Loved cooking, walking, and especially loved the children – “the baby whisperer.”
Laverne Elaine Dunning age 95, a lifelong resident of Nescopeck was taken home to be with her Lord and Savior on April 21, 2026. She had resided at Celebration Villa of Berwick since October 2023.
She was born on December 29, 1930, to Susan Elizabeth (Eisenhauer) and Raymond Lee Varner of Nescopeck. Laverne was a 1948 graduate of Nescopeck High School.
She married the love of her life Raymond Eugene Dunning of Nescopeck on June 25, 1948. They celebrated 39 years of marriage before his early passing on July 20, 1987. She married Stanley Shortz on July 17, 1998, and continued to live on Wall St in Nescopeck through his passing on October 29, 2015.
She was known as “Gram” to family and friends alike and was always there for anyone who needed a hug and a little encouragement. She was known to be an avid Eagles & Phillies fan. She loved to cook and walk and was always very active. She worked for much of her life investing decades at the Fulton Lamp Plant in Berwick and later at the Susquehanna Nuclear Power Station until her retirement in 2004. She loved her church family and was an active member at Cornerstone Bible Church where she also had a passion to teach Sunday school classes to the little ones. She absolutely loved children and became known as “the baby whisperer” within the family as there was no baby she couldn’t settle. Another known family acronym was the “Sarge” as all the grandchildren knew who would lovingly take over when they misbehaved. She was a current member of the daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in the Bloomsburg Chapter and volunteered her time elsewhere in the Nescopeck community.
Laverne is survived by her two children: Sondra L. Hutton and husband James of Nescopeck, and David R. Dunning and wife Christina of Charlotte, NC; as well as 6 cherished grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and 4 great-great-grandchildren.
In addition to her parents and husbands, she was preceded in death by her three sisters: Viola (Varner) Shade; Mildred (Varner) Wanick; and Shirley (Varner) Brown; a granddaughter Jill Marie Dunning in 1979, daughter of Dave & Chris Dunning.
A graveside service will be held at 11:00 AM on April 29, 2026, in Pine Grove Cemetery Annex, Walnut St., Berwick, PA. Arrangements are entrusted to Heller Funeral Home LLC, Nescopeck.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Cornerstone Bible Church, 208 Church Rd., Nescopeck, PA 18635.
Online messages of comfort for her family may be sent to condolnces@HellerFuneralHomeLLC.com