LaVerna Jean (VanMeter) MacManus was born September 14, 1928 and passed to glory on January 28, 2022. Daughter of Harry George and Susan Mildred (Dodd) VanMeter, she was sister to Priscilla (Basil) Johansen and Miki (Ken) Dzugan.
After she graduated from high school, LaVerna (Verna) earned a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) license as well as attending radio school.
She married Donald H MacManus in a double wedding with her sister Priscilla and Basil Johansen on June 25, 1950. (The story goes that Priscilla couldn’t marry until Verna married, and so when the engagement was announced, they decided to do it on the same day.)
After living in Minnesota for nearly three years, Don and Verna moved to Denver, Colorado, where they raised their children and she lived for the next 70+ years.
By 1957, five children filled the MacManus household and Verna started picking up night shifts, putting her nursing license to work. Verna was always about doing things to help make ends meet for the family of seven – she could feed the family on $5 a week and became a whiz at smart shopping!
In 1964, Verna and Don were faced with their biggest trauma, the loss of their middle child, Carolyn Kay at the age of 10. Verna’s grief was expressed through her latent writing skills, which culminated in the first edition of the “Christmas Herald” in December of that year. This annual Christmas letter endured her entire life. Many relatives and friends of the family began to know the family as the “Merry Macs”, and looked forward to the newsy letter every year.
When Don got involved in the political system and ultimately ran for the State Senate, Verna took it just as seriously and got involved in the local Jane Jefferson Club. Over the years, she served as the President of the County J.J. Club, the State J.J. Club and the National Federation of Democratic Women. She was involved with a group called the Colorado Legislative Wives, whose purpose was to pray for wisdom, strength and protection for their husbands who served the State of Colorado. Don always believed that Verna’s avid support and willingness to work hard for him was what clinched his first Senatorial election.
Verna enrolled in a Registered Nursing (RN) program at Community College of Denver and graduated with her good friend, Darlene Yost in 1973, the same year daughter Lynn graduated from high school. She used that degree for the next 40 years as a private duty nurse.
Verna was involved in a number of organizations over the years. She served on the Board of the Metro North Salvation Army, the Christian Women’s Club, Toastmistresses International and Concerned Women for America (serving as a connection to the Colorado General Assembly for a time.) She was Jon’s Den Mother when he was in Cub Scouts, she served as her children’s tutor and task master during their school years, she sang in many church choirs and she faithfully taught children’s Sunday School well into her 80s.
Verna’s strong Christian faith and desire to share that faith will be a legacy to her family. This faith was at the root of all her sacrifices – for friends and family. It led to her husband’s salvation; it was the reason each of her children were in church the week after their birth; it is what led to opening her home to foster children and to a family of seven when they had no place to go; it’s what gave her the strength and determination to finish an all-night nursing shift and then run around picking up grandchildren to ensure they got to church; it was at the root of her willingness to give all she had to a person in need; it was what led her to drop everything and fly to New York lend a helping hand to a family member. It was her faith in action.
Verna is survived by her sister Miki (Ken) Dzugan, sister-in-law Barbara (Jack) Rairden; children, Jon David (Rickie) MacManus, Marge (Tony) Emerling, Lynn (Kevin) Callison, Christopher Edward MacManus, grandchildren Shaun MacManus, Todd (Sally) Emerling, Mark (Aimee) Emerling; 11 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great -grandchildren; as well as 7 nieces and nephews.
Published by Aspen Mortuary – Arvada on Feb. 9, 2022.
