Remembering LaVonne Russell-Hootman
LaVonne Russell Hootman, retired nursing professor, died June 27 2019 at Valley Elder Care in Grand Forks. She was 87.
LaVonne Jolene Kleven was born November 11, 1931, to John B. Kleven and Lillian (Austreng) Kleven. She graduated from Grand Forks Central High School where she was involved in numerous groups and activities. LaVonne married Maurice T. Russell (former director of the UND Academic Media Center) on August 5, 1955. They had one son, Erik J. Russell.
LaVonne was a professor at the University of North Dakota. She served in the College of Nursing from 1954 until her first retirement in 1994, and again in 1997 to 1998 to direct the Recruitment/Retention of American Indians into Nursing (RAIN) program, in which she was instrumental in launching.
After the passing of her husband Maurice in Dec. 1992, LaVonne married Joallan (Joe) Hootman (retired professor of electrical engineering at UND) on March 8th, 1997. LaVonne and Joe spent their years together traveling to places such as Norway, Turkey, Italy, cruises to Alaska, and thru the Panama Canal. She especially loved visiting Joe’s grandchildren in Texas and Minnesota.
LaVonne and Joe spent many summers at her cabin on Ottertail Lake, Minnesota. She loved gardening and planted many day lilies and other flowers that still bloom every year. She and Joe were members of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Maurice: parents: sister Audrey: and younger brother (John) Jack Kleven.
LaVonne is survived by her only child, Erik (Jacqueline), her second husband Joe Hootman, Joe’s children, Joseph (Neisha) and Janine Wilke (Jeff) and 6 grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers memorials are preferred to Recruitment/Retention of American Indians into Nursing (RAIN) program c/o UND Alumni Association & Foundation, 3501 University Ave, Stop 8157, Grand Forks ND 58202 or at https://undalumni.org/cnpd.
Memorial Service will be held Wednesday, July 3, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Grand Forks. Visitation will be held Tuesday, July 2, 2019 from 5 to 7 p.m. with a prayer service at 7 p.m. at Amundson Funeral Home and will continue 1 hour prior to the start of the service at the church. An online register book may be signed at www.amundsonfuneralhome.com.
