Louise A Meinholz

Where do we begin to tell you about our mother, Luanne? She inherited her love of life from her dad, James Volk and her prankster nature from her mom, Dorothy. As the youngest of three children and the only girl, she had to quickly learn to hold her own with her brothers, Jim and Bob Volk. Mom loved to surprise us. For Tom’s 40th birthday, she and her daughters, Trudy, Theresa and Tricia all traveled to Nevada City to celebrate with Tom but of course Tom was not privy to the plans. Mom convinced the waitress at a local restaurant to let her dress up as one of the staff. When Tom and his wife, Cara and their daughter, Skyler arrived for “dinner” Mom walked up to take their order. The look on Tom’s face was priceless. Tom inherited Mom’s love of surprises and pranks. I am sure they are both together again planning their next adventure. Mom was always the first one to start a food fight or a water fight and usually the last one to end it too! Theresa learned that running into the house to avoid getting doused in the water fight was not going to save her. Eric and Ian, her grandsons, made that same mistake years later. Kasey, her son-in-law, was subjected to an impromptu food fight, started by Mom, during his first family dinner at mom’s house and he still married Theresa. Mom was opinionated, especially when it came to politics. Her twitter account was suspended three times because of her strongly worded comments concerning our most recent past president. She also loved to post embarrassing comments on her grandchildren’s social media accounts. Mom loved to take pictures, especially of her two favorite things, birds and flowers. She loved to watch the birds visit her many bird feeders waiting for that first robin to show up. She loved owls and dragonflies and hummingbirds, but mostly she loved her family, including the four-legged members. Mom’s four-legged granddog, Chewy, retired when Mom retired. Mom enjoyed the comfort of her furry companions. She loved Sister, Flynn, Baby and Rascal, even when their barking exceeded neighborhood noise levels. Her last few years were spent in the snuggle chair with her little Chihuahua, Baby. Baby left us a week prior to Mom so I am sure they are together again. She loved Tricia’s horses, Pepsi, Blaze, Willie and Jake. They knew Mom always came with treats for them. Mom loved to cook. She brought people together over food and laughter. Trudy eventually came around to the love of cooking and spent hours on the phone learning to cook like Mom. It was a rough beginning and at one point Trudy’s husband, Michael and Mom decided that it might be best to hide the cookbooks in the attic. Eventually with the help of Mom and Carmen, Trudy’s mother-in-law, the magic Mom had in the kitchen lives on. Michael is very happy that it all turned out. Tricia’s wife, Amanda, loves to cook too. Amanda and Mom conspired to torment Tricia, who hates the smell of onions, and decided to make French Onion Soup from scratch. They got a kick out of Tricia’s obvious discomfort, but boy did they enjoy that soup! Mom loved her grandchildren. She looked forward to their visits. Mac and Gabi, Theresa and Kasey’s children, would visit grandma often and enjoyed their sleepovers. They would lay in bed and talk for hours. Theresa and Kasey’s newest addition, Pam, an international student from Indonesia formed a quick bond with her American Grandma. Eric, and Ian, Trudy and Michael’s sons, enjoyed their summer visits with Mom and Aunt Tricia. They had many adventures together over the years. Grandma got a kick out their fear of the quiet countryside at night; they wanted to close the windows before they went to sleep. Michael III, Trudy and Michael’s oldest son, enjoyed Mom’s cooking the most, he appreciates great food. Skyler, Tom and Cara’s daughter, made mom a memory jar and filled it with all the reasons she loves Grandma. She would take one memory out each day and read it. Mom really enjoyed our yearly family outings. It made her so happy to see all of her children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren together in the same place at the same time enjoying good food and family time. There was always a lot of laughter and of course a few pranks. Mom looked forward to her daily facetime calls with her great-grandchildren. Aryon, Mikey’s son, formed a quick bond with Grandma. He loved to visit in the winter when there was snow. August and Anastasia, Eric and Tanya’s children kept her entertained for hours on the phone with their “Grandma, watch me……” which she lovingly and patiently did every day. Her youngest grandchild, LJ, Ian’s son, was able to meet her just after he turned one in February. It was love at first sight. Mom was a fierce friend. She had a large circle of friends that she enjoyed spending time with. She always looked forward to her “Cuna” lunches. She will be missed by many, but especially by one of her best friends, Ruthie. Ruthie was her soul sister and they shared many great adventures together. Memories of Mom will make us smile and laugh in the years to come. Her presence will be felt at every gathering we have, in every dish we cook and during every prank we pull on each other. The family has opted for a small, private gathering this summer. In lieu of flowers please donate to Refuge Farms Inc. by visiting them on Facebook or sending your gift to P.O. Box 195, Spring Valley, WI 54767. We want to thank Heartland Hospice for their outstanding care of Mom in her last months. A special thanks to Julie and Patti. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com . Gunderson Oregon Funeral & Cremation Care 1150 Park St. (608) 835-3515