LaVonne Demoine Wathen

On Tuesday July 9th, LaVonne Demione (nee Lybbert) Wathen, age 81, of Forest Lake peacefully passed away at home surrounded by her family after a short battle with heart failure.

LaVonne or as her family called her “Dee”, was the oldest of 4 children and grew up on a farm in Glenwood, Alberta, Canada. It was here that she learned the value of family, how to love deeply, work hard, and advocate for betterment of her community. In 1960, she married Nathan Smith, had 4 daughters, and traveled around the world before settling in Minnesota. It was during this time that she started a long career in the at Wells Fargo (Norwest) bank. After a brief period of time as a single parent, she met Gary and embarked on a blended family journey, where they became grandparents for the first time, and eventually married in 1980. During their 42 years of marriage, they had may adventures. They loved road trips on the motorcycle and then the car and could often be found hitting the road on a random day to explore. They were blessed with many grandchildren and great grandchildren and took every opportunity to spend time with them. She was a huge hockey fan, avid reader, and kept us up to date on all the latest news and gossip. She was a pocket-sized powerhouse who led her family through many good and hard times.

She is survived by sisters, Deborah (James) Doyle, Nadyne (Brain) Spackman, Marianne Lybbert; daughters, Jackie Poliseno, Carma Puffer, Sharon (Wally) Schendel, Kathy (Mike) Ryan; grandchildren, Jenny (Tony) Broeffle, Nikki (Tony) Poliseno, Jonathan (Fable) Puffer, Amber Meendering, Katrina (Alex) Geissler, Kyle Schendel, Presley (Faylon) Rittmiller, Alexis (Steven) Eitel; great grandchildren, Paige, Austin, Emma, Ayden, Billy, Billy, Kailani, Everest, Kiara, Finley, Matthew, and many other family members

Preceded in death by her husband, Gary; father, Dwain Lybbert; parents, Evangeline and Winston Bohne; bother, Rex Lybbert; son in law, Tony Poliseno; granddaughter, Jordan Perleberg; great grandson, Benjamin Eitel, and many other loved ones.

A Funeral Service will be held at 11 AM on Monday, July 29, 2024, at Mattson Funeral Home, 343 North Shore Drive, Forest Lake, MN, 55025. Family will be greeting friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.  Burial at Victor Hill Cemetery.