Lavaun Rae Campbell Obituary

LaVaun was born December 26th, 1930 in Dunlap, Iowa. She may have been a farm kid, but she loved to read and knew at an early age that she wanted to be a teacher. She also knew she wanted to explore the world outside of her hometown area. Thus began many adventures.

LaVaun's teaching career spanned 37 years and several states. After earning a one-year teaching certificate from Iowa State Teacher's College, she started her career in a one-room country school where she taught kindergarten through 8th grade for three years. She then took a one-year teaching position at the Army Ordinance Depot in Igloo, SD, where she taught first grade. This was followed by another one-year first grade teaching position in Powell, Wyoming. During this time, she also earned a two-year teaching certificate from Black Hills Teacher's College by taking summer classes.

During her time in South Dakota, she met her future husband, William (Bill) Campbell, who lived in Custer. They married June 4th, 1955, in Dunlap, Iowa, and started married life in Pocomoke City, Maryland, where Bill finished his Navy enlistment. They returned to Custer where they lived for six years. During this time, Bruce was born in 1956 and Sandra in 1961.

In early 1962, the family moved to Tucson, Arizona, where they lived for about 7 years. LaVaun returned to teaching school as a substitute teacher and continued her higher-level education at the University of Arizona.

In 1968, the family moved to California, bought a house in Simi Valley and established deep roots in the community. LaVaun served as a substitute teacher while continuing her education, eventually earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University Northridge. She was then hired in a full-time position in the Simi Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) where she taught at Crestview Elementary and Katherine Elementary before landing at Justin Elementary where she taught for about 20 years until her retirement in 1996. It was her pride and joy to serve as first grade teacher for her three grandsons, Jason, David and Evan. While she was Grandma all the time, at school she was strictly Mrs. Campbell.

LaVaun had a deep love for children, and she was passionate about teaching and the educational system. Throughout her teaching career, LaVaun was involved in various educational associations, councils and committees. She was voted favorite teacher as reported in the Daily News in June 1987, recognized as SVUSD Teacher of the Month in June 1988, received a PTA Honorary Service Award for 1990-1991, and received the distinguished PTA Golden Oak Service Award for 1995-1996.

LaVaun became involved in Girl Scouts in South Dakota, even before Sandra was born, at the invitation of her mother-in-law. Together they attended a national Girl Scout convention, which left a lasting impression on LaVaun. Years later LaVaun served as a Girl Scout leader in California for about seven years. One of her favorite memories was teaching a group of young girls to make homemade bread and jelly from scratch. LaVaun learned early on that Bruce loved the outdoors, so she made sure her son got involved in Boy Scouts and in a backpacking club at school. For both of her children, she served as a Simi Valley High School Band Booster.

Wherever she lived, LaVaun was also involved in her local church. She had a long history with the Simi Valley United Methodist Church, where she served as a Sunday school teacher for young children and leader for adult studies for many years. She also served on the education commission and the administrative council, among several other church groups. Her faith was deep and abiding and her church family was very important to her.

LaVaun's many interests included cooking, gardening, and sewing. After her retirement, LaVaun decided to branch out to learn quilting and took classes through the Simi Valley Senior Center. When she wasn't busy with these interests, she was often found reading the newspaper, magazines, or books. Over the years LaVaun served her family delicious homemade meals, made many clothes and quilted projects, devoured many kinds of reading material, and grew many beautiful flowers.

After 59 years of marriage, LaVaun was preceded in death by her husband, Bill. Also by her parents George and Mahala Rethmeier; brother Rolland Rethmeier; and sister Nadine Cribbs. She is survived by her son Bruce (Bibiana); daughter Sandra; grandsons Jason (Brenna), David and Evan (Linh); and great-granddaughters Natalia, Tatiana, and Xiomara.

LaVaun loved God from an early age and her faith never wavered. She also loved her family deeply and often remarked on the importance of family. We were blessed to have in her in our lives and she will be missed beyond measure.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Simi Valley United Methodist Church, 2394 Erringer Rd, Simi Valley, CA on May 3rd, 2025 at 11:00 am. The service will be livestreamed on the church's Facebook page for those unable to attend in person. Reception to follow in Witman Hall.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to:
Simi Valley United Methodist Women, 2394 Erringer Rd, Simi Valley, CA 93065
Crossroads Preschool, 2394 Erringer Rd, Simi Valley, CA 93065
Ventura County Rescue Mission.