Funeral Services for LaVern "Shorty" Landauer

LaVern "Shorty" Landauer, 89 of Albion, NE passed away Saturday, June 27, 2015 at the Mid-Nebraska Lutheran Home in Newman Grove, NE.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 2, 2015, at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Albion with Fr. Stan Schmit officiating. Interment will follow at St. Michael’s Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will be 5:00-7:00 p.m. Wednesday at the church with a 7:00 p.m. Wake Service. Levander Funeral Home of Albion is in charge of arrangements.

LaVern Joseph Landauer, son of Joseph John and Alma Anna (Ackerman) Landauer, was born March 10, 1926 at Petersburg, Nebraska. He was baptized and confirmed at St. John’s Catholic Church in Petersburg. He attended school through the 11th grade, meeting his wife “Dottie” the same day he quit school.

On October 1, 1946, LaVern was united in marriage to Dorothy Elizabeth Henke at Petersburg. They lived northwest of Petersburg on his grandparents place until 1951 when they moved northwest of Albion. In 1958, they moved southwest of Albion until moving into Albion in 1988.

Over the years, Shorty has worked for Omaha Cold storage, farmed, worked for Ed Kunzman for 8 years helping him build new houses in Albion, the A.S.C.S. office monitoring irrigation wells, Albion Livestock Market, State of Nebraska, NRD planting trees, Coash driving a fertilizer truck, Skelgas, and Schilousky’s and Doc’s buying aluminum cans.

Shorty was a member of St. Michael’s Catholic Church. In his spare time, he enjoyed customizing the chrome and tail pipes on his pickups, making windmills and caring for his pet pigeon. He always enjoyed playing the accordion and harmonica while Dottie played the organ. Shorty had a passion for striking up a conversation with everyone he met and remembered well where everyone lived around the Petersburg area.

He is survived by his son Dave Landauer and wife Deb of Albion; a grandson: John (Angie) Landauer of Fremont; two granddaughters: Jennifer Landauer of Petersburg and Janelle (Chad) King of Newman Grove; two great grandchildren: Julia and Jack Landauer of Fremont; a brother: Jerome Landauer of Grand Island; a sister: Irene Fisher of Albion.

Shorty was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Dorothy on January 6, 2015, a son Marvin Landauer, a sister Mary Gene Landauer, a brother Donald “Doc” Landauer, two sisters-in-law Rebecca “Becky” Landauer and Delores Landauer, brother-in-law: Melvin Fisher, and a niece Felicia Houston.

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