Lavetta G. Pope

Lavetta Gay Pope, age 90, of St. Peter, MN, died peacefully surrounded by family on September 17, 2025, at Ecumen Prairie Hill in St. Peter. A funeral service for Lavetta will be held  Monday, September 22, 2025 at 11 a.m. at Sunrise Church in St. Peter with Pastor Mark Thompson, officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. A private interment at Glenwood Cemetery in Glenwood, MN will occur at a later date.

Lavetta was born on September 9, 1935, to Everett and Margaret (Tanner) Brothers in Carrier Mills, IL. She grew up in Carrier Mills and graduated from high school at the age of 16. She moved to St. Louis, MO and later to Minneapolis, MN, where she attended North Central Bible College and met her future husband, Bruce Pope. They fell in love and were married on March 24, 1955 in Hopkins, MN and celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary this year on March 24, 2025.  From Minneapolis, Lavetta and Bruce moved their family to Spring Valley, MN and later to Red Wing, MN where Bruce was the pastor and Lavetta was the music leader.  Next, they relocated to Austin, MN, where she assisted Bruce as a secretary at a home for mentally disabled children.  In 1976, Lavetta and Bruce relocated to St. Peter after living in Lake Charles, Louisiana and Glenwood, MN.  Lavetta returned to school to become an LPN and worked at the St. Peter State Hospital for 30 years.

In her free time, Lavetta loved to bake, play piano, and sing in the choir at her local church.  Her love for singing started in high school and later in college where she sang in a quartet and octet.  She also loved to go shopping and out for lunch with her daughters and grandchildren. She was known for her kindness and compassion, and her infectious laughter and sense of humor.  One of her grandson’s said, “She is the nicest person I know!”

Lavetta is survived by her husband Bruce; children Pamela (Ron) Brokhausen of Ramsey, MN, Bruce (Dawn) Pope Jr. of Austin, MN, Monica (Jody) Helland of Sauk Rapids, MN; nine grandchildren including Carson (Miku Takada) Hage, Zachery (Madison) Hage; and six great-grandchildren with another expected in January 2026.

She is preceded in death by her parents; daughter Debra Pope; and siblings Jack, Monzelle, and Ginny.