LuVerne L. Vannatta, 91, of Cherokee, Iowa, passed away Tuesday morning, April 9, 2013 in the Cherokee Villa Nursing & Rehab Center.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, April 12th, at 10:30 a.m. at the First Church of Christ in Cherokee. Pastor Tom Lewis and Rev. Magrey deVega will officiate. Burial will be in the Oak Hill Cemetery at Cherokee. There will be a family prayer service at 10:15 a.m. at the church on Friday. There will be military rites at the cemetery by L.A. Wescott Post #2253 of the V.F.W. Visitation will be on Thursday from 1 p.m. until 8 p.m. with the family present from 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Boothby Funeral Home at Cherokee. Online condolences can be left at www.boothbyfuneral.com

LuVerne was born on July 2, 1921 at Cherokee, Iowa to Pearl L. & Myrtle (Gleason) Vannatta. He graduated from Cherokee Wilson High school in 1942. He attended college, receiving degrees in real estate, auctioneering and a mechanics degree. He was a Veteran of WW II, serving in the U.S. Army. Following the war he went to work for the Illinois Central Railroad, working with his father. In 1947 he went to work for Christensen Bros. in Cherokee, working there for 58 years, retiring in 2005. LuVerne was married to Linda Jones on August 21, 1970 in Cherokee, Iowa. He enjoyed all kinds of mechanic work, ballroom dancing, raising rabbits, watching wrestling, railroad shows and westerns on TV. He wrote poetry and had a lot of them published, and even wrote a song. He loved his kids and enjoyed following their accomplishments. He was a member of the First Church of Christ in Cherokee.

He was preceded in death by his parents, a sister-in-law Marion Vannatta and three brothers-in-law Kenneth Patten, Harry Jones and Eddie Jones.

He is survived by his wife Linda Vannatta of Cherokee, Iowa; two sons: Tim Vannatta of Cherokee, Iowa; Joe Vannatta and his fiancé Tricia Langholdt of Cherokee, Iowa; three brothers and two sisters: Robert (Delores) Vannatta of Cherokee, Iowa; Clifford Vannatta of Sioux City, Iowa; Darrell (Delores) Vannatta of LeMars, Iowa; Darlene Patten of Cherokee, Iowa; Beverly (Harold) Heschke of Cherokee, Iowa; brother-in-law Erv (Shirley) Jones of Aurelia, Iowa; sister-in-law Diane McKee of LeMars, Iowa; also several nieces and nephews.