LaRee Kathleen Shebeck

LaRee Kathleen Shebeck, age 79, of Minnetonka, passed away on January 4, 2025, after a brief illness. LaRee was born in Staples, Minnesota, in 1945 to Harry and Margaret Erbe. She was the youngest of six brothers and sisters to whom she remained close throughout her life. LaRee graduated from Staples High School in 1963 as the valedictorian of her class. She went on to study English at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and later transferred down to the Twin Cities campus. Throughout summers in college, she worked at Northwestern Bell and transitioned to working there for the remainder of her career. She was very involved in the company's Community Service Team, participating in service projects with her coworkers, many of whom became lifelong friends.
LaRee married Bob Shebeck in 1976, and together they raised two beautiful children, Patrick and Amy. The family traveled extensively and spent many happy summers with family at LaRee's brother's fishing resort in Canada. In retirement, LaRee and Bob continued to travel and volunteer with church and community groups, including teaching English-as-a-Second Language to recent immigrants to the U.S.
LaRee was very active at her church, Gethsemane Lutheran in Hopkins, which was a major source of support for her after Bob's death in 2010, and in her later life. She loved making quilts at church for Lutheran World Relief and was involved in many other initiatives within the church community. She was also a generous philanthropist to social justice causes and throughout her life advocated on behalf of people in need.
LaRee overcame more than her fair share of adversity with courage, resilience, humility, and a wonderful sense of humor, which will continue to guide and inspire all who knew and loved her. She was wise, funny, gracious, supportive, lively, and loving-truly one of a kind.
LaRee is preceded in death by her parents, Harry and Margaret; her sister, Marlene; her brother, Glen; and her husband, Bob. She is survived by her children, Patrick and Amy of Minneapolis; her sisters, Gale (Gordon) Martin of Pillager, MN, and Marge Moriarity of St. Bonifacius, MN; her brother, Lynn (Day See) Erbe of Bozeman, MT; her sister-in-law, Karen (Craig) Allard of Woodbury, MN; and many loving nieces, nephews, and friends. The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses at Methodist Hospital for the exceptional care they provided LaRee in her final days, especially Dr. Lisa Bolin and LaRee's hospice nurse, Aimee. Funeral service will be Tuesday, January 14th, at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Hopkins (715 Minnetonka Mills Road), at 11:00 am, with visitation an hour before. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to Lutheran World Relief.