Alvin Holden Nelson
June 22, 1924 - April 2, 2012

Alvin "Al" H. Nelson, 87, of Klemme, died on Monday, April 2, 2012, at the Belmond Medical Center, from complication due to pneumonia.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m., on Saturday, April 7, at the St. Boniface Catholic Church in Garner, with Fr. Dennis Miller officiating. Burial will be in the Clear Lake Cemetery, with military rites by the Clear Lake Veterans Ceremonial Unit. Visitation will be from 4-7:00 p.m., on Friday, at the Cataldo Funeral Chapel, Garner and will continue one hour prior to the services at the church. Memorials may be directed to the Wright County Hospice or the Wounded Warrior Project.

Alvin Holden Nelson, the first son of Holden and Mary (Wilson) Nelson, was born on June 22, 1924 at Belmond. Alvin moved with his family to Olaf, Iowa and then to Clear Lake where he resided and graduated from the Clear Lake High School in 1942. He worked with his father doing roofing, driving a taxi cab and working in a gas filling station until enlisting in the Navy in October of 1942. He took basic training at the Great Lakes Naval Training School in Illinois before heading for Norman, Oklahoma for advanced training, where he graduated as an Aviation Metalsmith Second Class (AM/2C). Alvin's time in the Navy was very important and a proud time for him. He was stationed on Guadalcanal with the Carrier Aircraft Service Unit (CASU) 11, which was a great source of pride and camaraderie as he kept contact and attended reunions with many of the members of CASU 11 into the 21st century.

He was discharged from the Navy in 1946 and returned to Clear Lake. Besides taking flying lessons under the GI Bill, he learned to be a butcher, worked at a drycleaners, for various gas filling stations, the Cerro Gordo county maintenance garage and the US Post Office. He married Shirley (Decker) Nelson on September 11, 1948, and they were divorced in 1960. Alvin met and married Sue Starks of Scottsdale, Arizona, in September 1972 until she passed away in February, 1974. He married June E. (Rapp) Reinig on July 23, 1974, until she passed away on April 17, 1998. He was a life-time member of the Clear Lake VFW.

Alvin is survived by four children, David (Laurie) Nelson of Belleville, Illinois, Michael (Mickey) Nelson of Jasper, Arkansas, Kathy (Bob) Wessels of Belmond and Bill (Jean) Nelson of Spencer; six step-children, Larry (Triza) Reinig of Des Moines, Linda (Rollo) Wastier of Mason City, Patty Schmidt of Mason City, Cathy (Steve) Schroeder of Runnels, Iowa, Cindy Henderson of Des Moines and Paula Johnson of Clive; his brother, Don Nelson of Fertile; forty-five grandchildren; sixty-two great-grandchildren; ten great-great-grandchildren; many nieces, nephews and other family in the Belmond area.

Alvin was preceded in death by his parents; spouses, Shirley, Sue and June; infant son, Stephen Ray Nelson; infant twin grandchildren, Brian David and Brent James Nelson; and step-children, Ginger Lazdins and Sandra Brown.
© Cataldo Funeral Home 2012

Donald Eugene Ristau
August 10, 1941 - April 4, 2012

Donald E. Ristau, 70, of Garner, died unexpectedly on Wednesday, April 4, 2012, at the Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa in Mason City, from an apparent heart attack.

Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m., on Monday, April 9, at the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Garner, with Rev. Dale Glawatz officiating. Burial will be in the Memorial Park Cemetery in Mason City, with military rites conducted by the Garner Veterans Ceremonial Unit. Visitation will be held from 4-7:00 p.m., on Sunday, at the Cataldo Funeral Chapel, Garner and will continue one hour prior to the services at the church.
Memorials may be directed to Alcoholics Anonymous.

Donald Eugene Ristau, the son of Vernon and Ruth (Geilenfeldt) Ristau, was born on August 10, 1941 at Garner. He was baptized at the St. John's Lutheran Church east of Garner and confirmed at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Ventura. Don attended school at Garner and graduated from the Thornton High School in 1960. He served his country in the U.S. Air Force from 1960 until 1964. Following his honorable discharge he returned to Garner where he worked as a carpenter. Don had five children born to his former wives, Rita Anderson and Sara Trca.

He enjoyed gardening, attending AA meetings, antique tractors shows and watching Civil War reenactments. He was a member of the St. Paul Lutheran Church and Alcoholics Anonymous.

Don is survived by his five sons, Robert Ristau of Mason City, Ronald Ristau of Mason City, Roger (Jan) Ristau of Mesa, Arizona, Ryan Ristau of Garner and Richard "Rick" Ristau (special friend, Darcy Kohlmeyer) of Garner; four grandchildren, Amanda, Michael, Lucas and Natalie; a sister, Linda Eggleston (special friend, Gary Iverson) of Albert Lea, Minnesota; Don's special friend, Deb Blaul; two sisters-in-law, Dee Ristau of Clear Lake and Elaine Ristau of Garner; an aunt, Rita Kane of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; an uncle, Louis Geilenfeldt of Dunnellon, Florida; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; an infant son, Reed; an infant brother, Gerald; and brothers, Robert and Paul Ristau.
© Cataldo Funeral Home 2012

Robert A. Boehnke
June 12, 1937 - April 9, 2012

Robert A. Boehnke, 74, of Clear Lake, died on Monday, April 9, 2012, at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit in Mason City.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., on Saturday, April 14, at the St. John's Lutheran Church east of Garner, with Rev. Carl Hedberg officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery, with military rites by the Garner Veterans Ceremonial Unit. Visitation will be held from 5-7:00 p.m., on Friday, at the Cataldo Funeral Chapel, Garner and will continue one hour prior to the services at the church.

Robert Arthur Boehnke, the son of Arthur and Lillian (Hollatz) Boehnke, was born on June 12, 1937 at Garner. He was baptized and confirmed at the St. John's Lutheran Church. Robert graduated from the Garner High School in 1956. He served his country in the U.S. Army. Following his honorable discharge he returned to Garner and farmed with his brothers, Philip and Mark for over forty years. On March 1, 1969, he married Karen Legler at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Mason City. They lived on a farm near Garner until 1990 when they moved to Clear Lake.

Robert enjoyed fishing off their dock and sunny days in his chair out in the garage. Robert and Karen loved traveling together especially trips to Leavenworth, Washington, exploring with his sister and brother-in-law, and spending part of their winters in Florida. Robert was a member of the St. John's Lutheran Church, where he served on the church cemetery board. He also served on several boards in the area including the Federal Land Bank, Farmer's Co-op in Garner and the Beef Producers Association.

Robert is survived by his wife, Karen of Clear Lake; daughter, Laurie (Randy) Garnas of Harris, Minnesota; grandchildren, Renee (Justin) Forde, Ryan (Holly Mayland) Ruter and Shanell Ruter; great-grandchildren, Ashlynn Forde, Hayden Forde and Bentley Ruter; three brothers, Philip C. (Sharon) Boehnke of Garner, Mark A. (Roseann) Boehnke of Garner and Dale W. (Annette) Boehnke of Lewisville, Texas; a sister, Ruth (Carl) Chiko of Vancouver, Canada; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents.
© Cataldo Funeral Home 2012

Austin Lee Hartema

April 18, 2012

Austin Lee Hartema, age 20, of rural Klemme, died unexpectedly at his residence on Thursday, April 12, 2012.

Funeral services will be held at 3:30 p.m., on Wednesday, April 18, at the Goodell Community Center, Goodell. The Rev. Rod Hopp will officiate. Visitation will be from 5-8:00 p.m., on Tuesday, at the Goodell Community Center and continue one hour prior to the services on Wednesday. Public graveside services will take place at 1:00 p.m., on Thursday, in the Parkersburg Cemetery, Parkersburg. Those wishing to express their sympathies through a memorial in Austin's name may wish to direct them to Austin's family.

Austin L. Hartema, the son of Michael Dean and Tracy Jo (Kluiter) Hartema, was born on September 5, 1991, at Waterloo. He attended school at both Belmond-Klemme Schools and Waverly-Shell Rock Schools, where he graduated with the WSR Class of 2010. Following graduation, he had worked for periods of time at the Five Star Co-op in Rockwell, Krysilis, Inc. and had recently been employed with Bell Recycling and Sanitation in Belmond. Austin was anxiously anticipating continuing his education in the Wind Energy Cooperative field later this year at Red Stone College in Broomfield, Colorado, where he would have received training in the construction of wind turbines, a perfect career fit for his love of the outdoors and courageous, adventuresome spirit.

Austin's life was for sure all too brief, but was a twenty-year adventure filled race, filled with love for his family, friends, hunting, fishing, racing, demo derbies, monster trucks, and, of course, his love for music and dancing. Austin was definitely a character through and through and loved all that life had too offer. If his life had a soundtrack of music it would definitely include tunes from the Back Street Boys, Jason Aldean, Scotty McCreary, oldies, country, and rock music. His personal and diverse collection of music was vast. Whether he was in the car or at home listening to music, Austin was always sharing with others his newest favorite song, as he would often say to whoever was near, "have you heard this one!" and then of course, the volume would go up as he would sing the words, and if he was able, show his dance moves as he would smile and make others do the same. He truly was a barrel of boundless energy. Austin was constantly trying to cure the hurts of others, and was often referred to as their "Healing Stone." One could not help but be uplifted and renewed by his soft heartedness, kind words, wonderful humor, gentle mannerisms, warm smile and caring eyes. He loved to make others smile. Austin loved to give of himself and lend a hand to others no matter what the task. His "true high" was being surrounded by his friends and family and his love for others was eternal and overflowing. Almost to his own detriment, he shared so much of himself with those around him. Those who knew Austin well will remember him as a "big romancer" with a huge heart, who would have bought every girl the biggest and best. His family remembers Austin's love to dress up and, of course, strike a pose for the camera.

Once again, his smile and the twinkle in his eyes would be the focus of the photo, whether he was posing in front of his favorite vehicle, on the dock, river bank, or paddle boat at his favorite fishing spot, hoisting a stringer filled with channel cats, bass, or another catch of the day, posing along side a deer, raccoon, or other game he had bagged, arm and arm with his buddies, or a in snapshot taken with his family. He just loved to be captured in the moment. Austin was not one to let the grass grow under his feet. In high school at Belmond-Klemme Schools, he had participated in cross country for a couple years and for many years he loved the excitement of participating in ranch rodeos. He looked forward to the adrenaline rush of bull and dirt bike riding. He loved to attend fairs, demo-derbies, figure-eight races, and various dirt track races throughout the region. He was an avid Dale Earnhardt, Sr., fan. His "love of the race", was often times overshadowed only by his "love for the chase." Austin truly enjoyed "the chase" and pursuit of fish and game. Be it a day spent on the river after some catfish or on his favorite Lake Mille Lacs Lake in Minnesota. He was truly in his element on the water or in the fields and timber, searching for an elusive white tail deer, or other game. One of his favorite hunting activities included excursions into the woods to follow the howling of his coon hound "Dolly" and other hounds as he and others raced to score and harvest a treed coon.

Those who had the privilege of crossing in the tracks of his life will remember his boundless love for others, his gentle nature, passion for the outdoors and boundless love for life's journey and for all life had to offer him. His life truly was a "dance", though all too brief. The stars, moon, and sun will burn brighter in heaven now that an angel named Austin dances and sings in heaven.

His legacy will live on in the lives of his mom and step-dad, Tracy and Terry Trampel of Klemme; his dad, Mike Hartema and Tammy Gram of Waterloo; his brother, Tanner Hartema and companion, Sharai Keough and Austin's nephew, Brayden Hartema, all of Allison; his step-brothers, Kody and Kasey Trampel, both of Ames; Brandon and Shuree Kendrick and step-niece and nephew, Aden and Elenor, all of Cresco; step-brothers, Zach DeBower of Plainfield and Doug and Josh DeBower, both of Waverly; grandparents, Donald (Sharon) Kluiter of Shellrock, Dennis (Sharon) Hartema of Parkersburg and Ruth Trampel of Klemme; aunts and uncles, Sheila and Brian Sweiter and cousins, Dike, Dawn and Tom Murdock and cousins of Beulaville, North Carolina, Julie Borunda of Beulaville, North Carolina, Richard Trampel of Klemme, Joanne VanderWolde of Belmond and Dixie and Larry Treinen of Klemme; also surviving are a step-brother, Eric McGlaughlin and his children, Ayden and Janie and step-brother, Nathan McGlaughlin, all of Waterloo and a step-sister, Bobbi Jo Gram and her son, Landyn Brinyark of Waterloo; along with countless friends and other extended family.

Austin was preceded in death by his great-grandparents, Jerry and Evelyn Kluiter, Robert and Shirley Dietrick, John and Dorothy Adelmund, Ed Hartema and Angie and Wally Dove; his grandpa, Clarence Trampel; aunts, Bev Korleski and Diane Trampel; and uncles, Greg Nelson and Jerry VanderWolde.

Funeral arrangements are with the Andrews Funeral Home, Belmond.
©The Garner Leader 2012

Emmajean Zeising

May 30, 2012

Emmajean Arlice (Paulson) Zeising, 78, died on Thursday, April 19, 2012, in Phoenix, Arizona.

A private family remembrance will be held on Saturday, June 2. Interment of her cremains will be in the Concord Cemetery in Garner, on Tuesday, June 5 at 1:00 p.m.

Emmajean Arlice Paulson, was born on July 6, 1933, the only child of Mildred (Hein) and Lyiel Paulson of Garner. On March 20, 1955, she was united in marriage to Paul Kenneth Zeising in Garner. She lived in Sioux City, prior to moving to Arizona to be near her children. Emmajean attended Morningside College where she majored in music. As a pianist and organist, she often played the organ and piano at the Unitarian Church in Sioux City, Iowa and also for many family holidays.

She is survived by her two children, daughter, Renee Ann of Young, Arizona and son, Paul Kevin and his wife, Thu M of Phoenix, Arizona; three grandchildren, Jeremy, Melinda and Taz, all living in Arizona; and eight nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband; and one granddaughter, Chenille.
©The Garner Leader 2012

Raymond Edward Aucker
July 31, 1954 - April 20, 2012

Raymond E. Aucker, 57, of Garner. died on Friday, April 20, 2012, at the Good Shepherd Health Center in Mason City.

Private family services will be held. There will be no visitation. The Cataldo Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
© Cataldo Funeral Home 2012

Hazel Mabel Larson
September 6, 1919 - April 20, 2012

Hazel M. Larson, 92, of Garner, formerly of Britt, died on Friday, April 20, 2012, at her home, the Concord Care Center in Garner, that she lovingly referred to as "the most popular place in town."

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., on Monday, April 23, at the Zion Evangelical and Reformed Church in Garner, with Rev. Brian Lund officiating. Burial will be in the Evergreen Cemetery in Britt. Visitation will be held from 3-5:00 p.m., on Sunday, at the Cataldo Funeral Chapel in Garner and will continue one hour prior to the services at the church.

Hazel Mabel Larson, the daughter of Henry and Charsty (Munson) Anderson, was born on September 6, 1919 near Britt. She graduated from the Britt High School in 1936 and later from the Britt Junior College and Iowa State Teacher's College in Cedar Falls. She taught school for several years in the rural schools in the Britt and Kanawha area. As a country school teacher she loved playing ball with her students. She married Morton Larson on December 14, 1946, making their home on a farm south of Crystal Lake. They raised three children there, and then moved to Forest City in 1971.

Mort and Hazel loved to spend their winters in Texas and she continued to do so for the next 25 years after Mort passed away in 1980. She was an avid golfer, walker, and exercise group leader during her winters in Texas and later at Zion Church. She spent her summers at their beloved cottage on West Lake Okoboji until 2009, when she moved to Concord Care Center in Garner after suffering a stroke. She was a straight talker and one never had to wonder what she meant to say.

Hazel is survived by her three children, Mary (Rick) Etherington of Garner, Jack (Jan) Larson of New Ulm, Minnesota and Becky (Tom) Rose of Garner; four grandchildren, Danny Rose of Des Moines, Jenny Rose of Louisville, Kentucky, Katie Larson of New Ulm and Nick Larson of New Ulm; three sisters, Florence Carlson of Crosby, Minnesota, Blanche (Verlyn) Friedow of Kanawha and Marlys Bergstrom of Minneapolis, Minnesota; a sister-in-law, Bettie Anderson of Britt; and many nieces, nephews and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband; parents; two brothers, Donald and Norman; and two sisters, Mildred Anderson and Charlotte Hunsley.
© Cataldo Funeral Home 2012

Marvin G. Johnson

May 2, 2012

Marvin G. Johnson, 92, of Gamer, died on Saturday, April 28, 2012, at the Concord Care Center in Garner.

Funeral services were held at 10:30 a.m., on Tuesday, May 1, at the United Methodist Church in Garner, with Pastor Paul Evans officiating. Burial will be in the Concord Township Cemetery, with military rites by the Garner Veterans Ceremonial Unit. Visitation was held from 4-6:00 p.m., on Monday, at the Cataldo Funeral Chapel in Garner and continued one hour prior to the services at the church.

Marvin Gaylord Johnson, the son of John and Selma (Langerude) Johnson, was born on July 4, 1919, on a farm near Leland. He attended the rural schools of Winnebago County and graduated from the Hayfield Consolidated School in 1939. Marvin served his country during WW II in the U.S. Army. On April 5, 1942, he married Tessie Della Blank at New Port, Rhode Island. Following his honorable discharge, he returned home to Hayfield, where he and Tessie raised their two sons. He operated his own construction business, Johnson Construction, until 1971 when he began working at Winnebago Industries in Forest City. Following his retirement in 1984, he and Tessie continued to live in Hayfield until March of 2010, when he became a resident of the Concord Care Center in Garner.

Marvin enjoyed family, woodworking, carpentry, bowling, and growing "Marvin's Gardens". He was an avid Minnesota Twins, Vikings, Hawkeye, and more recently Cyclone fan. He was a member of the United Methodist Church and the Garner American Legion.

Marvin is survived by his wife, Tessie of Garner; two sons, Gene Marvin (Suzanne) Johnson of Windermere, Florida and Bruce Gaylord (Lori) Johnson of Cedar Rapids; five grandchildren, Casey Johnson, Molly (Joel) Fox; Stephanie Johnson, Jeffrey (Melissa) Doubek and Amanda (Joe) Latta; ten great-grandchildren, Chad Marvin, Trice, Isaak, Jayce, Kyla, Melanie, Gabriel, Dakota, Carl and Natalie; a sister, Norma (Milton) Monson of Leland; a brother, Jerry (Charlene) Johnson of Mesa Arizona; sisters-in-law, Eunice Johnson and Marcia Blank of Garner; brother-in-law, Sylvester (Emmajean) Blank of Des Moines; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and three brothers, Orland, Don and Maynard.

The Cataldo Funeral Home, Garner, was responsible for the arrangements.
©The Garner Leader 2012

Vergil D. Eness
October 14, 1929 - April 29, 2012

Vergil D. Eness, 82, of Clear Lake, died on Sunday, April 29, 2012, at the Muse-Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit, Mason City.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., on Monday, May 7, at the Zion Lutheran Church, Clear Lake, with Rev. Dean Hess officiating. The family will greet friends from 3–5:00 p.m., on Sunday, May 6, at the Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel. According to his wishes, his body has been cremated. Memorials may be given to the Zion Lutheran Church, Clear Lake Central Gardens, Clear Lake Arts Center, Friends of Clear Lake Library or a charity of your choice.

Vergil was born on October 14, 1929 in Hancock County, Iowa, to Thomas O. and Bertha M. (Chentland) Eness, the fifth of six children. He was confirmed at the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Garner in 1944. Vergil graduated from the Garner High School. In his youth he enjoyed roller skating and water skiing. He taught Sunday School and Bible classes for about 15 years and served as assistant and as Sunday School Superintendent for a year each. The Boy Scout program was very important to him. He attended Camp Roosevelt, Ventura four times, also a 10-day canoe trip to an explorer scout camp near Ely, Minnesota. He served as a den chief for a cub scout patrol for a several years. When working for Troop 19, Garner, as an assistant scout master for five years, he led the troop on their week at Camp Roosevelt twice and also on a number of overnight campouts around north Iowa.

Vergil married Joan K. Valentine on June 21, 1969, at the First Presbyterian Church, Mason City, and moved to Clear Lake. His life work was in the printing trade. He spent over 18 years as a letterpress printer and linotype operator at the weekly Garner Leader newspaper and completed his working years in the litho-prepress and color separation department of Kayenay Graphics, Mason City.

As a member of the Clear Lake Noon Lions, Vergil enjoyed helping at the Annual Chicken Bar-B-Que and other service projects. He received the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award in 2011 for dedicated humanitarian services from the Lions club International Foundation. He was also a member of the North Iowa Nature club, Clear Lake Arts Center, Friends of the Library, Central Gardens, Sons of Norway and Trees Forever.

Vergil and Joan took many trips, which included visiting with relatives in England, Norway and France and bank tours. He loved bird watching and genealogy. He also enjoyed playing cards, visiting his relatives in different parts of the country, cross country skiing and dancing at the Surf Ballroom. He was a member of the Zion Lutheran Church where he participated in Elderberries, active in choir and bible study classes.

Vergil is survived by his wife, Joan Eness; sister, Bernice Eness of Garner; brother, Arlyn Eness and his wife, Carolyn of Iowa Falls; sister-in-law, Karen Eness of Park Ridge, Illinois; nieces and nephews, Debra (Ross) Jendro of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Sarah (Keith) Gunderson of Iowa City, Brian (Rebecca) Eness of Waverly and Jane (Brad) Snodgrass of Colo; and many other nieces, nephews and cousins.

Vergil was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Judith McKinney; and two brothers, John and Orville Eness.

The Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake, was in charge of the arrangements.
© Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel 2012

Miriam E. Peter
July 13, 1925 - April 30, 2012

Miriam E. Peter, 86, of Garner, died on Monday, April 30, 2012, at the Concord Care Center in Garner.

Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m., on Thursday, May 3, at the Peace Reformed Church south of Garner, with Pastor Harvey Opp officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Visitation will be from 5-7:00 p.m., on Wednesday, at the Cataldo Funeral Chapel, Garner and will continue one hour prior to the services at the church. Memorials may be directed to the Peace Reformed Church.

Miriam Elizabeth Peter, the daughter of Victor and Drusilla (Stromer) Hueneman, was born on July 13, 1925, on the family farm south of Garner. She attended the Liberty Township School and graduated from the Garner High School in 1943. Miriam received her teaching certificate from Iowa State Teacher's College in Cedar Falls and taught in Liberty and Ell Township country schools in Hancock County. She then worked for several years at the A.S.C.S. office in Garner. On September 10, 1955, she was married to Stanley Alan Peter at the Peace Reformed Church. The couple had two children, Rebecca Elizabeth and Douglas Alan. They resided in Swaledale until 1962, when they moved to the Hueneman farm near Garner. Miriam was a homemaker.

She enjoyed playing the piano, visiting with family and gardening. She became a resident of the Concord Care Center in June of 2011. She was a life-long member of the Peace Reformed Church and of the Women's Missionary Society. She served as church organist for many years and was a Sunday School teacher. She enjoyed being a part of a morning Bible study group. Miriam was a 4-H Leader and a member of the Liberty Belles Homemakers Club.

Miriam is survived by her husband, Stanley of Garner; two children, Rebecca E. Peter of Garner and Douglas A. (Kimberly) Peter of Clive; a grandson, Grant M. Peter of Windsor Heights; two sisters, Abigail (Robert) Jacobsen of Dows and Eunice (Donald) Larson of Livermore; two sisters-in-law, Melicent Ames of Swaledale and Elaine Taylor of Clear Lake; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Lois Howell and Rachel Schumpp; brothers-in-law, M.W. Ames, Marvin Peter, Howard Taylor and Gerald Howell.
© Cataldo Funeral Home 2012