Laverne A. Schelich

Laverne A. Schelich, 86, of Washington, passed away on August 31, 2021. Laverne, daughter of the late Albert Himmelberg and his wife Mary nee Alfermann, was born on April 30, 1935 in Washington. She received her education from St. Francis Borgia High School. On June 1, 1957, she was united in marriage to Ardell J. Schelich at St. Francis Borgia Church.

Laverne will be remembered as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, devoted sister and a loyal friend.  She devoted herself to her Down Syndrome son, Gregg, and helped him reach a level of life skill and quality of life that no one predicted would be possible.  Laverne had a contagious laugh and was not afraid to make fun of the silly things she did or the words she would mispronounce.  Following the death of Gregg in 1977 and her first fight with cancer, she enjoyed traveling with Ardell and their close group of friends to Las Vegas, across the United States and eventually to Europe.

As much as Laverne loved being a mother, she was born to be a grandmother.  She was always willing to provide any help and assistance with Sarah, Brian and Lauren whenever asked and sometimes when not asked.  She looked forward to shopping individually with each grandchild for Christmas and to watching their faces as presents were being opened.  Her family came to call her Mrs. Clause for her enjoyment of all things Christmas:  the decorating, the ornaments, gifts and the buying of Christmas cookies.  As the grandchildren grew up, she and Ardell would take each one on a trip to a different part of the country; and, when each turned 21, to Las Vegas.

Laverne loved babies, and most babies loved her.  She was known for doing something silly in order to obtain a response from the child which would lead to her unique and loud laugh.  She looked forward to any gathering with her four sisters knowing lots of stories would be shared along with lots of laughter.  She especially liked gift shopping for them all from QVC.  She loved eating out and shopping in St. Louis with her girlfriends.  Laverne loved scratch-off lottery tickets and playing online slots, once the trips to casinos were no longer possible.  She liked to read romance novels and work crossword puzzles.  She was passionate about researching her family’s genealogy and could tell you who your first, second and third cousins were … even if you didn’t care.

Laverne was a three-time cancer survivor yet never allowed the disease or the subsequent treatments to define her.

She was preceded in death by her son, Gregg Alan, her parents; mother and father-in-law, Mathilda and Edward Schelich and in-laws, Harlan Meyer, Curtis Schelich and wife Dorothy, Merrill Schelich, Marilyn Engemann and husband LeRoy.

Among her survivors are her husband of 64 years, Ardell Schelich of Washington; son, Glenn Schelich and wife Ruth of Washington; daughter, Sandra Ferrell and husband Kris of Ballwin; siblings, Lucille Meyer of Washington, Ruth Himmelberg of Washington, Marian Kampschroeder and husband Roy of Washington, Judy Kandlbinder and husband Rich of Washington; three grandchildren, Sarah Davenport and husband Josh of Eureka, Brian Schelich and fiancé Kaprise Schmidt of St. Charles, and Lauren Pelster and husband Michael of Washington; step-grandson, Ryan Ferrell and wife Jessica of Long Beach, CA; five great-grandchildren, Hailey, Jack, Anna, Claire, and Benjamin; nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

A memorial mass will be held on Saturday, September 25, 2021 at 10 A.M. at Our Lady of Lourdes Church. Memorial donations may be made to the Gregg A. Schelich Memorial Scholarship Fund. Donations can be mailed to Nieburg-Vitt, Miller Funeral Home, 1206 Jefferson St., Washington, MO 63090.

Arrangements in care of Nieburg-Vitt,Miller Funeral Home, Washington.

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