Laverne Stubelt

Laverne Mae Stubelt, age 76 years of Niles, Michigan, wife, mother, grandmother, letter writer, traveler, and cat lady died peacefully at 7:10 p.m. on Friday, March 25, 2022 at Lakeland Hospital – Niles with her husband at her side, following an extended illness.

She was born on June 12, 1945 in Chicago, Illinois to Olaf and Margaret (Koenes) Nannfeldt, coming to Niles as a child, and graduating from Niles High School.  She was employed for many years at Wilderness Foods in Sodus, Michigan, worked for several years at the Shelton’s Farm Market in Niles, and at Injection Molded Plastics in Buchanan, Michigan.  She has lived in Niles most of her life.

Laverne was a member of the Loyal Order of Moose, Niles Lodge #978.  She has always enjoyed traveling, camping, and fishing, more recently at Bair Lake near Jones, Michigan.  After her retirement – and before her husband’s – she traveled with him as an over-the-road truck driver, and visited all forty-eight contiguous United States, and parts of Canada and Mexico.  As a much younger lady, she ran with a crowd that was a bit wilder, and she was proud of  the tattoos completed during those years.

She has always been a prolific letter writer, with many family, relatives, and friends receiving random but very welcome letters from Laverne.  She was quite fond of cats, feeding outside a rather large flock of cats (properly a “clowder” or “destruction” of cats), and kept several inside, most notably the elderly, blind cat named “Popeye”.  She also maintained a bird feeding station in the backyard, and enjoyed spending time in the gazebo observing all wildlife, and decorating the yard with gazing balls, gnomes, and other ornaments.

When inside – and between letter writing – she kept collections of motorcycle memorabilia and wolf keepsakes.  She was a fan of television game shows, knowing all of the trivia answers for Catch 21, and keeping-up with the Forrester and Logan families on The Bold and the Beautiful.

She and Timothy Lee Stubelt have been together for thirty-three years, and made their relationship official at a wedding on October 14, 2006 in Niles.  She was sadly preceded in death by a son, Danny, and by a grandson, Justin.

Surviving family includes her husband Tim and children, Michael Nannfeldt of Niles, Debbie Malin of Homosassa, Florida, and Cassie (& Chris) Wolf-Guffey of Elkhart, Indiana; grandchildren Michael, Jr., Cory, Kristen, Amanda, Nichole, Danny, Cameron, Chloe, Tristan, and Liz; two great-grandchildren; Laverne’s siblings, Nick Nannfeldt of Berrien Springs, Michigan, Sherry Hirsch of Marshfield, Wisconsin, Debbie Aschenbach of Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, and Diane Helferich of Lansing, Michigan; and many nieces and nephews.

The family of Laverne Stubelt will gather privately for her funeral.  Services were completed at the Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home, 615 East Main Street in Niles.  Online condolences may be left at: https://www.halbritterwickens.com.  Contributions in memory of Laverne may be made to the Moose Lodge 2277 N. 5th St. Niles, MI.

Laverne enjoyed life and celebrated the fun times, the together times on the road, and the quiet times in the backyard.  She journaled her life through ink art tattoos, and through ink on paper correspondence.  Most importantly, she loved the people with whom she shared her wonderful life.