LaVerne Volovsek
LaVerne (Vern) Stanley Volovsek was called home to our Lord and Savior, surrounded by his wife and three daughters, at Our House Memory Care on Sunday, May 3, 2026.
Vern was born on April 29, 1947, to Stanley and Olga Volovsek. He graduated from Greenwood High School in 1965. He attended UW-Eau Claire for two years of pre-pharmacy while playing basketball for the UWEC Blugolds. He graduated with a BS pharmacy degree from UW-Madison in 1970, and practiced in various hospital and retail pharmacy locations until his retirement from Rusk County Memorial Hospital in Ladysmith.
Vern was known to be loving, kind, compassionate, and witty. Outside of work, his interests included hunting, fishing, woodworking, and spending time with his wife, children, and grandchildren.
On June 17, 1967, Vern married Sharon Poehnelt at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Loyal. For 58 1/2 years, Vern and Sharon shared a marriage rooted in deep love, commitment, and steadfast faith, providing a beautiful model for their family. The most profound testament to this was Sharon’s devoted care to Vern throughout his journey with Alzheimer’s.
In addition to his parents, Vern was preceded in death by his son-in-law, Andrew Hable, and brother-in-law, Duane Poehnelt. He is survived and cherished by his wife Sharon; daughters: Wendy Hable, Jodi (Jeff) Arrowood, and Sara (Brendan) Fouts; 10 grandchildren: Alex Hable, Aselin Hable (Josh Pinion), Rachel (Gavin) Glass, Dominic Arrowood, Anna (Cameron) Krause, Justin Fouts (Brekken Maas), Caleb, Seth, Damien, and Monica Fouts; great-granddaughters: Gracelynn Pinion and Avelynn Glass; siblings: Jack (Sue) Volovsek and Peggy (Ed) Yurkovich; in-laws: Sandy Nestler, Renee Lebkicker, Jerry (Joan) Poehnelt, Dean Poehnelt, Pat (Ted) Zvolena, Mike (Tiki) Poehnelt, Bonnie Duda, Terri (Tony) Inhof, and Darla (Alan) Helvig: and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, May 8, 2026, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Rice Lake. Father Ed Anderson will officiate, with interment in Our Lady of Lourdes Cemetery in Dobie. Visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday at Appleyard’s Home for Funerals in Rice Lake and for one hour prior to the funeral service at the church on Friday.
The family wishes to express their sincere appreciation to Our House Memory Care and St. Croix Hospice staff for the kindness and compassion shown to Vern while in their care.
