LaVerl Otto Uhde, 85, of Rockport, passed away on Saturday, January 27, 2024, at Deaconess Heart Hospital in Evansville.
LaVerl was born in Mt. Vernon on April 21, 1938, to the late Otto and Ellen (Bottomley) Uhde.
In 1959, he married his high school sweetheart, Judy (Redman) Uhde, and started their 64 years together in Evansville.
He graduated from the College of Mortuary Science in Indianapolis in 1957, and worked as a funeral director at Alexander Funeral Home-West in Evansville. In 1970, LaVerl fulfilled his dream of becoming an Indiana State Trooper, serving Spencer County, and advanced to the rank of Detective Sergeant as a crime scene investigator until his retirement in 1992. His police work continued in serving Rockport as Chief of Police. In 1998, he was elected and served as Sheriff of Spencer County. He also served several years with the Rockport-Ohio Township Volunteer Fire Department and Spencer Co. REACT.
LaVerl was active in the Boy Scouts of America, earning his Eagle Scout in 1955, and serving as Scout Master of Rockport Troop 105, and at the district and council levels. He was also actively involved in the Rockport Kiwanis Club, Masonic Lodge No. 112, and Scottish Rite.
He was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church, where he was a member of the Lighthouse Keepers Sunday School class and played in the hand bell choir. As mission chairman, he organized several trips to surrounding states for disaster and clean-up relief.
In addition to his parents, LaVerl was preceded in death by his son, Michael Uhde.
He is survived by his wife, Judy (Redman) Uhde; his sons, Steven Uhde (Alice), and Daniel Uhde (Andrea); his sister, Patricia Spencer (Charles) of Largo, FL; several nieces and nephews, and his dog, Pepper.
Services are 10 a.m. CST Friday, February 2, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 124 S 5th St., Rockport, IN 47635, with Pastors Matthew Davis and Larry VanCamp officiating. Burial will follow in Sunset Hill Cemetery.
Visitation is from 2 until 8 p.m. CST, Thursday, February 1, at Boultinghouse Funeral Home in Rockport, and from 9 a.m. until time of service Friday at the church.
Memorial contributions may be made to Trinity United Methodist Church.
Friends unable to attend may send a condolence to the family at www.BoultinghouseFuneralHome.com.
