RACINE – LaVerne “Vernie” H. Horton, 88, entered eternal life on August 12, 2016. She was born in Racine on May 17, 1928, to Joseph and Josephine (nee: Scheible) Gedemer. She was a 1946 graduate of St. Catherine’s High School. On August 13, 1949, LaVerne was married to the love of her life, Aloysius E. Horton at Holy Name Catholic Church.
For most of her life her vocation was homemaker. She was employed by Massey Harris prior to the birth of her children and in later years worked at Northwest Fabrics as she was a talented seamstress. She was a member of St. Lucy’s Church for more than fifty years and served as a scout leader, Altar Society Member and Visitor of the Sick at All Saints Hospital. She also volunteered many years with Toys for Tots making hundreds of jigsaw puzzles ensuring there were no missing pieces. Vernie loved to play cards with her friends at the Wednesday St. Lucy’s Schafkopf and in the Round Robin group. Most of all she was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and friend and will be deeply missed.
Survivors include: two sons, Daniel (Susan) Horton of Franksville and Richard (Susan) Horton of Dodgeville, WI; two daughters, Mary Kay Mark (Brian Sikorski) of Mequon and Ann (David) Lottes of Waukesha; 13 grandchildren; David (Sarah), Monica, and Laura Mark, Sarah, Maggie, and Joe Lottes, Tyler, Rachel, Allie, and Jason Horton, and Becca (Forest) Walton, Matt (Alyson) Horton, and Tom (Molly) Horton; 7 great-grandchildren, Maren, Norah and Ezra Walton; Charlotte, Julie and Luke Horton; and Andrew Mark. A sister, Marian Gedemer of Rowland Heights, CA, sister-in-law, Annella Gedemer of Racine, and brother-in-law, Robert Meslar of Richmond, VA also survive her. Numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and her special friend, Dolores Woods, further survive LaVerne.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Al; her parents, Josephine and Joseph Gedemer; four sisters, Ottilia Ruelle, Catherine Pekar, Evelyn Hettig and Virginia Gedemer; six brothers, Norbert, Richard, Eugene, Joseph, Jerome and Marvin Gedemer; mother-in-law and father-in-law, George and Agnes Horton; brothers-in-law, Earl Ruelle, Martin Pekar, Oliver Hettig, Adelbert Horton and Erwin Hansen; and sisters-in-law, Elizabeth Gedemer, Josephine Gedemer, Geraldine Gedemer, Loretta Gedemer, LaVerne Gedemer, Leona Horton, Marcella Hansen, Gwendolyn Horton, Lorraine Gutierrez and Theresa Meslar; two grandchildren, Emma and Alex Lottes and one great-grandchild, Isobel Grace Walton.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Lucy Catholic Church, 3101 Drexel Avenue, on Saturday, August 20, 2016, at 10:30 a.m. with Fr. Mark Jones and Fr. Javier Guativa officiating. Entombment will be at Calvary Cemetery Crypts on Kinzie Avenue. A visitation will be held at Draeger-Langendorf Funeral Home on Friday, August 19th, from 5 until 8 p.m. and at the church on Saturday, August 20th, from 9:30 until 10:30 a.m. prior to the Mass of Resurrection. Memorial Masses or memorials to St. Lucy Catholic Church, the Gedemer-Horton Family fund of St. Catherine’s High School Foundation, Health Care Network or Aurora Zilber Hospice have been suggested.
Special thanks to Dr. David Zablotney who cared for LaVerne like family, Dr. Michael Mullane and his staff at Aurora Oncology and the entire staff at Aurora Zilber Hospice.
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