Grace LaVonne Mueller

Grace LaVonne (Laue) Mueller, 95, passed away on Wednesday, March 11, 2015, at The Good Shepherd Hospice House in Manhattan. Grace was born on April 1, 1919, to Frederick D. and Ella E. (Waterman) Laue on a farm which was north of Greenleaf. She and her family later moved to the family farm just north of Highway 36. Grace graduated from Sunnyside Elementary School and then from Hanover High School with the Class of 1938. Following high school, Grace worked for the Perry Egg Packing Plant and also as a Bell telephone operator. On February 7, 1943, Grace married Charles John Mueller. Due to WWII being in progress and Charles being in the U.S. Army, Grace accompanied him to various stateside duty stations which included locations in California, New Mexico, and Nebraska. After the war, Grace and Charles returned to their beloved hometown of Hanover to farm, to help create the Mueller Sand and Gravel Company, and to raise their four children. They were fortunate as they were able to celebrate both their 50th and 60th wedding anniversaries. Grace’s passion was her family. She was a loving mother and excellent homemaker, cook, and seamstress who made sure that her children were prepared for life. Family members especially remember her delicious homemade meals, her yummy cinnamon rolls and sugar cookies, her “Barbara Bush” white hair, and her strong constitution about life. Among friends and family she was a woman known for her canning skills, her appreciation for Emily Post Etiquette and Roberts Rules of Order, and her involvement in couponing and quilting at Zion Lutheran Church. She enjoyed many friends, and in her later years, she enjoyed traveling with Charles and visiting her children and grandchildren. In the community, Grace was a leader in Zion Lutheran Church, the American Legion Women’s Auxiliary, Eastern Star, Kansas Cowbelles, and various other Hanover and Washington County events. She recalled making countless meals, pies, soups, and desserts for these organizations as well as assisting with numerous cookbooks and teaching a variety of classes in Luther League, Sunday School, and 4-H. Grace was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Charles; sister Adala von Waadon (Ernest), brothers Lawrence (Alvina/Avis) Laue and Frederick (Edna) Laue; and her son Larry Roger Mueller. Survivors include her daughter Barbara (Jack) Houghton of Des Moines, IA, and their three children: Hiram (Kristy) Houghton, Tiffany (Carlos) Lavastida, Jaclyn (Andy) Penn; daughter-in-law Pat Mueller of Hanover and children Kimberly Mueller Hynek and Ryan Mueller; daughter Valeria (Wayne) Converse of Manhattan, KS, and their three children: Michael Converse; Brandon (Tara) Converse; and Lindsey (Kody) Winterscheidt; daughter Thelma (Scott) Werner of Kansas City, MO, and their two children Sarah (Jason) Baker and Gregg Werner. There are also fifteen great grandchildren, and a host of cousins, nieces and nephews who will mourn her loss and remember her fondly. Funeral services were held at Zion Lutheran Church in Hanover on Saturday, March 21 at 11:00 a.m. Viewing and visitation was from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. in the Parish Hall. Presiding over the services was Pastor Donna Florio. Burial was in the Hanover City Cemetery. Memorials on behalf of Grace may be given to the Hanover Hospital/LTC Facility, to the Hanover Zion Lutheran Church, or to the Manhattan Good Shepherd Hospice House and left in care of the Hanover Funeral Home, 110 S. Hollenberg, Hanover, KS 66945. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Grace LaVonne Mueller, please visit our flower store.