LaVonna Marie Sechrest, 47, of Urbana passed away at 6:20 A.M. on Saturday, February 7, 2015 at her residence.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Thursday, February 12, 2015 at Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church, 600 E. Pennsylvania Av., Urbana. A visitation will be held from 5-7 P.M. on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 at Renner-Wikoff Chapel, 1900 S. Philo Rd., Urbana. Burial will take place at Mt. Gilead Cemetery in Decatur following the funeral. Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church will be hosting a luncheon at 2:00 P.M. on Thursday.

LaVonna was born on November 7, 1967 in Decatur, Illinois to parents Phillip E. England and Sharon Harris. They survive. Also surviving is her husband, Darrell Sechrest, her son, Tyler DeVilliers (Ellie Joanne) Neethling, her daughter, Sophia Marie Sechrest, her granddaughter, Eva Neethling, brothers Thomas (Ashton) England, Clifford England, Michael Harris, sister, Julie Nation and step-mom, Terrie England.

She was preceded in death by her sister Kendall England and her grandparents, Edward and Esther England and John and Zelpha Thomas.

LaVonna was a graduate of Macon High School and of Parkland College. She worked for Carle Foundation Hospital as a Surgical Technologist. She was a member of Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church.

LaVonna had a passion for life. She was most at rest and at "home" on the beaches of North Carolina. She loved lighthouses, an interest she and Darrell shared since their dating years. She loved the outdoors and was an accomplished camper. She was an avid reader and had many ideas for many future books and novels that she had begun to write. She served her country proudly and passionately as a corpsman in the Navy, being one of the first to train in desert warfare. She worked in Labor and Delivery at Carle for many years, and touched the lives of babies and moms for years. Most of all, she loved her family and treasured every moment she spent with them. Her most treasured accomplishment was her mission trip to Israel in 2008. She ministered to unwed Jewish mothers, built decorative and functional structures at a horse ranch for autistic children, bought food for poor Jewish families, had her feet in the Sea of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan River. Second only to giving birth to her children, her trip to the land where Jesus walked was the pinnacle of her life. Her family, her passion for missions and her relationship with Christ were her reasons for being. Her memory will live on in those who loved her, and in those she loved.

Memorial Contributions may be made in her name to CASA at www.casaforchildren.org.