LaVerne E. Brinkmann's Obituary
LaVerne E. Brinkmann, nee Bordewisch, 89 years, of Dupo, IL, passed away on Thursday, January 30, 2025 at Mercy Hospital South, St. Louis, MO. LaVerne was born March 9, 1935, at the Grattendick farm, in rural Nashville, IL., the daughter of the late Clifford H. Sr., and Alma, nee Weissenborn, Bordewisch.
LaVerne was baptized into the Christian Faith, April 9, 1935 at St. Paul Evangelical Church by Rev. Carl Kluge, Nashville, IL. And she was confirmed on April 10, 1949 at Christ Evangelical & Reformed Church, Dupo, IL., by Rev. H. F. Rinderknecht.
LaVerne was united in marriage to Paul H. Brinkmann, Sr., whom she married on October 29, 1955 at Christ Evangelical & Reformed Church of Dupo by Rev. H.F Rinderkneckt, Paul passed away on December 7, 2007.
Mrs. Brinkmann was a past member of Christ United Church of Christ for over 74 years and First Congregational Church of Dupo, and now a member of St. Mark United Church of Christ in Arnold, MO. She was a charter member and Past Honored Queen of Bethel #65 Order of Job's Daughters, Columbia, IL., a 60 year plus member of the Order of the Eastern Star, Monroe Chapter #597 and Rob Morris Chapter #98, Past Worthy High Priestess of the Order of the White Shrine of Jerusalem, Mission Shrine #102 (twice). She taught Sunday School for over 15 years and Bible School where she was the Craft Coordinator for Bible School at Christ UCC for a number of years. She worked with the Cub Scouts for 15 years, along with Paul as Cub Master, serving as a Den Leader, Den Leader Coach, and working and holding different positions with the district where she received awards, such as District Commissioner, District Statuette and Mississippi Valley District for the Okaw Valley Council.
LaVerne dearly loved her family, they were always her first concern, especially those granddaughters, she loved making things for them and teaching them to cook and embroidery. She was an avid reader, she enjoyed doing needlework and making crafts. She enjoyed genealogy having researched family history, who with her husband Paul had written 9 family tree books of the Bordewisch's and Brinkmann's for over the last 25 or 30 years. LaVerne enjoyed cooking, winning cooking contest different times that was sponsored by the Clarion Enterprise in Columbia, she loved traveling whenever possible.
LaVerne had previously worked at Curlee Clothing in St. Louis as a typist and bookkeeper, Merchantile Trust Co., St. Louis working with Stocks & Bonds while Paul was serving in the US Army in Germany. She also was Secretary to the Dupo Community High School Principle Mr. Huey Tweedy.
She is survived by her loving family, two sons, Paul H. Brinkmann, Jr. (Pastor Kim) of St. Louis, MO., and Jeffery J.Brinkmann (Carrie) of Dupo, IL., grandchildren, Christie Brinkmann of Glen Carbon, IL., and Courtney (Jeff) Naumann of Waterloo, IL., Cooper Doud, her great grandson, Isaac Naumann, her sisters, Viola Linke of Dupo, IL., and Karon (Roy) Bicklein of Waterloo, IL, her sister-in-law, Jean Wiese, her godchildren, Janice Voss of Dupo, IL, Karla Halloran and Vince Mehrtens of Waterloo, IL., along with nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Besides her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by her brother and his wife, Clifford H. & Marie Bordewisch, Jr., her sister and her husband, Sharon & Gary Donnell, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Klaus J. Linke, Cletus "Cookie" Brinkmann, Esther Mehrtens and Irma (Wilbur) Brinkmann, her mother-in-law and father-in-law, John and Catherine, nee Korte, Brinkmann.
Visitation will be held on Friday, February 7, 2025 from 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. and on Saturday, February 8, 2025 an hour before the service at Leesman Funeral Home in Columbia, IL. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at Leesman Funeral Home in Columbia, Il., with Pastor Kim Brinkmann, officiating. Interment will follow in the Zion Bohnemeier Cemetery, East Carondelet, Illinois.
In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests with gratitude that memorial contributions be directed to: St. Mark UCC in Arnold, MO., or DuKare Food Pantry or Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America. For more information, please access our website, www.leesmanfuneralhome.com. Leesman Funeral Home, Columbia, IL, handled arrangements.
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