LaRiene Clarice Sjo

LaRiene Clarice (nee: Kleveland) Sjo, age 97 of Warren, died October 23, 2020. Visitation for LaRiene will be held Thursday, October 29 from 4-7 pm at the D.S. Temrowski & Sons Funeral Home, 30009 Hoover Road at Common (12-1/2 Mile Road) in Warren. A private family burial will take place at White Chapel Cemetery in Troy, Michigan.

LaRiene led an energetic and enthusiastic life as she surrounded herself with family and friends, volunteer activities, two careers in sales, and traveling, while raising five daughters with her late husband Eino (“Joe”). Always curious about people and places, LaRiene sought out opportunities to learn from the world while documenting her experiences in detailed daily diaries and scrapbooks. She will be fondly remembered for her easy laugh, her interest and care for others, and adventuresome spirit.

Born on the family farm in the small town of Newman Grove, Nebraska on November 24, 1922, LaRiene was the third child of Nels and Bessie (nee: McDonald) Kleveland. She was baptized and confirmed at the local Shell Creek Lutheran Church, which started her on a lifetime of active participation in the Lutheran church, most recently at Peace Lutheran Church in Warren, Michigan.

Her mother was a great influence in her life, and LaRiene often spoke fondly of how her mother was such a kind woman and hard worker while running the household. She also loved and admired her maternal Grandma Vineyard for her open-minded approach to life and generosity to others.

As was customary for young Midwestern women in 1940 who were interested in becoming teachers, LaRiene took what was called “normal training” after high school at Wayne State Normal College (Wayne, NE) and received her teaching certificate. She taught in one-room rural schools near Newman Grove from 1940 to 1944.

LaRiene's curiosity about new places and interest in travel started at a young age growing up on the farm. She would hear the train whistle and see the tracks at the edge of town, wondering where they led. Ever adventuresome, LaRiene, at age 22, traveled by herself to Portland, Oregon to stay with her cousin and see what life would bring. Working as a waitress at Jolly Joan, one of the most popular and largest restaurants in the West, she found more excitement in a city than in teaching in rural schools so decided to stay, later meeting her future husband, Eino Sjo. They married on her Golden Birthday at age 24 on November 24, 1946, following the tradition of her mother who also married on her Golden Birthday.

A world traveler, LaRiene and Joe enjoyed trips to Europe and traveled to all 50 U.S. states, making sure to include every state capital. She hosted her daughters for a once-in-a-lifetime heritage trip in 2006 to Finland to visit Joe’s family, and to Norway to see her dear cousin Bente and family. Every summer LaRiene would organize a family trip to her Nebraska hometown for family reunions and tack on a driving trip to another interesting locale. Her daughters benefited greatly from travel across the U.S. to the Black Hills of South Dakota, Disney parks in California and Florida, the Grand Canyon and the Southwest, Expo ’67 in Montreal, Canada, Hemis Fair ’68 in Texas, and Cleveland to visit Joe’s relatives and her brother Bernum and his friend Ray. When she had grandchildren, she and Joe hosted them and the rest of the family on trips to Disney World, Wisconsin Dells, a Caribbean cruise, Traverse City, and countless family gatherings. Wherever she went, she made sure to visit family and friends. As a result, her address book was chock-full of hundreds of friends and family, some she had met only once but communicated with throughout her life.

Outside the home, LaRiene held sales jobs with the World Book Encyclopedia Company and Lutheran Brotherhood Insurance. She also found time to attend Macomb Community College where she earned an Associate Degree with high honors. When her daughters were growing up, she was a Brownie troop leader for Beth and a softball and basketball manager for Debbie and Pam’s teams. She took cake decorating classes to make fancy cakes for many celebrations, which were a hit at her children’s birthday parties. LaRiene was a member of the League of Women Voters where she met Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to Congress. She was one busy woman with many varied interests and talents.

In addition to raising her family and working, LaRiene loved to volunteer. She was recognized by Warren’s St. John Macomb Hospital as the longest-serving volunteer for over 50 years of service. She and Joe canvassed the neighborhood, fund-raising to build the hospital. She then volunteered in many areas of the hospital including providing comfort for family members in the emergency room (her favorite), testing newborns’ hearing, and working in the gift shop and at the reception desk. LaRiene also served on the Warren Beautification Commission for several years and was an usher since the 1960s at seven theaters in Metro Detroit, including the Fox and Fisher Theaters for over 800 performances. She kept little notebooks with her one-liner reviews of all of the shows.

LaRiene enjoyed her family and home life with Joe for 53 years until his passing in 1999. They started their life together in Cleveland, Ohio for six years and then built a new home in Oak Park, Michigan where they lived for ten years until they outgrew it with five daughters and built a larger home in Warren, Michigan. LaRiene said she was grateful to live the rest of her life in her own home and much appreciated the help and companionship of her daughters and their families during her final years.

She leaves her dear daughters Judith Sjo-Gaber (the late Barry Sjo-Gaber), Patricia Sjo, Deborah Sjo Conrad (James Conrad), Pamela Sjo (Ellen Sapper), and Elizabeth Sjo-Grondahl (Jon Grondahl); and her four beloved grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, Kristin Sjo-Gaber (Luke Riso and their sons William and Benjamin), Kate Conrad, Karinna Sjo-Gaber (Nicholas Spidalieri), and Thomas Conrad (Serena and their daughter Sophie LaRiene, named for her “GiGi”).

LaRiene was predeceased by her parents and her siblings Ervin Kleveland (Rozelle), DeLoris Nelson (Clarence), Nels Bernum Kleveland (Raymond Brys), and Laurence Kleveland (Guadelupe).

In lieu of flowers, tributes to LaRiene are gratefully appreciated and may be made to Peace Lutheran Church (11701 Twelve Mile Road, Warren MI 48093) or Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan (2131 Beaufait Street, Detroit MI 48207).

Please share memories of LaRiene at her guest book below.