LaVera Best

LaVera June Eads was born April 19, 1927, to Homer and Winifred (Bookout) Eads on Alder Slope in Enterprise, Oregon. All four great-grandmothers and a great-great-grandfather were still living when she was born. Five years later, little brother Jack joined, completing the family of four. She met Bob Best in the 6th grade, and they later became high school sweethearts. LaVera played saxophone, and Bob played sousaphone in the high school swing band. Bob gave LaVera his class ring one afternoon while they were canoeing on Wallowa Lake. She returned it shortly after because she thought he was too much of a flirt. Luckily, Bob didn't give up. LaVera graduated from Enterprise High School in 1945 in an all-girls ceremony, as the boys in the class, including Bob, had been drafted into WWII service the week before graduation. The dads accepted diplomas on behalf of their sons. LaVera and Bob dated when he was home on leave from the Navy, going ballroom dancing at Wallowa Lake whenever he was there. LaVera studied business at Oregon State University and took up archery. Fortunately, she never hurt anyone with either skill. She spent summers with her grandmother in Baker City. One day, a Coca-Cola photographer stopped her on the street and asked her to model for a shoot. Decades later, her cousin found the image on a tray in an antique shop in Atlanta and brought it home. LaVera graduated in 1949. By then, Bob had been discharged from the Navy, and he asked LaVera to marry him. She didn't answer him for three days, but this time she kept the ring. LaVera and Bob were married for fifty-eight years. They married in September that year at the Methodist Church in Corvallis, Oregon. Bob then enrolled in Engineering at OSU, and LaVera went to work while he earned his degree. Bob graduated in 1952. Three years later, Philip Douglas Best entered their lives, and they became a family of three. Suzanne Marie Best joined the following year, much to Phil’s dismay, and Alan Robert Best came along three years later, much to Phil’s delight. He claimed his mom had a boy just for him. LaVera was a devoted mom, though each of her three kids holds a childhood grievance. For Phil, it was the white buffalo incident. For Suzanne, it was the kidnapping and murder of Raxie, which LaVera denied until the end, although Suzanne knows she is guilty. For Al, it involved Brussels sprouts and a blindfold. But these are stories for another day. Their children are sure the years spent raising them were the best years of their lives. LaVera and Bob might have disagreed. Once the children flew the coop, the parents made the most of their newfound freedom, eventually visiting all fifty states, twelve European countries, the Caribbean, and the Panama Canal. While the family was young, Bob worked as an engineer, primarily in pulp and paper mills. He continued consulting for eleven years after his official retirement. During that time, LaVera and Bob had the chance to live in Boston, Massachusetts; International Falls, Minnesota; and Meridian, Mississippi, and to take weekend day trips. After Bob retired from consulting in 1993, they settled into their home in Beaverton. Bob passed away in 2008, and LaVera lived in her home until age 95, when she moved to Bend. Her parents, Homer and Winifred, her brother Jack, and her son Phil preceded her in death. She is survived by her daughter Suzanne (Linn), her son Alan (Amanda), daughter-in-law Lenne Jo, six grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. Burial will be at Willamette National Cemetery in Happy Valley, Oregon. Niswonger-Reynolds Funeral Home was honored to handle the arrangements.

LaVera Best

April 19, 1927 - September 4, 2026