015.  She had been in hospice care for 2 months when her tired heart finally stopped trying to keep up with her lively spirit.  She died peacefully of heart failure in her foster care home, in Portland, Oregon.  She was 91 years, 4 months 5 days of age. She was born December 22, 1923, in Portland, Oregon, the only child of Fred (Fritz) and Leah Miller.  Her early life was spent in Portland surrounded by her parents and many aunts, uncles, cousins and other extended family and friends in the Portland community of Germans from Russia. She attended Sabin Elementary School and Jefferson High School in Portland.   During WWII she joined the US Marine Corps, and served in the Washington, D. C. area. During that time, she met her first husband, Leonard J. Freeman, Jr., called “Jim”, with whom she shared a love of music and dancing.  They returned to Portland and had two sons, Leonard J., III and Lonny Jay.   Laverne and Jim later divorced and, after a time, Laverne  married her second husband, an old childhood friend, Albert Leo Hefcke, Jr., who was called  “Leo”.  They were married in 1952 and subsequently had 2 daughters,  Leanna Layne and Laura Lynell.  Laverne was a loving mother, and a devoted wife and homemaker for 48 years until Leo passed away in 2000. After Leo died, she lived for ten years at The Village Retirement Center in Gresham and then moved to Park Place Assisted Living in Tigard, Oregon for 4 years, near her son and daughter-in-law.   In February this year, as her health was failing,  she moved to the foster care home of her wonderful caregiver,  Lucille Howey.  Laverne's special gifts were her love of music, her sense of humor and easy laughter which helped her quickly make good friends wherever she went.

Family was an important part of Laverne's life. The Hefckes and their children spent many holiday and summer gatherings with their large extended family.   Summer vacations were a special time and happy vacations were spent with her family at Glacier National Park, Crater Lake, Camp Sherman and also digging for clams at Ocean Park, Washington.   At Christmastime, her grown children always looked forward to gifts of her traditional German Rye bread and homemade noodles.

Laverne was an active member of  her church for many years, The Ebenezer Congregational Church, which also had many members from the Portland Germans from Russia community.  She added her lovely singing voice to the church choir and often sang in a trio for church services along with her beloved aunt, Mabel Stibbe.

She leaves behind her children, Leonard J. Freeman, III, (wife, Marilyn), Portland,  Lonny Freeman, Winston, Oregon, Leanna Hefcke Redfield, Seaside, Oregon and Laura Hefcke Kohart, (husband, Edd),  of Damascus, Oregon, six grand-children and five  great-grand-children.