22 Apr

Lisa Marie LaFave passed away on Monday, April 15, 2024, at the age of 49 at a Fargo hospital surrounded by family.

Lisa was born on March 21, 1975, to Jack and Ginny LaFave. She was a beautiful baby with thick, dark brown hair, and huge brown, round eyes. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor when she was just shy of two years old and beat the odds to live a very fulfilling life. In recent years, a doctor referred to her recovery from that tumor as miraculous. Those who knew her didn’t need to be told she was a miracle. She continued to fight that battle with the effects of her treatment from her original cancer diagnoses for the rest of her life. Although this wasn’t easy for her, she took life as it came and had a striking ability to live life fully in the moment and always look forward to the next fun event.

She graduated from Century High School in 1996. The staff at Enable, Inc., helped her move into an apartment and find a job at McDonald’s, where she worked for 23 years. This organization and the people who work there supported her in her independence for the past 28 years. Enable staff also assisted in helping Lisa adopt two cats, Bob, and later, Mittens. They kept her company and brought her joy.

Lisa adored her family and any reason to celebrate including birthdays and holidays. There was no way a birthday was ever getting missed with her around, and Halloween costumes were planned more than a few months in advance. She especially enjoyed a good reason to hit the dance floor, namely at wedding dances and seasonal VFW dances, and she really busted a move. She was an avid ‘80s music and movies fan, often donning her Walkman for impromptu dance sessions and quoting Ghostbusters and Dirty Dancing. (Some of her favorite lines included, “He slimed me,” and, “I carried a watermelon.”) In more recent years, her favorite pastimes were reading, doing crossword puzzles, camping with family, and watching The Three Stooges every Saturday night. Lisa had an infectious laugh, which she delivered often unexpectedly and unabashedly. When Lisa laughed, everyone laughed.

She is preceded in death by her grandparents. Lisa spent a great amount of time with her grandmothers, Edith Constans and Ruth LaFave and missed them fiercely after their deaths. She would often reminisce about her time with them.

She is survived by her parents Jack and Ginny; sister Courtney (Jeremy) Crane; brother Joey (Jen) LaFave; nieces and nephew Brynn, Macy and Cora Crane, and Andie and Owen LaFave; and many special aunts, uncles, and cousins.

The family is planning a celebration of life service to be held this summer.