LaVerne was a WAVE (Women Accepted
for Volunteer Emergency Service) in the U.S. Navy and trained in boot camp at
the end of WWII (enlisted for the duration plus six months). She joined the
U.S. Navy in Seattle, Washington, where she was working at the Boeing Aircraft
factory. She took boot camp at Hunter College in New York City, NY, and
continued her training at Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois. She
was later stationed at a hospital in Dublin, Georgia, and was honorably
discharged in 1946.
LaVerne is the daughter of Herman and Laura (Wiebers) Meyer who lived west of
Manning. She graduated from MHS in 1942 and was the class Salutatorian.
LaVerne married Walter Wittrock (married 60 years February
11, 2007) and they have nine children. She worked at St. Anthony Hospital for
13 years.