| |
|
 |
|
 1928 - 2011 (82 years)
-
| Name |
Elwood James LaVoy |
| Born |
06 Jul 1928 |
Sparks, NV  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Address |
Address:
6112 Chelsea Circle
Las Vegas NV
89107 |
| Occupation |
Pastor, St Francis de Sales, Las Vegas, NV |
| Died |
15 Apr 2011 |
St. Mary's Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nevada. |
| Person ID |
I01483 |
Tombeau Family Tree |
| Last Modified |
6 Apr 2013 |
| Father |
Lewis LaVoy, b. 19 Mar 1883, Erie, MI , d. 12 Oct 1961, Sparks, NV (Age 78 years) |
| Mother |
Lillian Hazel McCarty, b. 4 Oct 1893, Pueblo, CO , d. 18 Jan 1943, Reno, NV (Age 49 years) |
| Married |
23 Nov 1915 |
Sparks, NV |
| Family ID |
F0386 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
-
| Photos
|
 | Monsignor Elwood LaVoy
|
 | At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
|
| At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
|
| At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
|
| At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
|
-
| Notes |
- Elwood James LaVoy was ordained a priest on December 19, 1953, in St. John Lateran Basilica, Rome, Italy. He is now a Monseigneur in Reno, NV.
- Monsignor Elwood LaVoy
Obituary
Guest Book
20 entries | 2 photos
"Msgr. Lavoy administered my First Holy Communion at Our..."
- Alicia Torres-Kelly
The Guest Book is expired.
Restore the Guest Book
More Photos
View all 2 photos
Monsignor Elwood James LaVoy
Msgr. Elwood James LaVoy was born in Sparks, Nevada on July 6, 1928 and passed away on April 15, 2011 at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nevada.
As a young boy, Elwood always declared that when he grew up he wanted to be a priest. He was a faithful altar boy at the Immaculate Conception Church in Sparks and attended St. Thomas Aquinas Parochial School in Reno. After completing eighth grade he left for his freshman year of high school in the Minor Seminary of St. Joseph's College in Mountain View, California….this was September 5, 1942. He met his life long friend, Leo McFadden, on that September day and they were joined by Charles Righini the following year. The three of them spent high school and two years of college there before going on to the Major Seminary of St. Patrick's in Menlo Park. They planned to spend six more years there for graduation and post-graduate studies in Theology, but fate intervened.
In the summer of 1950, Bishop Thomas Kylie Gorman sent the three Nevada boys to Rome to complete their studies. Elwood studied at the Dominican Angelicum University and the other two at Gregorian University. The three of then knew not a word of Italian and all of their lectures, text books and oral exams were in Latin! The fact that a Jesuit priest tried to teach how to read the Hebrew alphabet in Latin was hard enough. Having lecturers speaking Latin with their own natural differing accents from their Spanish, German, French, Italian or English backgrounds was another real tribulation, but the three survived.
During this time Elwood lived at the International House of Studies across the Tiber River and suffered several bouts of pneumonia from the lack of heat during the winter. However he soon acclimated himself. He fondly recalled living in Rome at a fascinating time as he was able to attend the canonization of Pop Pius X, herd Pope Pius XII proclaim the Dogma of the Assumption, was an alter server for the renowned Padre Pio and met two of the children who had seen the Fatima vision.
From 1952 to 1954, the diocese of Reno sent each seminarian $250.00 to use during their summer vacations. The universities usually closed around July 4th and reopened on October 15th. This gave each seminarian a chance to travel Europe. One year Elwood traveled to France and spent time volunteering in a camp for the homeless. The tale of his battle with lice in the camp resulted in his sending home for DDT bombs and shortening his stay there. He spent other summers in Azcoitia, Spain living with a Basque family and helping with church and local activities. It was while in Spain that he became fluid in Spanish and used it all of his life in his priestly ministry.
One Christmas was spent in Natters, a village above Salzburgh, where he and his two Nevada buddies tried their luck at skiing. The skis didn't cooperate and they tumbled down the mountain, eating buckets of snow and receiving no medals. They always retained fond memories of this escapade.
Ordination Day arrived on December 19, 1953. The three men were ordained by Cardinal Giuseppe Micara, the Vicar General of Rome at the Roman Basilica of St. John Lateran. Father McFadden was ordained a few seconds before Elwood so he always insisted he was the most senior of the three.
Lewis LaVoy, Elwood's father, did not tell his son that he intended to be at the ordination. So, imagine Elwood's surprise when his father appeared! Another dear friend who attended was Monsignor Luigi Roteglia who had served in the Reno Diocese for a number of years and was a very close friend of the LaVoy family.
After ordination, Lewis and Elwood traveled throughout Italy and France together. Upon returning to Reno, Father Elwood said his first Mass at the original Immaculate Conception Church in Sparks. The same church where he was baptized, confirmed and went to the Seminary. A crowded reception was held following the Mass.
His first assignment was to Our Lady of the Snows in Reno and from there he went to the Church of St. Teresa of Avila in Carson City. St. Joan of Arc parish in Las Vegas was his third assignment. Father Elwood then returned to Reno where he spent time at the Little Flower Church on Wells Avenue.
He was then recalled to Las Vegas in 1959 where he served as Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of Las Vegas. The area around this church was rapidly growing and a second parish was needed. Being a very energetic young priest, Elwood soon laid plans to build a new church. The fruits of his hard work became St. Francis de Sales Church. He was its founding pastor. It grew from a congregation that originally attended Mass in a newly built social hall and gymnasium to one of the largest churches in Las Vegas. A beautiful church was eventually built and a magnificent parochial school was opened. The original building is now named the Monsignor Elwood LaVoy Hall.
While pastor of St. Francis de Sales he decided to build a small church in Amargosa, Nevada. His brother-in-law, Bernard Walker, did the church design and drew the plans. Together, the Walkers and the parishioners built a lovely little church aptly named "Christ in the Desert."
Retirement came in 1994. Elwood remained in Las Vegas for a few years, but decided to return to Reno to be closer to family. His health started to fail and he eventually moved into "Atria," an assisted living community, where he was extremely well cared for and happy. Two nieces, Cathy McCune and Anne LaVoy, watched over him every day and "spoiled him" as he said. He suffered a massive heart attack on Tuesday, April 12th and was taken to St. Mary's where he died with his family and friend, Leo McFadden, at his side.
Father Elwood is survived by his brother Colonel John LaVoy (Marian); sisters Marguerite Kerr, Dolores Walker, Rita Bugica (Joe) and Sister Anna Louise LaVoy, OP. Numerous nieces and nephews will also miss him.
A Vigil Service will be held at Immaculate Conception Church in Sparks on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. with Retired Bishop Phillip Straling presiding. Funeral services will be held at the church on Thursday, April 28, 2011 at 11:00 am. The Bishop of Reno, Most Rev. Randolph Calvo, will preside. Interment will follow at 2:45 p.m. at Our Mother of Sorrows Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada, P.O. Box 5099, Reno, NV 89513 or www.catholiccharitiesnorthernnevada.org.
Arrangements entrusted to Walton's Funerals and Cremations, Reno.
Published in Reno Gazette-Journal from April 24 to April 26, 2011
|
|
|
|
