Lucie

VonderHaar

Lucie VonderHaar passed away at St. Mary’s Medical Center on November 06, 2026, surrounded by family. Lucie was born in Virginia, Minnesota on February 21, 1949, to Alphonse and Lucille VonderHaar. She graduated from Roosevelt High School, earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education from Bemidji State University and her master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Miami.

While teaching elementary school in St. Cloud, Lucie was approached to consider a career with the FBI and became part of the first wave of female FBI field agents. After months of undercover work, she found her place in an investigative agency then dominated by men.

Lucie's first assignment took her to Cleveland, Ohio, where the FBI was working to infiltrate the Mafia. She lived across the street from an Italian mobster undercover as a young woman who had a mother needing treatment at the Cleveland Clinic. From Cleveland, she transferred to Miami, where she worked on cases involving bank robberies, organized crime and white-collar crime.

One especially memorable case was when Lucie and four fellow agents apprehended a suspected kidnapper and rescued a seven-year-old boy who had been hidden in the trunk of a car. She also recalled walking into a courtroom and watching recognition slowly dawn on a mafioso’s face as he realized that Lucie, who had been undercover, was about to testify against him.

Lucie’s final transfer was to Charlotte, North Carolina, where she worked on domestic terrorism cases and assisted in the search for Eric Rudolph, who was convicted with the bombings at abortion clinics during the Atlanta Olympics. Her expertise in recognizing the patterns of serial killers, rapists and child molesters was used to train other law enforcement agencies in Miami and North Carolina. After retiring from the FBI, Lucie taught criminal justice at Huntersville Community College. In 2000, due to illness, she moved back to Minnesota to be near her family.

Lucie leaves behind her siblings Elizabeth (Thomas Modec), Mary Dix, Richard (Patti) VonderHaar, and Annette Koski, as well as many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents: Alphonse and Lucille VonderHaar; brother: John; sister and brother-in-law: Kathleen and Jerry Elverum; and brothers-in-law: Marvin Dix, and Michael Koski.

Lucie was a dynamic person and although she could be tough on the outside, those who knew her well saw the deep and unwavering loyalty beneath.

In keeping with Lucie’s wishes, a private family service will be held.

Family Services are provided by Bauman-Cron, a Bauman Family Funeral Home in Virginia. To leave a remembrance of Lucie online, see www.baumanfuneralhome.com.