LaVerne N. “Sy” Syens, age 74, of Stevens Point, passed away surrounded by his family on Wednesday, May 7, 2014, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield after a courageous battle with MDS.

He was born on Feb. 17, 1940, in Friesland, Wis., to Peter J. and Elsie (Gaastra) Syens.

Sy graduated from Randolph High School in 1958 where he was a three sport athlete (basketball, football and baseball) and played tuba in the band.

He was married to Donna Mae Dexter on June 2, 1962, in Wausau.

Sy held a variety of jobs in his early years and worked as an insurance claims manager until his retirement. He was an auctioneer in his spare time and often volunteered for charity auctions. He was currently serving on the Town of Hull Board.

Sy loved to sing and was a long time member of the Stevens Point Barbershoppers and the Faith Reformed Church choir. He loved deer hunting, sharing his passion with his wife, daughters and grandsons. He hunted elk in Montana with his brother and friends, and was thrilled when his grandsons went with him. His favorite thing in life was being with his grandchildren whom he adored. They meant everything to him. He delighted in watching his grandchildren participate in sports, hunting and music, and spent as much time with them as he could in his retirement. He also loved to travel with his family and friends.

LaVerne will be dearly missed by his wife of 51 years, Donna of Stevens Point; his daughters, Doreen (Rob) Reznicek of Stevens Point, Lisa (John Kurzinski) Syens of Plover and Kari (Chris) Colombo of Appleton; five grandchildren, Jacob, Connor, Michael, Elise and Chloe: his brothers, John (Karen) Syens of Fort Atkinson and Duane (Beth) Syens of Wisconsin Rapids; his brother-in-law, Tom (LeAnn Slama) Pomraning of Sun Prairie; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and dear friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Peter J. and Elsie Syens; and his sister, Sheryl Pomraning.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 13, at Faith Reformed Church, 1321 32^nd Street North, Wisconsin Rapids. Burial will follow at Faith Reformed Cemetery in Vesper. Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, May 12, at Boston Funeral Home, 1649 Briggs St., Stevens Point and again at Faith Reformed Church from 10 a.m. until the time of services on Tuesday.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the American Cancer Society would be appreciated. Online condolences may be made at bostonfuneralhome.net.

The family would like to thank the dedicated staff at Marshfield Clinic, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield and Ministry Health Care in Stevens Point who treated him and contributed to his care.

Boston Funeral Home

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715-344-4223