LaVeria J. McMichael

LaVeria June “Vera” (Rice) McMichael, age 75, entered into eternal rest on Monday, June 27, 2022. She was born February 5, 1947 in Alliance, Nebraska, daughter of the late Ferill Jeane Rice (Dalton) and the late Otis LaVerne Rice. She married the love of her life, William McMichael, on May 4, 1968. 

LaVeria spent her youth in Tabor, Iowa, graduating from Fremont-Mills Community High School in 1965 and then attended a semester at Tarkio College in Missouri before beginning a short career in retail. She worked at Kilpatrick’s, Younkers, Pranges, Base Dry Cleaners on Cannon Air Force Base, Rice & Rice, Inc., and retired from Rice Enterprises. The first 20 years of her marriage was spent as a military spouse living in Colorado, Michigan, England, and New Mexico. They then retired to Wisconsin living in Kaukauna and Appleton.

LaVeria enjoyed needlepoint, sewing, drawing, painting, and planting many different flowers and plants. She enjoyed being a Girl Scout and Girl Scout leader, a member of the Order of the Rainbow for Girls serving as Worthy Advisor and Mother Advisor, Order of the Eastern Star, and Mayflower Society. She was an avid collector of Fenton Art Glass and served as a board member for the Fenton Art Glass Collectors of America and also the Fenton Finders of Wisconsin. She was also a member of the Bossons Collectors Society, Stevensgraph Collectors Association, and other various collectors clubs. Collecting was her passion that she loved to share with her husband and daughter and they traveled every year in search of new treasures.

She is survived by her husband, William McMichael; daughter Kari (Bill Busha) McMichael; brother Larry (Nancy) Rice; grandson Derrick Stumpf. She leaves behind many other relatives and friends.

Thank you to her physicians who have cared for her. Special thank you to Andrea Schimke, MD, Abram Albizo, MD, the ER staff and 8th floor staff at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton for the care and respect you gave LaVeria.

LaVeria was a loving wife, daughter, mother, grandmother, and sister whose life was fulfilled in these roles. LaVeria was a very private person and asked not to have a funeral. In lieu of sending flowers please plant them in her memory as she loved tending to her flower gardens.