Veneta Holm Gustaveson

It is with a heavy heart that we announce Veneta Holm Gustaveson passed away on Saturday, August 15, 2026. She was surrounded by family as she peacefully left her earthly body to rejoin her many friends and family that preceded her in death.

Veneta was born on July 26, 1933, in the Idaho Falls, Idaho LDS Hospital as the fifth of seven children to parents, Paul Carl Theophilus Holm and Zula Wilcox Holm. She was raised on a family farm that was located on the edge of the desert in Roberts, Idaho. The farm started out as 80 acres of land originally homesteaded by her grandfather that grew to over 2,000 acres as her father turned the desert land into some of the most productive potato farmland in Idaho.

Life on the desert for the Holm family started out in a small home affectionately known as the house by the canal. When the family size increased, the family moved into a new basement home located on the homestead that would serve as the foundation for their new home built to accommodate the growing family.

Veneta thrived on the farm as she preferred working in the fields or in the garden as opposed to house work. She started her farm life activities early by steering the trucks in the fields during harvest at the tender age of 10. Life on the farm was not always easy or enjoyable. One year, a terrible wind storm blew through the recently plowed fields, creating dangerous clouds of dust. All but two members of the family developed dust pneumonia, resulting in two being hospitalized for several weeks.

Veneta attended high school in Roberts where she ran track, was named Senior Class President, and was the Mustang Paper Editor. After high school, she attended Rick’s College for a year before transferring to the University of Idaho. While attending the U of I, she became engaged, and was married to Don Powell. When Veneta was six months pregnant, Don was called to a three-year LDS mission to Japan. While Don was on his mission, Veneta gave birth to her first child that she named Tracey. After Tracey’s birth, Veneta moved to Rexburg, Idaho, and began working at the Idaho Bank of Commerce to support her new family. After Don returned from his mission, two boys, named Brian and Jon, were added to the family. Veneta and Don were divorced in 1962.

Over the years, Veneta developed a passion for the game of golf. While attending a golf tournament in Blackfoot, Idaho, she met, and was later married in August of 1964 to M.L. “Gus” Gustaveson. Gus had a son, Clay, and they all moved into Gus’s home in Blackfoot. In August of 1965, another son, Roy, was born and joined the family. Gus worked at American Potato and while he continued his career, Veneta continued her nursing profession by working as a registered nurse at Bingham Memorial Hospital. Veneta’s passion and skill at golf resulted in her becoming a very accomplished golfer. One of the accomplishments included her winning the Blackfoot City Women’s Golf Tournament eleven times. In 1980, the family moved to Idaho Falls, near the Idaho Falls Country Club. It was at this time that Gus suggested she stop playing in the Blackfoot City Tournament to give someone else a chance to win. After she moved to Idaho Falls, she continued excelling in golf, shooting low scores, and hitting three holes-in-one over the years.

In 1971, Gus began building the family cabin on Bills Island in Island Park, Idaho. The cabin was built with the help of family and many friends, both long-term friends from his childhood in Utah, and friendships he developed at work. The cabin became a central part of life in the extended Gustaveson family. Many friends and family members participated in countless fishing trips, card games, dominos sessions, and marathon movie watching over the years, while enjoying many feasts featuring Swedish-themed meals, and a lot of steaks and hamburgers cooked on the grill over the years.

After Gus retired, he and Veneta began looking for a home in warmer climates. They decided to purchase a home in St. George, Utah. They ended up buying and moving into a home on the Sun Brook Golf Course, right off the fairway with a beautiful view of a lake with palm trees and swans on the water. This home became a place where family and friends would come to visit and enjoy fun in the winter sun. Veneta continued to pursue her passion of golf, often playing five or more days a week. Gus did not have the same level of passion for golf, so he sometimes bowed out of the golf game to stay home and walk their faithful dog, Buddy, on the trails in the surrounding hills. Mom played with friends that she knew from Blackfoot that had also made the journey south for the winter, as well as friends she met in St. George. She played with the men groups because the women only liked to play nine holes a day, and she preferred 18-hole rounds.

Over the years, Veneta had another passion other than golf, namely quilting. She made beautiful quilts, often utilizing extensive hand stitching designs that were both technically challenging and very beautiful. She made over 100 quilts over the years, presenting the finished labor of love to all of her kids, grandchildren, and even great grandchildren. Another activity she participated in was traveling on quilt tours. Tracey was also bitten by the quilting bug, and together, they traveled throughout the United States, as well as around the world. They attended every event available at the time as part of an organized world wide tour group. Their travels took them to Italy, England, Scotland, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, and Portugal.

Music was a big part of Veneta and Gus’s life, as Gus was a very talented pianist, and they also enjoyed attending the Sun Valley Jazz Festival. They missed the very first festival, but they attended all of the following festivals for over 20 years. Veneta and Gus were very generous, and they invited family members to attend the festival and stay with them up at the Sun Valley Lodge where many happy memories were formed.

Gus passed away in 2010 while he and Veneta were still living in St. George. Veneta continued to live in the home on the golf course for another couple of years. During this time, Tracey and her husband, Jim Sessions, built and moved into a new home in Idaho Falls. As part of the building plans, a granny room was constructed which allowed Veneta to return to Idaho and move in with Tracey and Jim. Tracey was employed in the mental health field, and she finished her professional career as the Administrator of the State Hospital South in Blackfoot. Veneta took great pride in the professional accomplishment of Tracey and all of her children. Tracey passed away on March 6, 2019, and this left a big void in Veneta’s life. However, she had a large group of extended family that lived nearby and they continued to visit Veneta over the years. After Tracey became ill with cancer, her husband, Jim, had made a promise that he would take care of Veneta after she passed. Jim was true to his word, allowing Veneta to continue living in his home for several years. He cooked all of her meals and helped her with getting to most of her medical appointments and other commitments until her health required a move to a retirement community. Our family will be forever thankful to Jim for the sacrifices he made to take care of Veneta over the years.

In September of 2023, Veneta moved into the Fairwinds retirement community. The location of this facility allowed her extended family to continue to visit and support her after leaving Jim and Tracey’s home. Soon after moving into her new apartment, she got a visit from an old friend, Jon Potter, who was previously the head golf pro at the Idaho Falls Country Club. He arrived at her door and let her know he had taken a job as an Area Director at Fairwinds. Somehow it was fitting that someone from her past golf days would help to take care of her in her final years. At first, she was not sure she would be happy with the move, but in time, she formed close relationships with the other residents. In addition, everyone from the kitchen staff to the health care providers, to the on-site beautician and maintenance staff came to know, support, and love her. The people she met at her retirement community had found out what her many family members and friends already new, Veneta was very special. She was loved by many, and those that knew her, will always have fond and loving memories of time spent with her.

Veneta was preceded in death by her husband, M.L. “Gus” Gustaveson; sister, Marna (Bill) Adams; brother, Claren (Lynne) Holm; sister, Nelda (Richard) Adams; brother, Del Ray (Shirley) Holm; brother, Carl “Bud” Holm; and daughter, Tracey Sessions.

Veneta is survived by her son, Clay (Sue) Gustaveson; son, Brian (Sharon) Gustaveson; son, Jon

Powell; son, Roy (Summer) Gustaveson; and son-in-law, Jim Sessions; and sister, Ronda (Richard) Groberg. Veneta is also survived by many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 22, 2026, at Wood Funeral Home East Side, 963 S. Ammon Road, in Ammon, Idaho. The family will meet with friends Friday, August 21, 2026, from 6:30-8 p.m. and Saturday from 10-10:45 a.m. prior to services. Both visitations will be at the funeral home. Services will be broadcast live at www.woodfuneralhome.com. Interment will take place at Fielding Memorial Park Cemetery following the services.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.woodfuneralhome.com.