Phyllis T. Goodnature, 1929-2011

May 18, 2011

Phyllis T. Goodnature, 82, of Garner, died at 8:15 a.m., on Wednesday, May 11, 2011, at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit in Mason City from complications of pneumonia.

Funeral services were held at 10:30 a.m., on Monday, May 16, at the St. Boniface Catholic Church in Garner, with Fr. Donald Hertges officiating. Burial was in the St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery near Geneva, Minnesota. The Cataldo Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements.

Phyllis Theresa Goodnature, the daughter of Nicholas and Agnes (McNally) Mart, was born on January 27, 1929 at East Chain, Minnesota. She attended school in East Chain and then in Armstrong, Iowa, where she graduated from high school in 1947. After graduating from high school she worked at Wallace's Department Store in Fairmont where she met Peter C. Goodnature. On February 7, 1948, she married Peter at the St. Mary's Catholic Church in Armstrong. They lived in Fairmont, Minnesota until 1950, when they moved to Garner where they founded The Goodnature Store. On November 1, 2007, she became a resident of the Good Samaritan Center in Algona.

Phyllis enjoyed her family, friends, socializing, traveling and cooking. She was a member of the St. Boniface Catholic Church, Rosary Society, St. Boniface Choir and the Garner American Legion Auxiliary. She served on the boards of the American Cancer Society and Meals on Wheels.

She is survived by her five children, Don Goodnature of San Carlos, California, Neil Goodnature of Garner, Bryce (Dr. Yvonne Berryer) Goodnature of Miami, Florida, Mary Goodnature (Bob Kardash) of San Francisco, California and Marie Frederick of Clear Lake; nine grandchildren, Taisa, Melissa (Joe), Michael, Mia, Marie, Ben, Zach, Shayna and Miranda; a great-grandson, Jackson; a sister, Jerry Helgason; two brothers, Clinton (Gladys) Mart and Earl (Ruth) Mart; brothers and sisters-in-law and nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Peter; sisters, Margaret Garteski, Marie Blomstrom, Helen Grabinowski, Shirley Wagner and Betty Obbink; brother, Francis Mart; and brothers and sisters-in-law.
©The Garner Leader & Signal 2011

James A. "Jim" Howie, 1924-2011

May 18, 2011

James A. "Jim" Howie, 87, of Garner, died on Saturday, May 14, 2011, at the Concord Care Center in Garner from complications of cancer.

Graveside committal services will be held at 10:30 a.m., on Wednesday, May 18, at the Concord Township Cemetery in Garner, with Justin Asche officiating. A celebration of life fellowship will follow the service at the United Presbyterian Church in Garner. The Cataldo Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. Memorials may be directed to the United Presbyterian Church in Garner.

James Alton Howie, the son of Olin and Margaret (Maire) Howie, was born on April 23, 1924 at Monticello, Iowa. He graduated from the Monticello High School in 1942. On December 26, 1953, he married Dorothy Mae Baack Rae at Mason City. Jim opened "Howie Farm Supply", his first John Deere dealership in Monticello in November 1948. He relocated that dealership to Garner in 1951 and in 1975 changed the business name to "Circle H Inc.". Jim's wife, Dorothy and sons Jay and Jeff operated the dealership until the company franchise termination in 2002. Circle H was one of the longest standing single proprietor John Deere dealers in the region.

He enjoyed community service, gardening, fishing, talking to all kinds of people and time spent with family. Jim was well known in north Iowa for his sense of humor and knowledge of people, places and events. Jim was very active in the United Presbyterian Church in Garner, where he served as an elder and trustee. He was involved in the Garner community as a past member of the Jaycees, Lions Club, Rotary Club and Garner Chamber of Commerce, serving as board president in 1958. Jim also helped with the Garner FFA and the Avery Theatre.

He is survived by his children, Barbara (Keith) Lembo of Charlotte, North Carolina, Jay Howie (special friend, Renee McClellan) of Hampton, Jeff (Jolene) Howie of Garner and Beth (David) Delagardelle of Waterloo; seven grandchildren, William, Jesse and Morgan Howie, Amanda and Alex Howie and Michael and Daniel Delagardelle; and a daughter-in-law, Roberta Howie of Garner.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy on January 25, 2001; granddaughter, Maggie Mae Howie; his parents; and a brother, Olin, Jr. Howie.
©The Garner Leader & Signal 2011

Ralph P. Nissen, 1930-2011

June 1, 2011

Ralph Paul Nissen, went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, May 21, 2011. After battling cancer since 2003, Ralph passed away at the Israel Family Hospice House in Ames.

Visitation was held on Wednesday, May 25, at the Stevens Memorial Chapel in Ames. A memorial service was held on Thursday, May 26, at the Memorial Lutheran Church, Ames. Burial was in the St. John's Cemetery, Garner, Iowa. Donations may be made to the Bliss Cancer Center in memory of Ralph Paul Nissen.

Born to Jean (Purcell) and Paul Nissen in Des Moines on March 15, 1930, Ralph was the oldest of six children. Ralph grew up in Perry and moved with his family to Mason City, when he was in high school. After graduation, Ralph went on to attend North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City for two years. He met his wife, Irma Leanna (Boehnke) Nissen in Mason City. They were married on January 28, 1951, during a winter storm. They settled in Ames afterwards and Ralph graduated from Iowa State University in 1953, with a bachelor's degree in Industrial Education. Ralph and Irma had five children. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this year. Ralph worked at WOI in the prop department, ISU Extension Service in Ankeny and Pamline in Emmetsburg. He also worked for 20 years at Bourns in Ames and the ISU Physical Plant for 20 years until his retirement.

Ralph loved music and learned to play the trumpet. He participated in the Iowa State Marching Band while attending college. Working with wood and refinishing furniture in his free time was something Ralph loved to do. He was very handy and seemed to be able to fix just about anything around the house. Every spring he would look at his seed catalogs and get ready to plant his garden. Fishing was a hobby he developed later in life. Although he never caught the biggest fish, he did enjoy the time he spent fishing. Ralph worked as a volunteer at the Mary Greeley Medical Center for years. Family was important to Ralph and he loved to have the kids and their families come home throughout the year. Ralph and Irma have attended the Memorial Lutheran Church in Ames since the beginning of their life together in Ames.

Ralph is survived by his wife, Irma of Ames; five children, Jonathan (Wendy) Nissen of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, Beth (Randy) Wilhelms of Utica, South Dakota, Richard (Erin) Nissen of St. Louis, Missouri, Robin (Jeff) Groshek of Neenah, Wisconsin and Martha (Gary) Flick of Los Lunas, New Mexico; ten grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and brothers and sisters, Arlen Nissen, Janet Diddy, Marian Nissen, Marilyn Iyengar and Larry Nissen. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Arrangements under the direction of the Stevens Memorial Chapel, Ames.
©The Garner Leader & Signal 2011

Clara Kwolek
March 13, 1921 - May 23, 2011

Clara (Doden) Kwolek, 90, of Danville, California, formerly of Woden, died on Monday, May 23, 2011, in California, with family at her bedside.

Memorial services will be held at 2:00 p.m., on Saturday, May 28, at the First Presbyterian Church in Woden, with Rev. Glenn Wilson officiating. A private burial will be held in the Buffalo Township Cemetery south of Titonka. There will be no visitation.

Memorials may be made to the National Kidney Foundation in memory of Clara. The Cataldo Funeral Home in Woden, is in charge of the arrangements.

Clara (Doden) Kwolek, the daughter of Ubbe and Christina (Loeschen) Doden, was born on March 13, 1921 on a farm near Titonka. She attended the rural schools near Woden and graduated from the Woden High School in 1938. She continued her education at Iowa State Teacher's College in Cedar Falls and upon graduation taught at Lake Mills, Woden, Crystal Lake and Waterloo. On August 23, 1947, she was married to Stephen Kwolek (Hammond, IN) in Waterloo where they lived and owned and operated a bulk oil station. They built a home, south of Dewar, where they raised their two daughters, Marsha and Marilyn. Clara was very proud of her daughters. Marsha joined the Air Force achieving the rank of Lt. Col. and Marilyn became a medical doctor. In 1981, Clara moved to Woden to be closer to family and friends and in 2000, moved in with her sister, Bernice in Britt. The last six years Clara had been living with her daughter Marilyn in California.

Clara enjoyed her flowers, gardening, golfing, playing cards and tea parties with her friends. She loved spending time with her friends and most of all having coffee "uptown". She was an avid Iowa Hawkeye fan attending games at Kinnick, Carver and cross state rival at Ames and following the Hawkeyes on TV and radio. Clara battled valiantly the many health obstacles that confronted her with dignity and stoic grace until faced with a terminal and inoperable condition. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Woden, Woden American Legion Auxiliary and Woden Senior Citizens.

Clara is survived by her two daughters, Marsha Kwolek of Tucson, Arizona and Marilyn Kwolek (Terry Williams) of Danville, California; a sister, Bernice Larson of Britt; a brother, Johnny (Sharon) Doden of Mason City; and her blue-eyed cat, Tuffy.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Stephen in 1977; a sister, Irene Doden; and two brothers, Rudy and Arnold Doden.
© Cataldo Funeral Home 2011

Frances Emily Wellik
December 21, 1914 - May 27, 2011

Frances E. Wellik, 96, of Garner, died on Friday, May 27, 2011, at the Westview Care Center in Britt.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., on Wednesday, at the St. Boniface Catholic Church in Garner, with Fr. Donald Hertges officiating. Burial will be in the St. John's Catholic Cemetery in Duncan. Visitation will be held from 5-6:30 p.m., on Tuesday, at the Cataldo Funeral Chapel in Garner, with a rosary at 5:00 p.m. and a Scriptural wake service at 6:00 p.m. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the services at the church.

Frances Emily Wellik, the daughter of Frank and Mary (Tlach) Falada, was born on December 12, 1914 at Duncan. She attended the rural schools of Garfield Township. On November 13, 1934, she was married to Edward John Wellik at the St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Duncan. They farmed east of Duncan all of their married life. After Ed passed away in 1992, she moved into Garner. In 2001, she entered the Concord Care Center in Garner and in 2005 the Westview Care Center in Britt. She enjoyed quilting and gardening.

She was a member of the St. Boniface Catholic Church in Garner and the Catholic Workman Lodge FCSLA w51.

Frances is survived by a sister-in-law, Helen Falada of Stacyville; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Ed on February 5, 1992; parents; a sister, Rose Lurz in 1982; and two brothers, Jim Falada in 1999 and John Falada in 1979.
© Cataldo Funeral Home 2011