LaVerne Klees
LaVerne Klees, 97, of Jackson, Tenn., died at home on April 6, 2020.
LaVerne was born Hazel LaVerne Mays on July 3, 1922 in Milan, Tenn., to James and Eula (Crawford) Mays.
LaVerne attended Jackson Jr. and Sr. High School and then West Tennessee Business College. She met her husband, William, while working at Camp Forrest, an Army base in Tullahoma, Tenn., where he was stationed. He was a Yankee from Chicago and would give her rides on the back of his motorcycle! They married on November 19, 1943, and had a honeymoon near Chattanooga before he left for the South Pacific.
After the war, Bill and LaVerne moved to Chicago, where they raised their four children. LaVerne was a homemaker and also worked outside the home for 15 years as a price editor at Johns Manville which later became Nashua Corporation. Bill and LaVerne retired and moved back to Jackson in 1982. LaVerne always said they enjoyed the “semi-tropical” climate as compared to “snowy” Chicago. They enjoyed their retirement. LaVerne was the oldest volunteer at Jackson-Madison Memorial Hospital, where she volunteered for over 25 years. She had many hobbies and enjoyed golfing. She also loved playing cards with her Bridge group on Mondays.
LaVerne was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, James; her husband, William; and her sister-in-law, Dolores.
La Verne is survived by her four children, William (Martha) Klees of San Diego Calif., Kathryn (Roger) Liehr of Lakewood, Colo., James (Kathleen) Klees of Eau Claire, Wis., and Andrew (Alice) Klees of St. Charles, Mo.; grandchildren, William, Bret (Bernadette), Jason (Amy), Angela, Emma Kate (Paul), Julia (Martin), Michael, Andrew, Joseph, Daniel and Sarah; great-grandchildren, Brielle, Jackson, Peyton, William, Madelyn, Maverik, and Kaedan. She is also survived by her sister Charlene, nephew Ray (Sherry) and great-nephews Michael, Philip and Matthew.
LaVerne will be remembered for her strong Catholic faith: she was a long time member of St. Mary’s Parish in Jackson, her love of reading: she always had a good book she couldn’t put down, and a love for her family. There are pictures of each one everywhere in her home.
Special thanks to Comfort Keepers, all of her caregivers, and TN Quality Hospice.
UPDATE: Funeral mass will be held on Saturday, June 27, 2020 at 2 p.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Jackson. Inurnment will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Evergreen Park, Ill. George A. Smith and Sons, (731) 427-5555.
