Laverne Rosetta Eccles

LaVerne  Rosetta Eccles, 88, passed away Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at Holiday Resort in Emporia. She was born December 14, 1928 in Gridley, Kansas the daughter of John and Gladys Sanders Luthi. As a child, LaVerne attended Errett Rural Grade School. She would graduate from Gridley High School with the Class of 1947. Following high school, LaVerne attended Kansas State Teachers College. LaVerne  taught in rural grade schools throughout eastern Kansas including Fairhope, Big Creek, Beeler and Stafford. In 1952, she took a job with Boeing as a billing clerk. Laverne returned to teaching in 1955 working in Coffeyville and later Herington. She was a member of the Gridley United Methodist Church and taught the preschool age Sunday School Class for many years.  LaVerne possessed a strong sense of community and shared her angel food cakes, canned goods and fresh produce from her garden with numerous people throughout the Gridley area.  She could be seen at any and all of her children’s many school and 4-H activities. She was joined in marriage to Raymond Eccles on January 23, 1960 in Gridley. They enjoyed over thirty four years together before Raymond’s death on August 22, 1994. LaVerne will live on in the hearts of her daughter, Elizabeth Young and her husband John of Americus; sons, Don Eccles of rural Berryton, Keith Eccles and his wife Peggy of LeRoy and Arnold Eccles and his wife Sara of Gardner; eight grandchildren and five great- grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Raymond; a daughter, Judy Kay Eccles; sisters, Thelma Black, Mildred (Midge) Johnson, Eva Williams and a brother, Dale Luthi. Services will be held at 10:30 A.M., Saturday, September 23, 2017 at the Gridley United Methodist Church. Burial will follow services at Gridley Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6:00 P.M. until 7:30 P.M., Friday evening at the VanArsdale Funeral Home in Madison. Memorial contributions may be made to the Gridley United Methodist Church and sent in care of the VanArsdale Funeral Home at P.O. Box #488, Madison, Kansas 66860. Condolences may be expressed at vanarsdalefs.com.