LaVerne K. Shirk

LaVerne Koew Shirk passed away Tuesday, November 11, 2014 in Logan, Utah. She was born on February 21, 1926, sharing the day with her twin and 75 years later with her first great-grandchild, Brooklynn. Her parents were William John and Maria Anna deMik Koew, who immigrated from Holland with their families in the early 1900s. After growing up in Salt Lake City, LaVerne attended Brigham Young University for two years, then moved to California to work, where she found a job at Hughes Aircraft as a bookkeeper. Later in her life she worked at J.C. Penney and as a consultant for Mary Kay cosmetics.
She married Glenn Edward Shirk on August 1, 1952 in Salt Lake City. A few months later, he was deployed to Korea for 1 ½ years. Their marriage was solemnized in the Salt Lake temple June 18, 1957. She is survived by their four children, Linda Hales of Chestertown, NY; Nancy Lamborn of Shreveport, LA; Glenn Shirk, Jr. of Ft. Worth, TX; and Lawrence Shirk of Logan, UT; her sister, Alida Hermy K. Heiner of Orem, UT; as well as, 15 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. During the years of her marriage, LaVerne lived in San Diego, California; Washington D. C.; Denver, Colorado, Temple Hills, Maryland; Springfield, Missouri, and Atlanta, Georgia, as she supported Glenn in his developing career. One of her personally most treasured achievements was the "P.H.T.-Putting Hubby Through" degree she was awarded by Denver University for her dedicated support of Glenn through his many years of educational pursuits. With Glenn, she also enjoyed the creation and performances of their limberjack "dancing dolls." Countless hours were spent in the woodshop together, as well as participating in local folk festivals, such as the Festival of the American West and the Dickens Festival. However, it was bringing joy to children and adults with special needs through their dancing dolls that brought them true fulfillment and satisfaction.
She was a dedicated homemaker. A hallmark of her homemaking was her cooking. Every family reunion, activity, and get-together centered around her delicious creations. LaVerne loved to travel. Her life-long dream to go to Hawaii with Glenn was finally realized in 1987. After Glenn passed away LaVerne took several trips all over the world with family members and friends. She went to China, Northern Europe, Scandanavia, Russia, and through the Panama Canal .
She was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving in various callings. She also served for many years as a volunteer for LDS Social Services and for the name extraction program. For many years she enjoyed associations in her Literati and book clubs. Funeral services will be at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, November 15, 2014 at the Hillcrest 2nd Ward, 875 N. 1500 E. Logan, Utah. A viewing will be prior to the funeral, from 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Interment will be in the Logan City Cemetery following the funeral.