LaVonne Schrag

LaVonne Heckel Kleinsasser Schrag, 90, died on September 20, 2025, at Oakview Terrace Nursing Home, in Freeman, SD. A Celebration of Life service will be held at Salem Zion Mennonite Church, on October 4 at 2 pm, and a visitation time at 1 pm, and a time of fellowship afterwards.

She was the 5th child born to John & Anna Heckel on May 6, 1935 at their farm near Ethan, SD. The family later relocated to a farm northwest of Marion. She would often tell stories of how she loved to go down to fish in the West Fork of the Vermillion River that ran through their farmland.

When she was a junior at Marion High School, she met Silas Kleinsasser, and found her first love. They were married on June 8, 1952. To that marriage, 4 children were born: June, Greg, Cindy & Julie. They moved to Silas' home place northwest of Freeman in the early 1960's. She had a beautiful singing voice, and passed that love of singing onto their children. Silas died in 1979 after a fast bout of cancer, so LaVonne moved into town and worked as a cook at the Freeman Community Hospital and Nursing Home for many years.

She had an amazing green thumb, which was always evident in her lush garden and the beautiful flowers she grew. She later married Duane Schrag and moved to Tripp, SD. She enjoyed helping him by grading the papers from his students. Their summers were enjoyed with numerous fishing trips to the river, and countless hours in their garden. After Duane's retirement, they moved back to Freeman, and lived there until both of their deaths. In her final years, she said that it was her faith in Jesus that gave her daily strength living at Oakview Terrace. She could still be heard singing along to her favorite hymns until the very end.

Left to celebrate her life are her children, June Walker, Tulsa,OK, Greg (Kathy) Kleinsasser, Freeman, SD, Cindy Kleinsasser, Claremore, OK, and Julie (Dan) Aughenbaugh, Rapid City, SD, 7 grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren, and 1 great great grandchild, 2 sisters, several sister-in-laws, and numerous nieces, nephews and friends.