Virginia Laabs

Virginia R. Laabs (Keup), age 91, of Mesa, AZ. went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, at Banner Baywood Medical Center in Mesa.

A Resurrection Celebration for Virginia will take place at St. John Ev. Lutheran Church in Mayville on Saturday, October 29, 2022, at 1 p.m. with the Rev. Bruce Laabs officiating. Visitation will take place from 12 noon until the time of the service at 1 at the church in Mayville. Interment will take place at Hochheim Cemetery with a light luncheon to follow at the church.

Viriginia was born the daughter of William and Bertha (Roediger) Keup on March 19, 1931, in Theresa, Wisconsin, and was baptized and confirmed at Immanuel Lutheran Church (Hocheim.) She was a 1949 graduate of Mayville High School. Virginia was united in marriage to Herman Laabs on June 25, 1950. They spent most of their married life in West Bend, where they were active members of St. John’s Lutheran Church. Virginia will be fondly remembered for her tremendous cooking and baking skills, as she loved to make meals for family and friends and many special occasions. She loved music, especially in the church setting. She sang in various church choirs over the years and passed the love of music on to her three sons. After retirement and moving to Arizona, Virginia became an active volunteer alongside Herman, a WW2 pilot, in the Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force at Falcon Field Mesa. They participated in many events there such as Veterans Day activities honoring military pilots from WW2 to present.

Virginia is survived by her sons – Jim (Janis) Laabs of Mesa, AZ., Tom (Susan) Laabs of Mesa, AZ., and Rev. Bruce (Barb) Laabs of Waconia, MN. Her grandchildren – Erin, Ben, Andy, Heather, and Heidi, and great-granddaughter Aurora. Further survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Herman in 2015, an infant son, sisters Sylvia Athey and Lois Groth, and brother Martin Keup.

Memorials in loving memory of Virginia may be directed to the College Scholarship Fund at Christ Greenfield Lutheran Church, Gilbert, AZ.