Obituary of Lavonne (Mary) Hilgers

LaVonne (Mary) Hilgers, 82, Stone Lake, passed away on Wednesday, April 8, 2020, at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth. LaVonne was born on December 17, 1937 in Madison WI, to Earl and Lucille Arnold. LaVonne worked for the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs. She took great pride in her career but mostly just loved being with her co-workers. On July 7, 1956, she married the love of her life, James Hilgers, they were inseparable for 63 years. They raised two wonderful children, John and Jenny.

LaVonne loved to help others. She was an amazing listener and always gave sound advice to her friends and family with loving respect for the listener and a healthy dose of humor. She loved animals, her dogs and her birds. You could often find her nursing birds back to health in a  shoebox after they had flown into one of her windows. 

LaVonne was proud of her house on Vahlen Street in Madison, WI, where she lived with her family for 40 years. This is where she raised her family and met many wonderful friends. Upon retiring, LaVonne and Jim were able to fulfill a lifelong dream and moved to Stone Lake, WI and into a beautiful home with a view of one of the many lakes. There she enjoyed her wildlife; chipmunks, bears, foxes, eagles, peepers and hummingbirds just to name a few. She enjoyed watching the sunset everyday from her favorite chair looking out over the water.

LaVonne taught herself how to quilt and even won a blue ribbon on her quilting. She made many cherished baby blankets as gifts. Later, she was lucky enough to meet a group of women with which she enjoyed spending time, talking and knitting. It was there that she learned about an organization that would take knitted teddy bears to children in Africa. She put hundreds of smiles on the faces of those kids with her bears.

LaVonne loved her family. She adored her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and would love to hear stories about their accomplishments.

LaVonne was preceded in death by her father, Earl, her mother, Lucille and both of her siblings, Jim and Donna. She is survived by her husband Jim, their two children, John Hilgers (wife Susan) and Jenny Bruno (husband Brian), and her grandchildren, Brandon and Courtney, Jack and Ben, and her great-grandchildren, Skyler, Jaycee, Bella, Keegan and Nick, her niece Lynn Hudson, who she loved dearly and many nieces and nephews. 

A small intimate service will be scheduled for a later time for the family.