Twilla Navara, age 80, of Surprise, Arizona, passed away Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023.
A celebration of life gathering will be held at Angela’s Restaurant at Grand in Surprise on Thursday, Oct. 12, from 2-4 p.m. Casual attire is encouraged. A Minnesota gathering will be held at a later date.
Twilla Hamann Navara was born Sept. 4, 1943, to Ernest and Bertha (Buss) Hamann in Luverne, Minnesota. She graduated from Luverne High School in 1961.
She was united in marriage to Robert (Bob) Navara in Luverne. The couple moved often for Bob’s job, spending time in South Dakota, North Dakota, and the Minneapolis area before retiring to Surprise, Arizona. When moving to a new community, Twilla was adept at helping the whole family adjust to the move and making everything go smoothly. She often said that moving was not easy, but that we always had each other.
Twilla worked at Herreid Jewelry in Luverne. She also was a bookkeeper for several small businesses. She was a stay-at-home mom to her children, Tami, and Chris.
Twilla was an accomplished seamstress and an excellent cook. She enjoyed playing bridge and Mah Jong and loved to read a good book. She volunteered in her church and her children’s schools.
She was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis as a young mother. She spent several years working for the Speaker’s Bureau of the Arthritis Foundation of Minnesota and served as a member of their board. She was awarded the President’s Award in 1990 for her contributions.
Family was everything to her and she loved to cook and bake everyone’s favorites. Her grandchildren received her famous frosted sugar cookies for every holiday, carefully packed in bubble wrap so not a one arrived broken. Despite having dealt with a painful disease her entire adult life, she never complained and always maintained a positive attitude.
Twilla is survived by her husband of 61 years, Robert, of Surprise, Arizona; her daughter, Tamara (Gregg) Riley, of Redwood Falls, Minnesota; son Christopher (Angela) Navara of San Antonio, Texas; grandchildren Brian Riley of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Megan Riley of Minnetonka, Minnesota, Adam Navara, of Washington, D.C., and Rachel Navara, of Houston, Texas; her sister Rebecca Husen, of Alexandria, Minnesota, and many other family and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Memorial donations can be made to the Arthritis Foundation (arthritisfoundation.org) or your local food shelf. Blessed be her memory.