LaVern E. Frank, 82, of Cherokee, Iowa, passed away Monday evening, October 12, 2015 in the St. Mary's Hospital at Rochester, Minnesota.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, October 16th, at 10:30 a.m. at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Cherokee. Pastor Jon Riggert will officiate. Burial will be in the Cedar Township Cemetery at rural Lytton, Iowa. There will be a family prayer service at 10:15 a.m. at the church on Friday. Visitation will be on Thursday from 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. with the family present from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, Iowa. There will be military rites by L.A. Wescott Post #2253 of the V.F.W. Online condolences can be left at www.boothbyfuneral.com

LaVern was born on April 1, 1933 at Lake City, Iowa to Ernest & Angie (Johnson) Frank. He grew up in the Rockwell City, Odebolt and Lake View area. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in May of 1953 and served during the Korean War, being honorably discharged in April of 1955. He was married to Lorraine Hillmer on June 26, 1955 at the Emmanuel-St. John Lutheran Church at Lytton, Iowa. They farmed near Sac City, Iowa until moving to a farm west of Cherokee in 1966. LaVern was a lifelong farmer, retiring in 1995, but continued to live on the farm until moving to The Beck in Cherokee in July of 2014. LaVern was a member and elder of the Trinity Lutheran Church and had also held many other offices within the church. He served on the Cherokee School Board for two terms. LaVern and Lorraine celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in June of 2015. He loved to play cards, especially pinochle. He also enjoyed fishing, traveling and spending the winters in Arizona. Time spent with family was important to LaVern, especially with his grandchildren, telling them stories and teaching them card games at an early age.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and infant son Allen Frank in 1959, a sister Marlis Bell, a brother Marvin Frank and a brother-in-law and sister-in-law Melvin & Eloise Hillmer.

He is survived by his wife Lorraine; three daughters: Myra Frank of Falls Church, Virginia; Colleen (Dave) Sengpiel of West Des Moines, Iowa; Carolyn (Tim) Boeck of Green Bay, Wisconsin; four grandchildren: Lauren (Tom) Piper of West Des Moines, Iowa; Alan Cushing of West Des Moines, Iowa; Cody and Garrett Boeck of Green Bay, Wisconsin; a brother Raymond (Marge) Frank of Lake View, Iowa; a brother-in-law Cecil Bell of Huxley, Iowa; also several nieces and nephews.