Leo Clausen

September 10, 2003

Leo Clausen, age 85, of Osage, died on Monday, September 1, 2003, at the Mitchell County Regional Health Care Center, Hospice Unit in Osage.

Funeral services were held on Thursday, September 4, at the First Baptist Church in Osage. The Lay Minister Gary Gilbert officiated. Interment was in the Riverside Cemetery in Riceville. Military Rites at the grave were presented by the Osage VFW Post 7920.

Leo Clausen, was born on May 14, 1918 in Riceville, the son of Harold and Dorthea (Toftdahl) Clausen. He served in the U.S. Army during WW II. Leo went with the first draftees from Mitchell County on April 17, 1941 and was discharged on October 14, 1945, serving in Panama and the Galapagos Islands. On March 17, 1946, Leo was united in marriage to Jean Williams at the First Baptist Church in Osage. They farmed in the Little Cedar and Riceville areas. He also worked as a bus driver and custodian at the Riceville Community Schools. In 1973, they moved to Osage and Leo drove the Mitchell County Senior Citizens bus for many years. He was a member of the David Community Church and served as its treasurer for 30 years. Leo was also a member of the Osage VFW.

Preceding him in death were his parents; two brothers, Clarence and Floyd Clausen; and one sister, Pearl Power.

Leo is survived by his wife, Jean Clausen of Osage; one daughter, Leanne (Michael) Snyder of Wadena, Minnesota; two sons, Harold Clausen of St. Francis, Minnesota and Joe (Mary) Clausen of Mulvane, Kansas; three sisters, Esther (Doug) Walker of Emily, Minnesota, Ruby Harold of Modesto, California and Mary (Robert) Weed of Taylorville, Illinois; one brother, Alfred Clausen of Central City; and three grandchildren.

The Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, had charge of the arrangements.
© 2003 Mitchell County Press

Connie Jane Lewis

September 10, 2003

Connie Jane Lewis, age 57, of Riceville, died at the Mitchell County Regional Health Center-Hospital on Wednesday, September 3, 2003, in Osage, Iowa.

Funeral services were held on Monday, September 8, at the Saratoga Presbyterian Church in Saratoga, Iowa. The Reverend Tim Sir officiated. Burial was in the Pleasant Hills Cemetery in Lime Springs, Iowa.

Connie Lewis was born on November 27, 1945 in Lake City, Iowa, to Cecil and Pearl (Morman) Anderson. She attended local schools and graduated from the Lake City High School in January of 1964. After graduation, Connie furthered her education by attending the Paris Junior College in Paris, Texas and receiving her nursing degree in May of 1987. On November 12, 1963, Connie was united in marriage to Elgin Jr. Lewis in Lake City, Iowa, at the Woodland Christian Church.

She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, Delbert and Charles; and one sister, Mardell Lewis.

Connie's survivors include her husband, Elgin of Riceville; two sons, Shawn and his wife, Christy Lewis of Kasson, Minnesota and Shane and his wife, Natalie Lewis of Adams, Minnesota; a daughter, Melissa Lewis of Riceville; five grandchildren; and two sisters, Vivian Higgins of Lake City and Barbara Bass of Troy, Michigan.

The Lindstrom Funeral Home in Riceville, was in charge of the arrangements.
© 2003 Mitchell County Press

Imogene Love Mallow

September 10, 2003

Imogene Love Mallow, age 79, of Osage, died on Wednesday, September 3, 2003, at the Muse Norris Hospice Unit in Mason City.

Memorial services were held at 10:30 a.m., on Saturday, September 6, at the Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Osage. The Reverend Roy Ott officiated. Inurnment was in the Osage Cemetery with a flag presentation by the VFW Post 7920 and American Legion Post 278. In lieu of flowers the family asked that memorials be made to Hospice of North Iowa or to the Our Savior's Lutheran Church.

Imogene Love Mallow, was born on October 15, 1923 in Orchard, Iowa, the daughter of John and Marion (Crawford) Love. She was educated in the Orchard School and graduated from the Osage High School. Imogene served in the U.S. Navy during WW II. Imogene was united in marriage to Giles L. Mallow on June 14, 1946 in Osage. She was a homemaker and mother.

Preceding Imogene in death were her parents; her husband, Giles L. Mallow on April 23, 2003; two brothers, James and Burchard Love; and one sister, Ruth Bilharz.

Her survivors include a son, Charles (Kathryn) Mallow of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin and their two daughters, Kristen Mallow of Oconomowoc and Adele Mallow (Matt) Spears and their children, Tayla and Rhiannon of Bloomington, Minnesota and son, Christopher (Becky) Mallow of Gillette, Wyoming; four daughters, Claudia Deaton and her son, Drake of St. Ansgar; Constance (John) Litzel of Ames and their daughter, Elizabeth and her daughter, Isabelle of Ames; Crystal (Gregory) Darrow of Bartlett, Illinois; Carolyn (Marty) Cowell of Denver, Iowa and their children, Morgan, Mason Giles and Marshall; and one sister, Mary Morey of Osage.

The Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, Osage, had charge of the arrangements.
© 2003 Mitchell County Press

George R. Kirchgatter

September 17, 2003

George R. Kirchgatter, age 91, of Riceville, died on Tuesday, September 9, 2003, at the Riceville Community Rest Home.

Funeral services were held on Saturday, September 13, at the St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Riceville, Iowa. The Reverend Michael Parris officiated. Burial was in the St. John's Rock Township Cemetery in rural St. Ansgar, Iowa.

George was born on January 19, 1912 in Worth County, Iowa, the son of Gustav and Emma (Walk) Kirchgatter. He was baptized on February 18, 1912 and confirmed on April 10, 1927, at the Grafton Lutheran Church. He received his education in rural schools in Worth County. On November 28, 1935, he was united in marriage to Elsie Bublitz at the St. John's Lutheran Church Rock Township east of Grafton. They farmed for five years in the Grafton area. In 1940, they moved to a farm near Riceville where George and Elsie lived until September of 1997, when he moved to the Riceville Community Rest Home. George loved to run the tractor, tilling the soil and visiting with his grandchildren.

Preceding George in death were his parents; two brothers; and four sisters.

George is survived by his wife, Elsie of Riceville; two sons, Claude and his wife, Janet and Clyde Kirchgatter, all of Riceville; three grandchildren, Jenny Kirchgatter of Madison, Wisconsin, Renee and her husband, Brian Kimmich of Waterloo, Iowa and Lori Kirchgatter of Cedar Falls, Iowa; a sister, Iva Lang of Baraboo, Wisconsin; and several nieces and nephews.

The Lindstrom Funeral Home, of Riceville, had charge of the arrangements.
© 2003 Mitchell County Press

Florence E. Schwarz

September 17, 2003

Florence E. Schwarz, 83, of Osage and formerly of Granville, passed away on Tuesday, September 9, 2003, at the Faith Lutheran Home in Osage.

Funeral services were held on Friday, September 12, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Osage, with Rev. Mark Reasoner officiating. Interment was on Saturday, September 13, in the St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Granville, with the Msgr. Kenneth Seifried officiating. Pall bearers were her nephews.

Florence was born on March 22, 1920 in Granville, the daughter of Nic and Antonella (Neuhaus) Burlage. She attended school in Granville and worked several years in Denver, Colorado, before returning to Granville. Florence was united in marriage to Joseph Schwarz on November 28, 1946 in Granville, where they made their home. She worked for the school lunch program at St. Joseph's and Spalding High School in Granville for many years and then she worked for Harkers in Orange City, for several years, from which she retired. In 1984, Florence left Granville and moved to Osage. In April of 2002, she entered the Faith Lutheran Home.

Florence enjoyed her many friends, bus tours and playing cards.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Joe in 1980; her parents; her brothers, Clarence, Len, Gerald, Alver and Ken; and a sister, Helen.

She is survived by her brother, Ed Burlage and his wife, Elnora of Nixa, Missouri; her sister-in-law, Edie Burlage of Hyattsville, Maryland; and many nieces and nephews.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers please send memorials in Florence's name to the Hospice of North Iowa, Charles City, Iowa or to the Northwest Iowa Home Health and Hospice, Sheldon, Iowa.

The Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, Osage, was in charge of the arrangements.
© 2003 Mitchell County Press

Allen D. Naber

September 17, 2003

Allen D. Naber, of Cumming, Georgia, passed away on Wednesday, September 10, 2003.

Funeral services were held at the Windridge Funeral Home in Cary, Illinois, on Saturday, September 13, 2003.

Allen was born to George and Dorothy (Pike) Naber on August 20, 1938 in Mitchell County. He attended the Orchard School graduating in 1956. He moved to the Chicago area and worked for many years retiring from the Eaton Corp. located in Crystal Lake, Illinois. In 1995, he moved to Cumming, Georgia.

Allen was married on June 10, 1995, to Gina Sims. She survives him with his four children, Jeffrey and son, Chance; Rodney and his children, Rod II and Amy; Tracy and wife, Terese and their four children, Jessica, Christopher, Elizabeth and Janelle; and daughter, Shelley and husband, Bill and son, J. J. Also surviving are two step-children, David and Brenda Sims; and two step-grandchildren. Also, his mother, Dorothy Naber of Mason City; two brothers, Boyd and wife, Dorothy and Lowell and wife, Nancy; five sisters, Aline and Theryl McCollough, Donna and Peewee Durbin of Osage, Mary Holm and Bob Jones, Lucille and James McCollough and Doris and Harry Perschbacher; one sister-in-law, Frieda Naber; and many nieces, nephews, aunts and uncle.

Preceding him in death were his father, George Naber; and three brothers, Dale, Gary and Lynn.
© 2003 Mitchell County Press

Jerald David Willey

September 17, 2003

Jerald Willey, age 65, of Fridley, Minnesota, passed away on Friday, September 12, 2003.

Funeral services were held on Tuesday, September 16, at the Miller Funeral Home, Fridley Chapel, Fridley, Minnesota. The VFW will precede the funeral service. Interment was in the Ft. Snelling National Cemetery.

Jerald was currently commander of the VFW Post 363 in Fridley. He was a loving father, son, and brother and a true friend to all who knew him.

Preceding him in death were his father, Francis; and brother, Edward.

Jerald is survived by his mother Helen, Royetta Snow; daughters, Kathy (Dan) Faas and Kari (Cara) Willey; sons, Kevin (Karen) Willey and Keith (Yvonne) Willey. He was blessed with nine grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and other relatives and many friends.
© 2003 Mitchell County Press

Mary Kathryn (Comisky) Larson

September 17, 2003

Mary Kathryn (Comisky) Larson, 74, of Mason City and formerly of Osage, died on Saturday, September 13, 2003, at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit in Mason City.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., on Wednesday, September 17, at the St. James Lutheran Church, Mason City, with Rev. Scott Duffus officiating. Interment will be in the Rock Creek Cemetery in Osage. Visitation will be from 6-8:00 p.m., on Tuesday, September 16, at the Major Erickson Funeral Home, Mason City, with a Prayer Service being held at 7:00 p.m.

Mary was born on May 2, 1929, the second child of Leo and Charlotte Comisky on the family farm in rural Osage. She attended country school in New Haven and was a graduate of the Osage High School. Mary attended the Mason City Junior College and Mount Mercy Junior College graduating as a registered nurse. She was employed at Mercy Hospital and at the Osage Memorial Hospital. In later years Mary was employed at the IOOF Home and as a caregiver for various families. She enjoyed her work as a nurse. She was very fond of Kevin, Dennis and Matthew Hepperly, whom she had cared for. Mary had been a resident of the Heritage Care Center for the past year.

Mary was united in marriage to Melbourne Avery Larson on March 15, 1955. They farmed in rural Osage. They were active members of the Rock Creek Lutheran Church. In 1978 they moved to Clear Lake and later to Mason City, where they retired at the Autumn Park Apartments.

Mary enjoyed her many activities of playing cards, bingo and socializing with her friends and family. She was loved by her children and grandchildren, who will miss her dearly.

Those who are grateful for having shared in her life are her daughter, Judy Gardner and husband, Roger of Mason City; son, Alan Larson of Mason City; grandchildren, Corey Alan, Lindsey Erin, Brenden Roger and Laura Ann Gardner, all of Mason City; sisters, Maureen Brooker and husband, Dean, Dorothy "Doke" Kruse and husband, Clarence, all of Osage, Leone Shepherd of Norwalk, Iowa, Kathleen "Kac" Laker and husband, Jerry of Nakomis, Florida; her brothers, Marlow Comisky and wife, Kaye of Elmwood Park, Illinois and Gary "Mick" Comisky of Osage; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Charlotte and Leo Comisky; infant sister, Margaret; husband, Melbourne in 1982; brothers, Maurice "Maury", Merwin "Irish" and Harold "Hites" Comisky; and a brother-in-law, Gary Shepherd.
© 2003 Mitchell County Press

Myron D. Klein

September 24, 2003

Myron D. Klein, age 89, of Osage, died on Monday, September 15, 2003, at the Faith Lutheran Home in Osage.

Funeral services were held on Thursday, September 18, at the Faith Lutheran Home in Osage. The Reverend Dennis Hanson and the Reverend Roy Ott officiated. Burial was in the Manly Cemetery, with military honors by the Osage American Legion Post 278.

Myron Klein, was born on June 18, 1914, on a farm west of Manly, in Worth County, the son of Edward and Leora Mae (Ferrier) Klein. He was educated in the Danville No. 5 Country School. He farmed with his father until 1936 when he went to work for Oliver Tractor Company in Charles City. In the spring of 1941, Myron entered the U.S. Army. He received his basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and was shipped to Africa, where he spent time in the Army Engineer Corps, there assisting in building floating barges for shipping army tanks to Italy. After serving some time in Italy, he was relocated to Germany, where he stayed until he was discharged from the army with a Sergeant 1st Class rating in August of 1945.

In 1946, he and his brother, Harold opened a garage in Hanlontown. During his vacations Myron enjoyed helping his brother, Everett with planting his crops in the spring and with harvesting the crops in the fall. He later moved to Indiana and worked for auto dealers there. On January 23, 1954, he was united in marriage to Maria G. Hoppe in East Chicago, Indiana. They moved to Orchard in 1956 and to Osage in 1968. Myron was an auto mechanic at the Ford dealership in Osage, employed by Karl Jorde, Wayne Mills and Jim Hayden, retiring in 1983. He was a member of the Our Savior's Lutheran Church and the American Legion.

Myron was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Maria in 1999; and a brother, Everett Klein.

His survivors include his step-son, Raymond (Nancy) Boge of Crystal Lake, Illinois; two step-grandchildren, Thomas (Katie) Boge of Indianola and Jill (Bill) Schlies of Waukesha, Wisconsin; brother, Harold (Evelyn) Klein of Albuquerque, New Mexico; nieces, Nena (Dave) Smith of Houston, Texas and Candyce (Rob) Morton; nephew, Brian Klein of Albuquerque, New Mexico; sister-in-law, Janet Klein of Northwood; nieces, Sharon (Dennis) Tiedeman and Cindy (Bill) Martinson of Mason City; several great-nieces and nephews and great-great-nieces and nephews.

The Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, Osage, had charge of the arrangements.
© 2003 Mitchell County Press

Jerome Joseph "Jerry" Adams

September 24, 2003

Jerome Joseph "Jerry" Adams, 83, of Apache Junction, Arizona, formerly of Riceville, died on Tuesday, September 16, 2003, in Detroit, Michigan.

Memorial services were held at 1:00 p.m., on Monday, September 22, at the Conway Funeral Home in Riceville. Inurnment was in the Calvary Cemetery. The Reverend Ray Atwood presided. Military Rites were conducted by the Roy Gue Post of the American Legion.

Jerome Joseph "Jerry" Adams, was born on March 28, 1920 at Stacyville, Iowa, the son of Ben Jr. and Mary (Wingert) Adams. He graduated from the Stacyville High School and entered the U.S. Army in 1942. Jerome served in the Philippines and was honorably discharged in 1946.

On April 25, 1944, he was untied in marriage to Lucille Mary Gaffey in Wilmington, North Carolina. To this union four children were born, Peggy, Kathleen, Joseph (deceased) and John. He farmed, managed a trucking operation, owned a grocery store and worked at Salsbury Laboratories as a maintenance man until his retirement. After Lucille's death, he married Hazel Ripley on June 24, 1966. She had two children, David and Mary Jo.

Jerry was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Lucille; one son, Joseph as an infant; and one brother, Charles.

His survivors include his wife, Hazel; son, John (Judy) of Jordan, Minnesota; daughters, Peggy Cahalan of Albion, Iowa and Kathleen (Mike) Spinner of Marshalltown, Iowa; a stepson, David (Beverly) Ripley of Riceville and Mary Jo (Ron) Isaacson of Detroit, Michigan; eleven grandchildren, Robert, Patrick and Daniel Cahalan, Michelle Spinner-Simeno and Michael Spinner, Tammy Pickar, Johanna Huggins and Darren Ripley, Sherri Riepma, Kathy Vernaci and Scott Isaacson; 19 great-grandchildren; one brother, James of Stacyville; and three sisters, Mildred Schaefer of Raymond, Iowa, Virginia Weber and Sylvia Mayer, both of Stacyville.

The Conway Funeral Home, Riceville, had charge of the arrangements.
© 2003 Mitchell County Press

Adolph A. Schwab

September 24, 2003

Adolph A. Schwab, age 90, of Osage, died on Friday, September 19, 2003, at his home.

Funeral services were held on Monday, September 22, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Osage. The Reverend Mark Reasoner officiated. Interment was in the St. Ansgar Cemetery. Military Honors were given by the St. Ansgar American Legion Post 358.

Adolph A. Schwab, was born on October 30, 1912 in Topeka, Kansas, the son of Peter and Anna (Frank) Schwab. He moved with his family from Topeka to Garner and then to the Osage area. Adolph entered the U.S. Army in 1935. Following his discharge in 1937 he moved to Alaska and worked in the gold fields. Adolph was united in marriage to Jean Adams on December 10, 1940 in Fairbanks. They moved back to Osage and then to Chicago, Illinois. Adolph re-entered the U.S. Army and served until September 1945, returning to Osage following his discharge. In 1951, Adolph and Jean moved to a farm northeast of St. Ansgar. They farmed until moving to Osage in 1992. Adolph also worked for Spartz and Quarn Construction and Hollatz Construction as a finish carpenter.

He was a member of the VFW, the American Legion, the Knights of Columbus and the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. He enjoyed his family, bowling, fishing and gardening.

Adolph was preceded in death by his wife, Jean Schwab in 2000; five brothers, Alec, Pat, Andy, Feldie and John; and one sister, Margaret Sawyer.

Adolph is survived by two daughters, Patricia (Dale) Rodemaker of Osage and Sandra (Tom) Heimer of Osage; 3 sons, David (Kathleen) Schwab of Camas, Washington, Joseph (Marilyn) Schwab of Osage and Robert (Audrey) Schwab of North Kingston, Rhode Island; two sisters, Rose (Don) Morrison of Osage and Katie (Rance) Randall of Cedar Rapids; one brother, Jake Schwab of Osage; 21 grandchildren; and 21 great-grandchildren.

The Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, Osage, had charge of the arrangements.
© 2003 Mitchell County Press