Obituary

Victoria Elizabeth Laurenzo DeGette, 84, passed away peacefully at her home in Des Moines on July 4, 2025. Victoria was born on February 14, 1941 in Des Moines, Iowa, the second of four children born to Victor Laurenzo and Geraldean Bruce Laurenzo. Victoria graduated in 1959 from St. Joseph Academy and was a member of the original Stepperettes Drill Team. She attended Mount Mary College in Milwaukee, WI, and graduated in 1963 from Drake University in Des Moines with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in interior design. She was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority.

While growing up she worked alongside her parents and siblings at her parents’ family restaurants, namely Vic's Restaurant and The Blue Willow in the Drake neighborhood. Victoria moved to Denver, CO after college graduation, working in the interior design departments of Franklin Furniture and The May Company before launching her own interior design company. She worked in the field of commercial interior design for clients in Colorado and New Jersey. She was a member of ASID and a board member of the Colorado chapter. Victoria established a regional magazine to showcase art, architecture, and interior design throughout the west and southwestern US.

She was an avid traveler and gardener, an extraordinary knitter, and a skillful home cook who enjoyed trying new recipes from different cuisines at dinner parties for family and friends from her Denver, Colorado kitchen. She was a passionate fan of the Denver Broncos, and liked to downhill and cross-country ski at Vail, Loveland, and Eldora. She loved exploring all the sights of Colorado, and was an excellent ambassador of her adopted state, hosting family members and showing them around the beautiful Rocky Mountain area when they visited. She loved her furry friends, especially Blaise, Bobi, and Cody. Later in life she found great joy in writing a fiction novel and starting on the sequel.

Victoria is preceded in death by husband Richard DeGette, husband Harry Masterson, parents Victor and Geraldean Laurenzo, and brother Thomas Laurenzo. She is survived by brother Joe (Linda) Laurenzo, sister Teresa Laurenzo, sister-in-law Pat Laurenzo, and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life service for Victoria will be held at Iles- Westover Funeral Home on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. Thank you to Mercy Palliative Care and the staff of Every Step for their kind and thoughtful attention during this time. In lieu of flowers please consider a contribution in her memory to the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, a cause close to her heart.

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