Venona Christine Roland

Venona Christine Roland, age 93, of Versailles, Missouri passed away on November 14, 2018 at Bothwell Memorial Hospital in Sedalia, Missouri. She was born October 23, 1925 in Forest Green, Missouri to A. W. and Ida Gessling Hafemeister.

Venona was baptized on November 8, 1925, at Salem Lutheran Church in Forest Green and confirmed there on April 2, 1939. Her confirmation verse was Psalm 27:1—“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”  She graduated from Salisbury High School, Salisbury, Missouri in 1943.

Following her graduation she moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and worked at Jenkins Music Co. She and a friend rented a third-story apartment from G. E. and Rhoda Roland where she met their son, Kenneth, upon his return from WWII.  Venona and Kenneth were married June 30, 1946, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Kansas City.

As Kenneth was called back into service for the Korean War, Venona had their first child, Ruth Ann, and was able to join him in Honolulu, Hawaii, for two years.

With Kenneth’s work for the Rock Island Railroad, they moved across Missouri to relieve agents as they took their vacation time. They were assigned to Windsor, Missouri, during the time daughter Karen Louise was born. In 1957 he was appointed the full-time agent in Stover, Missouri.

Venona worked for Dr. H. A. Hoffa for 24 years as a medical assistant.  In 1985, after retirement  she and Kenneth worked with their daughter Ruth and her husband John at Pioneer Restaurant in  Versailles.

She was a faithful member of Christ Lutheran Church. Venona was an exceptional seamstress, and in her later years she did embroidering, making many baby quilts.  She enjoyed helping the church women make quilts and was always willing to do mending for family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Kenneth in 2014, three brothers, Omer, Walter and Lester and one sister, Olera Louise Gay.

Venona is survived by two daughters and sons-in-law, Ruth and John Leeper of Versailles and Karen and Jerry Case of Sedalia; one brother-in-law, Harold Roland of Texas and two sisters-in-law, Jean Roland of Springfield, Missouri, and Eunice Hafemeister of Minneapolis, Minnesota; nine grandchildren and their spouses, Becky and Aaron Cooper, Tom and Jenny Leeper, Jim and Sanam Leeper, Jim and Katie Case, Jill and Robert Newton, Lisa and Andrew Bixler, Lori and Brandon Hurt, Tim and Erica Leeper and Matt and Carolyn Siegel; eighteen great-grandchildren, Vyra, Carly & Marin Cooper, Sidney & Isaac Leeper, Alle,  Avery, & Kelsey Case, Seth, Logan & Paige Newton, Kenna & Ty Bixler, Grace & Myles Leeper, Cole, Nolan & Emma Siegel, along with nieces, nephews, other relatives and a host of dear friends.

Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. on Monday, November 19, 2018 at Christ Lutheran Church in Stover, with the funeral service at 1:00 p.m.  Interment will follow at Versailles Cemetery in Versailles.

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