Vernon "Vern" Michael Laures
April 7, 1939 ~ February 20, 2025
Vernon “Vern” Michael Laures age 85 of New Hampton passed away peacefully on February 20, 2025 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, MN.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30 a.m. Monday, February 24, 2025 at Holy Family Parish in New Hampton with Rev. Brian Dellaert and Rev. Mark Osterhaus celebrating the Mass. Interment will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery in New Hampton with Vern’s grandchildren serving as pallbearers.
Friends may greet the family from 1:00 – 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 23, 2025 at Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory in New Hampton. Visitation continues an hour prior to the service on Monday at the church. The family will do their best to greet everyone, but please keep in mind that the line will need to move quickly to try and allow everyone to pay their respects prior to the service.
Vern was born on April 7, 1939, in New Hampton, IA, he was the son of Leo and Alvetta (Weigel) Laures. Vern grew up in New Hampton and graduated from New Hampton High School in 1959. During his high school years, he was known for his spirited performance as the Big Bopper at the Howard County Fair and for working alongside his father, collecting and hauling trash to the city dump. He came from humble beginnings, a fact he never forgot, and despite his successes in life, he remained a humble man, always grateful for the blessings bestowed upon him.
Vern met the love of his life, “My Jeanie,” Jean Adams, at a dance, and the two quickly became inseparable. They were married at Immaculate Conception Church in North Washington and together built a life full of love, laughter, and unwavering devotion. Their union was blessed with four children—Lisa, Perry, Tracy, and Mitch—who were the light of his life. Vern often said he was the luckiest man alive, not because of his business success but because of his family. “Faith, Family, and Friends are what this life is all about” was one of his most cherished sayings, a sentiment that defined how he lived each day.
After the couple were married, Vern was a young man working for Bob Gilbert at the Gambles store in New Hampton when he heard about a job opening at Huebner Chevrolet. Bill Huebner, new to the car business, needed help to run the dealership. After meeting Vern, he decided to hire him—not for the parts department, as Vern thought, but to sell cars. Vern quickly found his footing in the role. His years at Gambles had earned him the trust of nearly everyone in town, and his honest, personal approach made customers feel at ease. “I knew nearly everyone in this town,” Vern recalled. “I don’t care if they bought a pound of nails or a riding lawn mower—I knew the people, and they put a little bit of trust in me because of that.” Back then, selling cars was a bit different. Customers often asked him to bring cars out to their farms or homes to take a look. His first new car sale—a 1964 Impala Super Sport—is still a fond memory. As the business grew, it quickly outgrew its original location downtown, which had previously been an implement shop. “It wasn’t much,” Vern said of the old building. “We had no place to park the cars, but we made it work.” In 1975, the dealership moved to its current site on Linn Avenue, a space that allowed for more inventory and better service. In 1981, Vern became the sole owner of the dealership after Bill passed away. Bill had been more than just a boss—he was a mentor and a friend, even co-signing a loan to help Vern buy into the business years earlier. Renaming the dealership Vern Laures Auto Center, Vern carried forward the values they had built together: honesty, hard work, and putting people first. Reflecting on his career, Vern said, “The best part of the car business has always been the people. I met so many and made so many friends—so many beautiful people.”
Vern and Jean shared many adventures together, taking trips to Las Vegas where they saw Elvis in person, exploring Switzerland, cruising the Mediterranean and Alaska, and enjoying countless weekends at the river. Of all these travels, the most special to Vern was the family trip to Silver Muskie Lodge, a place he visited many times but held particularly dear when the entire family was together.
A man deeply dedicated to his community, Vern gave generously to New Hampton, supporting numerous projects that helped the town grow and flourish. He took great pride in giving back to the community that had supported him throughout his life. His generosity, kindness, and unwavering respect for all people made him a beloved figure in New Hampton.
Vern and Jean cherished their daily tradition of heading to the local tavern at 5 o’clock to enjoy a cocktail together, a simple yet special ritual that brought them joy and companionship. Vern never met a stranger—he treated everyone with respect and kindness, no matter their circumstances.
Vern will be remembered for his loving heart, humble spirit, and the deep and abiding love he had for his family and friends. He leaves behind a legacy of generosity, laughter, and love that will continue to inspire all who knew him.
Vern is survived by his wife, Jean Laures of New Hampton; four children, Lisa (Jim) Lewis of New Hampton, Perry (Mary) Laures of New Hampton, Tracy (Rich) Dahl of Cedar Falls, Mitch (Jeanette) Laures of New Hampton; eight grandchildren, Dustin (Kyra) Lewis of New Hampton, Jenny (Jack) van der Meer of New Hampton, Adam Laures of Prairie Du Chien, Paige Laures of Cedar Falls, Cael Laures of New Hampton, Ava Dahl of Cedar Falls, Sydney Laures of New Hampton, Carson Laures of New Hampton; three great-grandchildren Charlie van der Meer, Maddie van der Meer, Jameson “JJ” Lewis; one sister, Kathy Lensing of New Hampton; three sisters-in-law, Joan Jacobsen of Des Moines, Pat Wilcox of Elma, Diane (Dave) Baethke of Elma.
He was preceded in death by his parents; two grandchildren in infancy, Evan Laures, Taylor Dahl; in-laws, Harold and Helen Adams; four brothers-in-law, Gilbert Lensing, Dave Jacobsen, Larry Wilcox, Bill (Ella Mae) Adams; one sister-in-law Harriet (Bob) Seelhammer.
In lieu of flowers please direct memorials to the family.
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Very sorry to read this! You all have my deepest sympathy and prayers. Vern was always a pleasure to visit with. May he Rest in Peace!
You have our prayers and sympathy!
Knew Vern most of my life. Couldn’t find a more wonderful person. Always liked him. Will miss him. Will say prayers for him and family 🙏❤️
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Our deepest sympathy to all the Laures family. Vern was one of a kind. He was just the nicest man. You’re all in our thoughts and prayers.
May God rest his soul.
Mary Wegner
My heart is broken…I can’t imagine Jean, what you and the kids are going through. Vernie was the kindest, most caring person I ever knew. He always had a smile, hug and a kiss. I will always remember him for the loving person he was. RIP Vernie……I bet all the relatives welcomed you with open arms. Those of us left here, will never forget you. Love you!
Hard to put into words all the kindness that this man showed to each person and the NH community. He will be missed by all who knew him. RIP Vern!
My deepest sympathies to all of you. May you find peace and comfort in all your memories! Hugs! 🙏🏻
My deepest sympathies to all of you. May you find peace and comfort in all your memories! Hugs! 🙏🏻
Our deepest sympathies to Vernie’s family. He was truly a fine and fair gentleman.
You all have my deepest sympathy, thoughts and prayers!
James & Lyn Bailey
My sympathy and prayers to all Vern’s family. A great business man.
Rest in Peace!
New Hampton lost a great man. Vern and I used to talk about growing old together. He’ll be missed. RIP
Jean and family you have our deepest sympathy.
We are very sorry for the loss of Vern. What a fine person and pillar of New Hampton. Our prayers are with you. John / Cheryl
Rest in peace Vern , our sympathy to the Laures Family
Thoughts and prayers to the family!! Such a great guy. Will be dearly missed by all🙏🙏
We were deeply saddened to hear of Vern’s passing! As others have said, he was an “icon”, not only of NH, but all of NE Iowa! He and Jean raised a great family and they will carry on his legacy! R.I.P. Vern.
Our deepest sympathy to Jean and family. Vern was such a friendly and fun-loving guy. RIP Partner.
Our deepest sympathy to all of Vern’s family. Our prayers are with you. Hold your memories tight.❤️
So sorry for your loss, Laures family. You have my deepest sympathy.
RIP Vern! I will always remember those “Blue Suede Shoes”
Sending prayers and my sincere sympathy to all of Vernie’s family. May your memories bring you peace in the days to come.
He will be missed by all that knew him! He loved to laugh and have fun. And, he was a strong pillar of our community! Our thoughts are with all of you.
Condolences to you and your family, Jeannie. Vern was an icon in this community,. His love of community was demonstrated routinely by his generosity supporting every project undertaken in New Hampton. You raised a family with your values instilled in them. May you find comfort in fond memories in the days ahead.
May God hold you all tightly in his arms, at this time of loss. Vern was kind, generous and always had a kind word. May all the memories you have made as a family carry you forward.
Hugs & Prayers
Randy & Mary Jane Leach
New Hampton andI lost a very good friend in the passing of Vern We go back a long ways from our school days.Jean and family Marlys and I want to tell you how sad we are for the loss of Vern .We can’t make the services she can’t make the trip but know our love and prayers are with at this sad time.Duane
We are very sorry to hear about Vern
Vern was a Huge Rock to our community. Always giving generously donations. When you’d see him he had the biggest smile for you , a kiss on the cheek, and a gentle squeeze to let you know everything was ok. Cherish those pictures that are memories forever.
Jean and all the family, my sincere sympathy. As you know through the years I traveled many miles covering many roads, and proud to call him a friend. R.I.P. Vern.
So very sorry to hear this. Condolences to the whole family. New Hampton has lost a great guy.
Jean and Family I am So Sorry for your loss Sending my Love and Prayers Vernie was a Great Guy and will be missed by all who knew and loved him Rest Easy my Friend 🙏🏻❤️ Hugs and Special Thoughts to all ❤️
Our sympathies go out to Jean and family at this difficult time. Cherish the memories.
Jean and all of the family. You have my sympathy and prayers. He always teased me about dancing with him in Vegas. Great memory. God bless each of you!
Vern was one of my mother, Gert Hintz’s favorite NHers. How she loved her red Chevy, “Plaque!” My condolences. to all the family. Gretchen Hintz Wronka
I am so sorry to hear if Vern’s passing, he was a wonderful kind gentleman, he always had a kind word to say to me. He will be greatly missed.
Our deepest sympathy to Jean and family. Besides being a relative, he was also a great friend! Many fun stories were shared over a beer or two. We should all live by Vernies favorite saying …….Faith, family, and friends! May he rest in peace.
We really enjoyed his stories having a beer or two and the kiss on the check and hugs. Sending hugs to Jean and the family
smile. He was a kind and generous man. Vern will be greatly missed. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you.
Jean and Vern’s pride, his family:
We are so sorry to hear about this sad news. Vern was a great person who cared about so many. Each of you in his family carry that within yourselves and his legacy goes onward. May God be with you as you grieve your loss of Vern.
Several years ago Vern pulled his pontoon in the Heartland parade so the residents and staff of the New Hampton Group home and families could ride it in. It was a great time and much appreciated. R I P Vern, you will be greatly missed.
Our sympathy to the entire Laures family. We had just talked to Vern a week ago.
What a great guy! A friend to all.
Sincere sympathy to all! I hated to hear this. Such a loss for the whole community, a true gentleman in every aspect. I was always hoping to sit and have a cold one while we figured out just how we were related. So I did it yesterday. Our great grandparents were the same! You will always be remembered!
Our deepest sympathies to the family. So sorry for your loss! May he RIP, God bless you all!
Vern was a true gentleman and we often traded inventory to help both of our customers. He befriended me when I was new fellow dealer. I’ll never forget his kindness! Our sincere condolences to his family.
We were saddened to learn of Vern’s passing. He touched so many lives in the very best way. Sending thoughts and prayers of comfort and peace to all the Laures families.
Dave and I want to extend sympathy to all of Vernie’s family. Dave enjoyed having coffee with Vernie for the past 30
years. The town has lost a wonderful soul. Everyone who knew him will have a story to tell because he gave so much of himself to everyone with a smile, kind word, hug. He will certainly be missed. We will carry fond memories of him in our hearts.
We are so sorry to hear of your Dad’s passing. May the memories of your Dad/Grandpa help you through the hard times, our sympathy to all of your family.
Carol and Arnie
My condolences to your family Mary.
Tim and Chris Storey
Mary,
So sorry for your loss. Sending you hugs from your work family at Bluebell. We will keep you and your family in our prayers.
Our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to Vern’s family. He was a kind caring and happy go lucky person that we had the pleasure to know. Smile on, Vern! RIP
Our sincere condolences to you Jean, Lisa, Perry, Mitch and Tracy.
You are in our thoughts and prayers in this time of sorrow and loss.
Sincerely,
Louise and Donn Harris
Sending big hugs to the whole Laures family. May your heavy hearts be lifted by all your fond memories! We are sure heavens gates were opened wide to welcome this big hearted, faithful servant home and he’s got happy hour in full swing in the heavenly skies!! We loved Vern!
Heaven gained one heck of an Angel ..Verne was one heck of a guy here on earth. Heartfelt condolences to Jean and the family.
I am so sorry to hear of Vernie’s death. He was a genuinely good person, a friend, and he won’t soon be forgotten. Blessings to Vernie’s wife Jean and to his family. Peace and love.
Vern was a genuine and caring person who made a real difference in our community. His legacy will live on through his work and the lives he touched. He will always be remembered for his kindness.
Our deepest condolences to his family.
We send our sincere condolences to the Laures family.
Sympathy to the Laures family and prayers for all in this time of loss.
Vernie and Jean…so many years ago, but I will not forget the kindness that you always showed me. I remember one time I was working at Tom’s and it was a snowstorm!! There was no way my old car was going to make it back to Ionia that night, so you two told me to stay with you! Ha! Perry was not there, so it was a bit awkward, but oh well! I think we might have had a beer that night. Anyway, my dad came to get me in his pick up the next day thru snowdrifts!! You have raised an amazing family, and I know that Duane Lynch was at the gate when Vernie arrived. I am so very sorry for your loss. What a character and such as gentle giant. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
I can’t even remember a time I didn’t know Vern. He was one of those people you thought would live forever. My most sincere and heartfelt condolences for his family
Our sympathy to Jean and the whole Laures family, our prayers are with you.
Vernie was a dear friend of our Family we have many great memories of great times with Jeanie and Him,He will be missed by everyone in New Hampton. A very special guy. Marian Gebel
We met Vern soon after we moved to New Hampton and was his friend forever, like everyone he met. We will miss him and send our condolences to his entire family. Our prayers and sympathy go out to all. May he rest in peace.
Sending our deepest sympathies to the Laures family. Cherish the memories ❤️ Larry and Rhonda Stange
My deepest sympathy to you, Jeanie and your entire family.
Vern will be greatly missed by our entire community.
Remember the that every time you see a cardinal, he is visiting you.
Prayers to you and your family.
Judy Robeson
Jeanie and family
I don’t have the words to express my sorrow.
I cherished the time we spent at our favorite watering hole.
Vern was such a wonderful man. He loved talking about my brother Marv and playing pool when it used to be Larry’s. Vern and Marv are together again sharing a beer. RIP
Tom and Marla
To the Laures Family,
I remember buying my first car from Vernie and all the rest of my vehicles, until I joined the Air Force. I even remember babysitting the kids …. wow, the memories! I ended up in Las Vegas, where I was able to visit then when they came out to visit. They loved Vegas! My deepest sympathy to the whole family. You are all in my prayers.
You all have my deepest sympathy, thoughts and prayers
Lisa – I am so sorry to hear of your dad’s passing. What a difference he made in New Hampton. Treasure your memories. My deepest sympathy to you and the entire Laures family.
Jean, the New Hampton ‘High School, Class of ’59 and extend our deepest sympathy to you and your family. We all remember the fun characteristics, his musical talents, snd his sincere caring for all of us. Which you have given to your lovely family. May he rest in peace
You have my deepest sympathy, Vern was a very special man and so friendly. So sorry for your loss.
You have our sincere sympathy for your loss! Vern was not only a great businessman, but such a nice guy who would help anyone whenever he could. He and Jean passed on that trait to their children. I remember when I was back in NH over 10 years ago due to my mother’s health and I didn’t have a vehicle. I called the auto center to see if they would rent a car to me. I was told to stop by and they would take care of me. When I arrived, they had a Buick they knew I would be comfortable driving ready for me. They allowed me to use the car for as long as I needed it for free and didn’t ask for insurance or personal information. When I returned to Phoenix and shared that kindness at the office, my colleagues were truly surprised by it. Joe and I weren’t as Vern had always treated us that way! May he rest in peace! May God wrap his loving arms around all of you during this difficult time!
Our sympathy to the family
Our sympathies to Vern’s family.
Sending our deepest sympathies and prayers to the entire Laures family. Vernie left a huge legacy and a playbook for us to live by✝️ Sincerely, Dave and Terry Utterback
My sympathies to Jean and her family. My Vernie memories go back to the 50’s. To this day I can see Vernie’s “Big Bopper” skit done in a school variety show. I did Elvis. The memories are filtered through many years. I associate Vernie with a 50 Ford coupe and a Cushman motor scooter. The Fifties where a great time to grow up. I am sure Vern will be greatly missed by the community.
Jean and Family–So sorry to hear of Vern’s passing. He truly was one of a kind, and always had a smile on his face. We shall miss him. May the special memories you made together help you through this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and the family.
Jim and Cindy Smith
Very sorry to hear this. Vern was a great man and a friend to all that knew him. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Laures Family. Brad & Amy Roling
our deepest sympathy. Vern was a wonderful man, a life well lived, touching so many and making our world better for that. He will be missed by so many.
Our deepest sympathy to Jean and family. Barbara and Andrew Kottke
May the love and support from family and friends help you through this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of Vern’s family. RIP Vern. 🙏
Jean and family…Keeping you in our thoughts and prayers as you say your goodbyes to a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, and exceptional businessman. The community has lost a great treasure. He was a spirited, faithful friend to many. Vern was a gem! Never saw him without a smile. Cherish the memories. He will always be in your hearts.
Sorry to be late, but deepest sympathies to the Laures family. Vern and his family treated my parents so well over the years. My mom seemingly insisted to do business with him and his staff, in particular, because of the continual great service. As far as that 1964 Supersport- my paternal grandfather was the one who bought that car. It’s obvious that Vern would have done as well if someone else would have bought it anyway.
Vern will be greatly missed!! God bless him and the great family he has! I enjoyed having coffee with him and the gang at Klunders every morning for years.. lots of old and new stories and lots of BS also lol. Vern always took the time to say hello to strangers and ask where they were from! A classic gentleman!!!
Jean and Family Sorry for your Loss, Vern always had a smile and a friendly greeting when I was in New Hampton for a visit. As He never forgot who you were. I bought my First car from Vern and then two more after that. A wonderful person to all who knew Him. Love and Prayers to the Family.
Our deepest sympathy to Vern’s family and friends. Enjoyed years of buying cars from Vern and family. Always trusting us to try out a car for a few miles or days. RIP Vern. Gary and Connie Kuehn
So sad to hear of Vern’s passing. Such a wonderful man, husband and father. His kindness, optimism and passion for life lives on in his greatest legacy…his beautiful family.
What a shock to here the news. My sympathy to you Jeanie and the whole family. What a great man that raised a great family. Always a friendly and positive attitude. Never missed a community play or singing performances. Called me partner every time we visited. Pretty special memories. Peace be with you all!
Jean
Jean and Family, we found out about Vern’s passing when we saw Denny and Jeanne yesterday. We are so very sorry for your loss and will keep everyone in our Prayers. 🙏🏽❤️