Lawrence Vanderheiden

Lawrence Vanderheiden, age 82, of Aurora, former hospital administrator, died Wednesday evening, November 8, 2000, at Memorial Long Term Care.

Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 A.M., Saturday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Aurora. Father John Keefe will officiate. Interment will be at the Aurora Catholic Cemetery. Visitation hours will be from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. Friday at Higby Mortuary in Aurora. The Rosary will be recited at 7:30 P.M. Friday at the mortuary.

OBITUARY: LAWRENCE VANDERHEIDEN

Lawrence A. Vanderheiden, the son of Louis L. and Josephine H. (Savage) Vanderheiden, was born in Alexandria, South Dakota on July 16, 1918 and died in Aurora, Nebraska on November 8, 2000, at the age of 82 years, 3 months and 22 days.

Lawrence was born and raised in Cedar Rapids. He graduated from 8th grade at St. Anthony’s and then went to Conception, Missouri to attend High School and College. Lawrence served in the Armed Forces in Europe during WW II and was decorated with a Purple Heart.

Lawrence was united in marriage to Veronica “Vera” Starczec on October 21, 1941 in Cedar Rapids, Nebraska. They lived in Cedar Rapids, where he coached and was a maintenance worker for St. Anthony’s School. When they moved to Grand Island, he was an Assistant Administrator at St. Francis Hospital. Lawrence was appointed administrator at Memorial Hospital in Aurora in 1969. Vera passed away September 11,1999.

Lawrence was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Nebraska Hospital Association, American Legion and Rotary.

His parents, wife, twin brother, Leonard and two sisters, Adelaide Trelstad and Dorothy Denn preceded him in death.

He is survived by his three sons, James of Aurora, Robert of Lincoln, and Gerald of Aurora; three daughters, Mary Novotne of Columbus, Kathleen Kummer of Englewood, Colorado, and Vivian Holtzinger of Littleton, Colorado; 12 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren; brother, James Vanderheiden of Haywood, California and sister Marita Currnyn of Dallas, Texas.