W.T. Shumake & Daughters

June 6, 1942 - February 11, 2025

LaVerne Inez Shumake Dunning, 82, of Louisville transitioned on Tuesday, February 11, 2025 at Norton Hospital.

Visitation 11-1pm Friday, February 21, 2025 at W.T. Shumake & Daughters Funeral Home 3815 Newburg Road. Funeral to follow at1pm. Service will be streamed on Shumake Funeral Home website.

LaVerne Inez Shumake Dunning, also known as "Sister," was born June 6, 1942 to the marriage of John Harrison Shumake, Sr. and Lorene B. Jackson. She was raised in Louisville, KY and transitioned on Tuesday, February 11, 2025. La Verne truly knew that it was more blessed to give than receive. Her generosity knew no bounds. She was a loving mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great great grandmother and a beautiful soul who would help anyone. Her loving arms embraced her sisters, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Her radiant smile lit up any room she entered.

She lived life to the fullest and especially loved spending time with her family, friends and beloved husband Rev. Outher H. Dunning, Sr. of 50 plus years. She loved her children, grandchildren and great grans.

LaVerne came to know Jesus Christ at an early age and was baptized at the West Chestnut Street Baptist Church under the leadership of Rev. G.K. Offutt. She enjoyed sharing the gospel with others. In doing so, part of her years were spent teaching Bible study and Vacation Bible School at the Meadowlawn Baptist Church in Valley Station, KY. LaVerne lived a life filled with tremendous passion and service toward others.

She completed public school and attended the University of Louisville as a part-time student for two years while still working. She retired from the General Electric Company having worked 29 years, ten of which as a welder.

She was an avid reader and would often say she could travel the world by reading books. She enjoyed mystery books, which heightened her skills to decipher documents pertaining to genealogy. Her interest translated into writing the history of the Louisville Shumake family and assisting others to do the same. Her business card read, "Your family's history is my business."
She was a presenter at Louisville Free Public Library genealogy workshops and a number of other places in Louisville.* She completed information on over four hundred persons buried in the UBF Cemetery of Corydon, KY. documenting familial facts about those buried at the site.

While our hearts mourn her as a loss to us, we take comfort in knowing she is no longer suffering. She would want all of us to love the Lord as she did and spoke of even though she was ill.
Although LaVerne - Sister is gone - she will live in our hearts forever. *Love each other and live the Lord is what she would want all of us to do.

Preceding her in death are her parents, a brother "Pete" John H. Shumake, Jr., a sister Lorraine E. Haley, a daughter Deborah D. Kelly and a son Gregory Eugene Walton.

She leaves to mourn her death her husband Rev. Outher Dunning, Sr.,- children Charlesetta W. Haggard, Samuel Atwood- Dunning, Elizabeth L. Dunning, Mary D. Dunning, stepchildren Sheri Dunning, Outher Dunning, Jr. Michael Dunning and a beloved grandson that she and Outher raised - A'Mone Dunning (Chelsie), two sisters Arub Hasan and Lynn S. Watson and 17 grandchildren, 12 great great grandchildren and 4 great great great grandchildren.