Jessie Mayer

Jessie "Laverne" Mayer, age 87, of Mattawan, Michigan died peacefully on Sunday morning, September 11, 2016. Laverne was born on September 29, 1928, on a farm in Imboden, AK, to Thomas and Mattie Privett, the last of 9 children. The family later moved to Benton Harbor, MI, where Laverne finished high school. At 18 years old, while working as an usher at the local movie theatre, she met a dashing young man with big dreams of starting his own advertising company. His name was Joe Mayer and on January 24, 1947, they were married. They moved briefly to California, but returned to Benton Harbor where Joe did start his advertising company, Mayer/Klann/Linaberry. Laverne took up her new life as "wife" and as "hostess" for the dinners and other events that were a key part of the company. Soon, she had added "mother" to her titles, as Sara, Sue and Rick all came a year apart, with Robert coming along 8 years later. In 1957, she was baptized in the Catholic Church, the beginning of a life-long commitment to the church and to God. She joined the Altar Society at St. John's church in Benton Harbor, and for a time was buyer for their Gift Shop. She joined the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority and became an avid member of a bridge club. She later worked for Berrien County Social Services, and retired from there in 1983. Laverne and Joe moved to Sawyer, MI, after retirement, where she became an active part of the Altar Society for St. Agnes Catholic Church. When Joe passed away in 2007, she moved to Mattawan, closer to her youngest son, Robert. Always, God and family were the priorities in her life. As wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend, she was loving, kind, funny a great listener with a compassionate heart. Laverne is survived by her children, Sara (Bill Lawrence) Mayer, of Madison, WI; Susan (Brooks Zeitlin) Mayer-Zeitlin, of Encino CA; Frederick ("Rick") Mayer of Aptos, CA; and Robert (Pamela) Mayer of Mattawan, MI; grandchildren, Maureen (Troy) Morrill, Elizabeth (Scott) Ender, Kim (Denise) Ruhl, Matthew Ruhl, Lauren Mayer and Tyler Mayer; and her great grandchildren, Brian Skorupa, Ashley Skorupa, Benjamin Ruhl, Amber Ender, Ryan Ender, Leo Mayer and Jay Mayer. Visitation will be from 5-8 PM on Thursday, Sept. 15 at Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Westside Chapel, 3926 S. 9th Street, Kalamazoo. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 AM Friday, Sept. 16 at St. John Bosco Catholic Church, 23830 Front Street, Mattawan.