Genevieve LaBonde
Genevieve LaBonde passed away peacefully at her home in Aurora, Colorado on June 19, 2025. Her life spanning 10 decades was an inspiration. Her devotion to her family, her desire to care for others, and her gracious personality as she aged teaches us of the lasting influence we can have on those who are close to us.
A memorial service and reception in Genevieve’s honor will be held at 10:00 am on July 1, 2025 at the Fairmount Funeral Home and Cemetery in the Quebec Place Chapel. Flowers are welcome.
“Don’t cry over my death. Celebrate my life.” – Valerie Perrin, Fresh Water for Flowers
Born in Whitehall, Wisconsin to John and Edna Hauge, Genevieve was an only child. She grew up on a family farm in hilly lands of trees and fields south of Blair, Wisconsin. The family raised dairy cows, chickens, and turkeys along with wheat and corn. Pigs were not allowed on the Hauge farm. Growing up on a farm in a one bedroom house in the 1920s-30s was a simple life: inside running water from a windmill supplied cistern; sleeping on a cot in the family room; no electric lights, only kerosene lamps; no internet or cable tv, only a battery powered radio; no refrigerator or freezer, only an icebox; no bathroom, only a honey pot and an outhouse; and only once per week baths in a wash tub with hot water from a kettle on the wood burning stove. Still, Genevieve remembered fondly of gardening with her Mom, giving her favorite cat a tasty snack by squirting him with milk while milking the cows, and skiing through a wild apple tree orchard on homemade oak skis with leather strap bindings.
Genevieve walked to school 2-1/2 miles by herself from 1st through 8th grade, and she rode her bicycle 5 miles to Blair High School when the weather was warm. During the cold winter months, she stayed in Blair Monday-Friday with a family who had an extra room because the daily 5-mile commute to and from the farm took too much time out of her Dad’s day. Her Mom did not drive. While she missed her family during the week, she liked living in town especially during basketball season. Her Dad picked her up every Friday for weekends back on the farm.
Upon graduation from high school in 1944, Genevieve left the family farm and enrolled in the Deaconess School of Nursing in Minneapolis, Minnesota as part of the World War 2 Cadet Nursing Corps. She graduated from the 3-year program in 1947 after which she and three classmates decided to move to Denver, Colorado in search of work and adventure. Genevieve’s career as a nurse included work at Denver area hospitals on 6-day per week shifts.
Away from work she joined a local ski club that would organize ski trips to the newly opened Aspen Mountain Ski Area. On those trips she made long-lasting friendships, and met her future husband Harry LaBonde. Genevieve’s relationship with Harry blossomed, but a religious conflict stood in the way of their future together. Genevieve was raised by Scandinavian parents as a Lutheran and wanted to raise her children in the Lutheran church. Harry was a devout Italian Catholic whose religion required specific promises regarding a Catholic upbringing of children. Genevieve broke off the relationship and returned home to Wisconsin. Shortly thereafter Harry put aside his religious requirements, drove to Wisconsin,
and proposed to Genevieve for her hand in marriage. The pair was married on February 14, 1953. As an only child, Genevieve wished for a sibling to grow up with. Now she could have the large family she always wanted. Together, Genevieve and Harry raised six children, and lived their lives together for 45 years until Harry’s passing on May 28, 1998.
Genevieve was a consummate cook having established traditions for holiday meals and scandinavian breakfasts second to none that are still a part of her children’s lives today. She was once featured in the Compliments to the Cook section of the Aurora Sentinel newspaper for her Cheesecake Recipe and described as “a radiant woman who has found time to serve as a 4-H leader and active member of P.T.A. for several schools.” Genevieve was a long-time member of St. Marks Lutheran church in Aurora, Colorado, and helped establish the Aurora Girls Softball League in the early 1970s.
In her later years, she demonstrated her desire to care for others like few of us do by taking in her son Alan and providing his primary care for 20 years as his battle with multiple sclerosis advanced. Genevieve remained optimistic and endearing until her final days knowing that she had lived a full and rewarding life. She regularly expressed gratitude to those who cared for her and was grateful to remain happy and comfortable in her own home. With good humor she often responded to the question of “How are you feeling Mom?” with a roll of her eyes and a dry-humored response “It’s time to kick the bucket.”
Genevieve is preceded in death by her Husband Harry and son Alan. Her legacy continues in her surviving children Harry Jr., Denise, John, Steve, and Shawn; Daughter In-Laws Cindy, Beth, and Carla; Son In-Law Mike; 10 Grandchildren Alisa, Briana, and Nick; Jordan, Lucas, Lauren, and Marcus; and Sarah, Kendall, and Brock; and 13 Great Grandchildren Hannah, Parker, and Grayden; Aiden and Macie; Nolan and Adeline; Luka, Beau, and Quinn; Sterling and Rose; and Melanie.