Laverna (Johnson) Sutherland, 90, peacefully passed away on August 21, 2017 in her Blackberry home. On February 5, 1927, Laverna was born to Carl & Anna Johnson on the family farm just north of Warba, Minnesota. She went to school in Warba and graduated from Grand Rapids High School in 1946. She worked at Redding's Café where she met Douglas Sutherland, and they were married on April 17, 1948. They made their home in Blackberry where they raised five children. Over the years she also worked at Lumbermen's Supply, Northside Lumber, Cole Hardware and Sylvester's. Her main focus in life was helping others, especially her family. Most notably, she delighted in gardening, both vegetables and flowers, and generously shared the harvest with her family, friends and neighbors. Among her many talents included genealogy. She was fiercely proud of her Scandinavian heritage and compiled many family lineage records and memory books, using only a classic typewriter. She was also very proud of her children and their families, and was affectionately known as "GG" by her grandchildren. Her unassuming demeanor and hard work ethic set the standard by which she quietly expected others to follow. By example, she taught her family that if you are kind, you work hard, and you do what is right, you will succeed. She was always there if someone needed a hand, and she expressed her love with ample amounts of canned goods, peanut butter bars and cinnamon rolls. She was also a talented seamstress. Her handmade winter socks and mittens were always welcome gifts. She was a member and active volunteer of Bethel Lutheran Church, American Legion Post 432 Auxiliary and the North Central Minnesota Farm & Antique Association. She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband Douglas in 1976, six brothers and their wives Waldemar "Baldy" & Belle, Ragnar "Swan" & Mildred, Gunnar, Hjalmar & Mabel and second wife Lorraine, John, and Edward & Barbara and second wife Bonnie; six sisters and their husbands Elsie & Stanley Helmer, Signe & Uno Nummela, Ruth Pick, Nina & Al Moon, Esther & Bill Carlson, and Florence Jondreau; grand-daughter-in-law, Jessica Gove; and several nieces and nephews. She is survived by her devoted children Sharon (Wayne Linn) Yost, Gary (Penny), Dale (Debbie), Ellen Barnes, and Lisa (Mike) Randall, former son-in-law Chuck Yost, grandchildren Amy (Bob) Bridges, Craig Yost, Tara (BJ) Behrendt, April (Ross) Jesperson, Ryan (Lori) Sutherland, Adam (Toni) Sutherland, Kevin (Amanda) Sutherland, Matthew Barnes, and Brian (Brittany) Sutherland; step-grandchildren Tanya (Jason) Hebrink, Jimmy (Wendy) Linn, Sherry (Austin) Nelson, Patrick (Theresa) Randall, and Ashlee (Dan Sheedy) Randall; great-grandchildren Logan, Douglas, Grace, Annie, Bentley, Levi and Reid; step-great-grandchildren Brady, Bailey, Tara, Memphis, Amzie, Tatum, Sage, Gunnar, and William; sisters-in-law Frances Sutherland and Virginia Sutherland; several nieces and nephews; and very dear friends Bernadine "Queen" Hollom and Joanne Kauppi. In lieu of flowers, at Laverna's request, memorials are preferred to Bethel Lutheran Church in Warba or to ElderCircle in Grand Rapids. Visitation will be Monday, August 28, 2017 from 5:00-7:00 at Andrews Libbey Funeral Home and on Tuesday, August 29, 2017 from 10:00 until the 11:00 Celebration of Life service at Grand Rapids United Methodist Church. Interment will be at Hazelwood Cemetery in Blackberry followed by a luncheon at North Central Minnesota Farm & Antique Association also in Blackberry. Please see online family guestbook at www.andrews-libbeyfh.com. Arrangements by Andrews-Libbey Funeral Home in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, 218-326-4000.