LaVetra Jane Lanning, 95, passed away on July 6, 2026, at Aspen Wind Assisted Living in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

She was born at Bodley’s Hill, Wahoo, Nebraska, to George B. Bodley and Minnie M. (Gregg) Bodley on October 3, 1930. She was 2 months premature and only weighed 2 pounds 10 ounces. There was no neonatal ICU in those days, so she was kept alive by a light bulb suspended over the cardboard box that was used as her crib, with jars of hot water in the corners of the box. They moved to the Pine Bluffs-Lindbergh area in 1937, and she graduated from Pine Bluffs High School as salutatorian in the spring of 1948. LaVetra met her future husband Ronald when he was home on furlough the summer of 1945, and they were married in Denver, Colorado on October 4, 1948. Ronald passed away in February 2012.

She was a member of Crossroads Community Church (formerly Pine Bluffs Baptist Church) in Pine Bluffs, Wyoming.

She was a two time breast cancer survivor, had covid twice, and was church organist who played for many weddings and funerals over the years. She was always most interested in hearing about others’ lives. A beautiful yard and flower beds were important to her, and she had been known to pull weeds in neighbor’s yards under cover of darkness.

She is survived by her sons, Mark Lanning and Carey Lanning, both of Pine Bluffs, and her daughter, Peg Lopez (Joe) of Cheyenne, eight grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.

She was predeceased by her husband Ronald, her parents, infant brother Marshall Bodley, infant great grandson Carter Lanning, and her daughter-in-law Dena Lanning.

Expressions of sympathy may be made in her memory to the Pine Bluffs Senior Center, Pine Bluffs Meals on Wheels, or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

A graveside service will be held on July 15, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at the Pine Bluffs Cemetery, under the direction of Schrader, Aragon & Jacoby Funeral Home.