Ovide Louis LaBerge, Jr.

Ovide "Butch" LaBerge Butch crossed over into heaven on June 2, 2022 at the age of 84. Butch was born May 4, 1938, in Minneapolis to Ruth and Ovide LaBerge. He spent his youth in Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs where he enjoyed the summers swimming and fishing on the shores of Lake Minnetonka. He graduated from Vocational High School in Minneapolis in 1956. In the fall of that same year, he married his high school sweetheart, Delores Gonko and soon thereafter, they had five children. Through Butch's early years, he worked various jobs that included car mechanic, school bus driver and a brakeman on the railroad. Butch and his family settled in Bloomington in 1962, when he was hired to the Bloomington Police Department. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant, having patrolled the streets, businesses, along with providing security to the MN Vikings, MN Twins and North Star games. He was selected on numerous occasions to be a police escort to visiting Presidents, Vice Presidents, as well as celebrities, including the Beatles and Frank Sinatra. Butch was an intricate voice in establishing the Bloomington PD Mounted Horse Patrol, who provided security to outdoor city and community events. During his tenure at Bloomington PD, he was awarded the WCCO Good Neighbor award for opening his family's home to a child, whose' parent he had temporarily detained. In 1973 Butch was one of two officers in the state of Minnesota selected to attend the Northwestern University Traffic Institute (an extensive police supervisory, management and specialized training, degreed program, taught in one school year) in Evanston, Illinois where he completed the program and graduated, with his family at his side. In 1976, Butch moved his family to Minnetonka, when he accepted the position of Chief of Police for the Hopkins Police Department. Butch stayed with Hopkins PD until 1983, when the Hennepin County Sheriff's Department came calling. Butch accepted the Chief Deputy position where he remained until his retirement in 1994. Following his retirement, he continued to teach police management, supervision, design management and training to various police departments throughout the country. He also spent several years completing internal investigations for the Metropolitan Council. In his spare time, he and Delores traveled extensively throughout the United States and Canada in their motorhome, with numerous trips traveled through the Canadian Rockies and along the Alaska Highway. Butch is preceded in death by parents, Ovide Sr. & Ruth LaBerge, daughter Pamela Jellum, son Martin LaBerge, & daughter in-law Kim LaBerge. Butch is survived by his wife Delores of 66 years, children, Theresa (Mike) Berndt, Michael LaBerge and Kathleen (Lance) Mohn, many grandchildren and great grandchildren and his brother Lowell (Kathy) LaBerge. A memorial service with luncheon to follow in Butch's honor will be held on Thursday, October 20, 2022, with service at 11AM and visitation one hour prior at: Washburn-McReavy.com Strobeck Johnson 952-938-9020 1400 Mainstreet, Hopkins

Tributes

Ovide Louis LaBerge, Jr.

May 4, 1938 - June 2, 2022

Tributes

Ovide Louis LaBerge, Jr.

May 4, 1938 - June 2, 2022

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