Lavada ""Vade"" Pauls

Lavada was born September 22, 1938 to Otto and Elsie Megert in Beaver County Oklahoma on her parents' farm. Lavada had three siblings – Clyde, Norma, and Gladys. She also had two nieces that were like sisters to her, Connie and Toni. Lavada accepted Jesus as her savior at an early age and was baptized September 17, 1950 at Balko Mennonite Church. She went to Bethany Grade School. She had to do first grade over because her family always spoke German at home, and she was also very quiet at school, so her teacher thought it best to redo first grade. Her parents sent her to High School at Corn Bible Academy – about 180 miles from where they lived. When she was a junior, a guy by the name of Jim asked her for a date. Their courtship of about one and a half years resulted in marriage on July 15, 1958. Soon there were children, all boys, - Lawrence born July 16, 1959, Gary born August 10, 1960, and James Jr. born May 22 1964. Lavada very dearly loved her sons and her grandchildren - Shellsea, Aaron, Emma, Rivver, Sequoia, Sierra, Adinew and Alazar. She prayed for her family by name each day. She loved going to see events her grandkids were involved in. Lavada, thank God, was a person who thought a mother in the home was very important and was a great mother and homemaker. She was a helper in church, performed lots of childcare and a lot of work behind the scenes. Lavada had some health issues – a heart valve replaced in 2007, as well as Parkinson's disease and several other issues causing a lot of pain – she rarely complained. On March 3, about 10 o'clock pm, she developed a very severe headache. She was taken to Denver Health – she had suffered a very serious stroke. She was unconscious by midnight. We tried to give her a chance by surgery to relieve the pressure on her brain. She died March 11th, about 6 am. Her sons and her husband were with her when she died. She was preceded in death by her parents, Elsie and Otto Megert, her brother Clyde, and his wife Shirley. She is survived by her husband Jim; her son Lawrence, wife Bernadette, and grandchildren Shelsea, Adinew and Alazar; her son Gary; her son Jim Jr., wife Barb, and grandchildren Aaron, Emma, Rivver, Sequoia, and Sierra; her sister Norma and her husband Gene Kliewer; her sister Gladys and her husband Eddie Kalfayan; as well as many nieces and nephews. We love her and will miss her very much.