Kathleen C. Rowe

September 11, 2007

Kathleen Caroline Rowe 91, of Cedar Rapids, went to be with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Thursday, September 6, 2007, at the Great River Care Center in McGregor, following a short illness.

Funeral services were held at 10:00 a.m., on Monday, September 10, at the Thornburg-Hanson Funeral Home in McGregor, with burial in the Osage Cemetery, Osage. In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorials be given to the Alzheimer's Association in Kathleen's name.

Kathleen was born on February 18, 1916, to Robert and Tess (Klar) Bower in rural Mitchell County, Iowa. She married Paul A. Rowe on May 27, 1945 in Osage. She and Paul lived in Cedar Rapids, for many years and were loyal and active members of the Trinity United Methodist Church for over 55 years.

Kathleen or Kay, as her friends called her, was a homemaker and enjoyed cooking and sewing. She was an active member of the W.S.C.S. and Kings Daughter's for many years. Kathleen has lived in McGregor for the past several years.

She is survived by a daughter, Ruth Ann (Wilbur) McCormick of Aurora, Colorado; son, Bob (Millie) Rowe of McGregor, Iowa; five grandchildren; 4 great-grandchildren; brother, Birchard (Sandra) Bower and a sister, Harriet Heuer, both of St. Ansgar; sister-in-law, Marvel Kubicek of Osage; brother-in-law, Alan (Phyllis) Rowe of Port Orchard, Washington; and numerous nephews and nieces.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband in 1984; and a brother, Keith Bower.
© 2007 Mitchell County Press

Vida "Vi" Hovelson

September 11, 2007

Vida "Vi" Hovelson, 94, of Clear Lake, died on Friday, September 7, 2007, at the I.O.O.F. Home, Mason City, Iowa.

Funeral services were held at 11:00 a.m., on Tuesday, September 11, at the Zion Lutheran Church, Clear Lake, with Rev. Dean Hess officiating. Graveside services were held in the Osage Cemetery. Family suggests memorials to the Zion Lutheran Church or I.O.O.F. Home in Mason City.

Vida was born on July 2, 1913 in Dickey, North Dakota, the daughter of Henry and Clara (Bagstad) Larson. She graduated from the Osage High School in 1931. Vida married Millard John Hovelson on August 8, 1932 at Galena, Illinois. They lived in Osage, and later moved to Clear Lake. In 1947 they moved to Decorah and lived there until 1952 when they moved back to Clear Lake.

She worked at Gildners in Mason City and then went to work for Community State Bank in Clear Lake until she retired in 1989.

Vi enjoyed playing scrabble, canasta, fishing, canning and baking. She taught piano lessons for many years. She was a member of the Zion Lutheran Church, women's circle and WaTanYe.

She is survived by her three children, Janet Williams and her husband, Richard of Port Richey, Florida, Jule McCullough and her husband, Richard of Pine Island, Minnesota and Eric Hovelson and his wife, Mary of Clive, Iowa; daughter-in-law, Val Hovelson of Clear Lake; eight grandchildren; one step-grandchild; twelve great-grandchildren; two step-great-grandchildren; one brother, Lynn "Bud" Larson of Osage; and one sister, Helen Potter of Phoenix, Arizona.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; brother, Truman Larson; a son, Jim Hovelson; and step-grandson, Randy Coyier.

Funeral arrangements were made by the Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake.
© 2007 Mitchell County Press

Gertrude Hartwig

September 11, 2007

Gertrude J. Hartwig, age 95, of St. Ansgar, and formerly of Osage, died on Friday, September 7, 2007, at the Mitchell County Regional Health Center in Osage.

Funeral services were held at 2:00 p.m., on Tuesday, September 11, at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Ansgar, with Pastor Byron Northwick officiating. Burial was in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery.

Gertrude was born on July 10, 1912, on the family farm in Newburg Township, Mitchell County, the daughter of Ludwig and Amelia (Groth) Hartwig. She was educated in rural schools and graduated from the Carpenter High School in 1932. Gertrude was baptized and confirmed at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Ansgar. She lived on the family farm until 1966 when she moved to Osage.

Gertrude moved to the Worth Living Center in St. Ansgar in 1999 and later to the Good Samaritan Center in St. Ansgar. She enjoyed quilting, crocheting and crafts. Gertrude shared what she made. While living in Osage she was a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church. Gertrude was currently a member of the Immanuel Lutheran Church.

She was preceded in death by her parents; two sisters, Elfrieda Hartwig and Doris Hartwig.

Gertrude is survived by cousins and numerous friends.

Funeral arrangements were made by the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage.
© 2007 Mitchell County Press

Wilfred "Fritz" Meyerhofer

September 11, 2007

Wilfred Lawrence "Fritz" Meyerhofer, age 89, of Osage, died on Friday, September 7, 2007, at the Osage Rehabilitation and Health Care Center. He was surrounded by his wife, Anna, and many of his children.

A Memorial Mass was held at 11:00 a.m., on Monday, September 10, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Osage, with Msgr. John Hemann officiating. Cremation has taken place. Inurnment will be held at a later date in the Visitation Cemetery in Stacyville.

Fritz was born on August 24, 1918 at Stacyville, Iowa, the son of John and Ida (Kramer) Meyerhofer. He was the third of 13 children, two of whom died at birth. Wilfred attended the Visitation School at Stacyville up to 8th grade. After that, he took a correspondence course in refrigeration and heating. On August 12, 1942, Fritz married Anna Marie Bassler at the St. Columbkille's Church in Dubuque, Iowa.

In 1942, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, serving as a refrigeration mechanic, until his honorable discharge as a sergeant in December 1945. Following his military discharge, he was employed at Iowa Engineering Co. in Dubuque, until 1954. At this time, he and his family moved to Stacyville to operate the family farm, where he and Anna raised their 13 children. In 1980, they retired and moved with their youngest daughters, Judy and Elayne, to Osage.

For the past 25 years, he and Anna wintered in Apache Junction, Arizona. Fritz was a long-time member of the Visitation Church in Stacyville. In Osage, he was a member of the Sacred Heart Church, a talented builder and craftsman, who loved grafting trees and fishing. Wilfred was known for his good humor, quick wit and graciousness. He will be greatly missed.

He was preceded in death by two of his sons, Wilfred Jr. and Philip; his parents; his sister, Genevieve; and his brothers, Ambrose, Clem and Marcellus.

Wilfred is survived by his wife, Anna of Osage; his sons, Thomas (Ali) of Farmington, Minnesota, Russell (Yvonne) of Pueblo, Colorado, Anthony (Jane) of Leesburg, Virginia, David (Brenda) of Riceville, Allen of Austin, Minnesota, Don (Bernie) of Osage and Kevin (Cyndy) of Stacyville; his daughters, Sandra (John) Almgren of Kremmling, Colorado, Sheila (Monte) North of Osage, Judy (Bob) Picknell of Rio Rancho, New Mexico and Elayne (Kevin) Eckel of Huxley; 29 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; sisters, Martha Beland of Stacyville, Dolores Von Feldt of Austin, Minnesota, Sr. Virginia of Dubuque, Sr. Nila of Melrose Park, Illinois and Sr. Nona of Morton, Mississippi; and a brother, Vern (Mary) Meyerhofer of Racine, Minnesota.

Funeral arrangements were made by the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home.
© 2007 Mitchell County Press

Grace Kleckner

September 11, 2007

Grace Kleckner, age 98, of Osage, died on Tuesday, September 11, 2007, at the Osage Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Osage, of natural causes.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., on Friday, September 14, at the First United Methodist Church in Osage, with Rev. Dr. J. Samuel Subramanian officiating. Burial will be in the Riverside Cemetery in Riceville. Visitation will be from 4-7:00 p.m., on Thursday, at the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage and also will continue one hour before the services at the church.

Grace was born on February 26, 1909, on the family farm near Riceville, Iowa, the daughter of Henry and Mary (Blaha) Lenth. She attended a rural one room school and graduated from the Riceville High School in 1927. She then taught in a rural school for two years.

Grace was united in marriage to Ralph Kleckner on December 3, 1930 in Estherville, Iowa. They made their home near Riceville for some years. They then started farming in the area, living most of their married life on a farm near Rudd.

In 1956, Grace started working as an aide at the Mitchell County Memorial Hospital in Osage. She started nurses' training at Allen Hospital in Waterloo in 1959, after which she worked as an L.P.N. at the hospital in Osage for many years. Grace was very active in various activities at the First United Methodist Church and was a member of the Wa Tan Ye Club. She enjoyed gardening and her family. Grace especially enjoyed the time that her grandchildren spent at her home, as well as the annual reunion get-together held for 40 years from Ohio to California.

Grace is survived by two sons, Dean Kleckner and his wife, Natalie of Urbandale, and their children, Mark, Scott, Kirk, Rhonda and Lisa; Rex Kleckner and his wife, Irene of Riceville, and their children, Julie, Curt and Kent; and 17 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Ralph in 1951; and two brothers, Carl and Lee Lenth.

Funeral arrangements were made by the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, Osage.
© 2007 Mitchell County Press

Bernard Francis Spitz

September 18, 2007

Bernard Francis Spitz, age 74, of Osage, died on Friday, September 14, 2007, at his home in Osage.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held at 10:30 a.m., on Monday, September 17, 2007, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Osage, with Msgr. Stanley Hayek officiating. Burial was in the Sacred Heart Cemetery in Osage, with military rites by the Osage V.F.W. Post 7920.

Bernard was born on July 17, 1933 near Orchard, the son of Frank and Bertha (Roth) Spitz. He attended rural school near Orchard and entered the Air Force in 1953. He served in the Korean Conflict and was honorably discharged in 1957.

Bernard married Isabelle Hemann at the Sacred Heart Church in Meyer, Iowa on May 28, 1960. He worked for White Farm in Charles City for 35 years and was then employed by Tops Business Forms before retiring in 2000.

He was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Osage, The Knights of Columbus and VFW Post 7920. Bernard enjoyed hunting, fishing, playing cards, attending polka fests as well as watching his grandchildren's sporting events.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his older brother, Don; brothers-in-law, Ray Juenger, Jerry Michels and Eugene Hemann; sisters-in-law, Anne Spitz, Bernice Hemann and Patricia Hemann; nephew, David Spitz; and mother and father-in-law, Alban and Kathren Hemann.

Bernard is survived by his wife, Belle of Osage; five sons, Mike (Kim) and their daughter, Autumn of Osage, Bill (Lori) and their daughters, Melissa, Sarah, Alyson and Rebecca of Osage, Bob (Janet) and their children, Nathen and Taylor of Osage, Jim (Mary) and their sons, Garret and Wyatt of Osage, Joe (Janice) and their children, Jakob and Victoria of Streamwood, Illinois; daughter, Deb and sons, Derek and Jerad of Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

He is also survived by sisters, Geraldine Juenger of Austin, Minnesota and Sister Theresa Ann Spitz of DeWitt, Iowa; brother, Clarence of Norfolk, Virginia; and sister-in-law, Eliz Spitz of Osage.

Funeral arrangements were made by the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, Osage.
© 2007 Mitchell County Press

Gene Clark

September 18, 2007

Gene Clark, age 84, of Orchard, died on Sunday, September 16, 2007, at his home.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held at 10:30 a.m., on Wednesday, September 19, 2007, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Osage, with Msgr. Stanley Hayek officiating. Inurnment will be at a later date in the Sacred Heart Cemetery in Osage. Visitation is from 4-7:30 p.m., on Tuesday, at the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage, with a scripture wake service at 7:30 p.m. and immediately followed by a Knights of Columbus Rosary.

Gene was born on March 2, 1923, to Leon and Anna (Weber) Clark, on the Clark farm 4 miles northeast of Orchard, where he resided all his life except six years in the town of Orchard, while being employed at Oliver Corporation in Charles City. He graduated from eighth grade at the West Lincoln country school. Gene operated the farm after the death of his father in September 1937.

Gene was united in marriage to Betty Sonberg on February 28, 1946, at the Sacred Heart Rectory in Osage. He retired from farming in 1987, but continued to reside there. In 2006, Gene received the Century Farm Award at the Iowa State Fair. He enjoyed helping out his son, Tom with the spring planting and the fall harvesting.

Gene very much enjoyed his family, being a PATIENT and loving husband, Dad, Grandpa and Great-Grandpa. Fishing, bird-watching, and woodworking in his shop and cracking pails of black walnuts were a few of his favorite hobbies.

Gene was a life member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, former member of the Holy Name Society and a Knights of Columbus member. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the American Heart Association or the American Cancer Society.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Dean; a grandson, Matt Milbrandt; five sisters, Wilda Bonner, Mildred Black, Doris Borchardt, Dorothy Black and Ruth Meyer; and two brothers, Robert and Donald Clark.

Survivors include his wife, Betty of Orchard; four daughters, Bonnie (Roger) Huber of Charles City, Sherri (Joe) Stoltz of Elk River, Minnesota, Diane (Ken) Emerson of Osage and Linda (Al) Winters of Mason City; five sons, Bill (Cindee) of Osage, Tom (Deb) of Osage, Michael (Kathy) of Osage, Larry (Lori) of Osage and Jeff (Liz) of Rudd; 26 grandchildren, Dan, Sue, Heather, Melissa, Jason, Derik, Matt, Katie, Joshua, Angela, Tami, Tina, Amy, Adam, Dustin, Nick, Jessica, Paige, Shana, C.J., Caleb, John, Catherine, Joseph, Grace and Anna; 12 great-grandchildren; many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews and dear friends and loved ones.

Funeral arrangements were made by the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, Osage.
© 2007 Mitchell County Press

Ardella Olson

September 18, 2007

Ardella Olson, age 92, of Osage, died on Sunday, September 16, 2007, at the Manly Nursing and Rehab Center in Manly.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m., on Friday, September 21, 2007, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Osage, with Msgr. Stanley Hayek officiating. Burial will be in the Osage Cemetery.

Ardella was born on February 6, 1915 at New Haven, Iowa, the daughter of John and Susan (Kasel) Weinschenk. She graduated from the Osage High School with a teaching certificate, after which she taught for many years in rural schools in the area.

Ardella married Clayton Olson on October 11, 1940 at New Haven. They lived in Osage for their entire married life. Ardella enjoyed going to the Osage Senior Citizens Center and for many years enjoyed having Friday coffee get-togethers with her sister, nieces, and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Clayton Olson; three sisters; and two brothers.

Ardella is survived by her children, Laurie Olson of Howard Lake, Minnesota, LaJean Olson of Carroll, Eric Olson of Osage and Eve Kenny of Osage; five grandchildren, Zach Akers, Claire Akers, McCabe Kenny, Connell Kenny and Kirsten Olson.

Funeral arrangements were made by the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, Osage.
© 2007 Mitchell County Press

E. Wayne Estell

September 27, 2007

E. Wayne Estell, 86, of Winterset, died on Saturday, September 22, 2007, from complications of cancer.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 3:00 p.m., on Friday, September 28, at the First United Methodist Church in Winterset. A visitation with family will be held from 5-7:00 p.m., on Thursday, at the Ochiltree Funeral Service in Winterset. Burial will be prior to the services at 1:00 p.m., in the Winterset Cemetery with military honors by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8142 and the American Legion Post 184, both of Winterset.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to be directed to the First United Methodist Church in Winterset and/or the Winterset Lions International Club.

Mr. Estell was born on July 21, 1921 to Golda and Ellis Estell. After serving in WW II in the United States Army, Mr. Estell continued working for M. Young and Company, a farm grain, seed, and feed retail establishment for fifty-one years, retiring at age 67.

Mr. Estell remained active in the Lions International Club serving as District Governor, Trustee and President of Iowa Lions Sight and Hearing Foundation. He also chaired the Iowa Lions Constitution and By-Laws Committee, initiated seven new Lions Clubs in Iowa, facilitated officer training, as well as serving as the President of the Winterset International Lions Club. Mr. Estell has received the Klise Leadership Award, the Warren Coleman Honorary Award, and the prestigious Melvin Jones Fellowship Award. In Winterset, Mr. Estell served as the original commissioner of the Low-Rent Housing Project, was elected to the Winterset City Council for two terms, and was honored as Madison County's Citizen of the year in 1999.

A lifetime member of the First United Methodist Church of Winterset, Mr. Estell has served on numerous boards and as lay minister for the home bound, as well as volunteering for the Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. Mr. Estell loved his family and cherished the time spent with them. He also enjoyed playing rounds of golf. Being a life-long resident of Winterset, Mr. Estell grew to love the community. He was a silent humanitarian who was always willing to help those in need.

Mr. Estell is survived by his wife of 63 years, Lois of Winterset; two daughters, Kaye Estell of Texas and Peggy (Kelly) Green of Urbandale; four grandchildren, Sean (Sonja) Estell, Heather (Mark) Taylor all of Texas, Allison (James) Waite of California and Courtney (Keith) Kimsey of Des Moines; six great grandchildren, Bryn Taylor, Summer Estell, Rylie Taylor, Avery Estell, Reid Waite and Levi Kimsey; a sister, Verna Turnmire of Osage; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and four sisters, Helen Alexander, Bonnelle Heubrock, Thelma Klingman and Doris Goode.
© 2007 Mitchell County Press

Sharon Bottolfson

September 27, 2007

Sharon A. Bottolfson, age 63, of Riceville, passed away on Monday, September 24, 2007, at the Mitchell County Regional Health Center in Osage, after a hard courageous battle with cancer.

Funeral services will be held at the Riceville United Methodist Church, on Thursday, September 27, at 11:00 a.m., with the Reverend James Sheldon officiating. Burial will be in the Riverside Cemetery in Riceville.

Sharon Ann, was born on May 11, 1944 in Red Wing, Minnesota, to Bernard and Wanda ( Osterland ) Meacham.

Survivors include her parents; two daughters; seven grandchildren; a brother; and two sisters.
© 2007 Mitchell County Press

Ada (Colby) Youngerman

September 27, 2007

Ada Youngerman, age 95, of Osage, died on Tuesday, September 25, 2007, at the Faith Lutheran Home in Osage.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., on Monday, October 1, at the United Church of Christ in Osage, with Rev. Robert Melhorn officiating. Burial will be in the Osage Cemetery. Visitation is from 3-6:00 p.m., on Sunday, at the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage and will continue one hour before the services at the church.

Ada was born on April 1, 1912 at Lake Mills, the daughter of George and Nettie (Ingebretson) Colby. Ada graduated as valedictorian from the Leland High School in 1930, and then with a degree from Waldorf College in 1932. She worked for Standard Oil in Mason City where she met her husband, Bernard. They were married on May 14, 1939 in Leland.

They then moved to Eldora and helped run the Youngerman Hardware Store for two years. They then lived in Hammond, Indiana, and Kenosha, Wisconsin, with Bernard working for Standard Oil in both of these locations. While in Kenosha, Ada worked for the Jockey Corporation, the Kenosha National Bank and the Brown National Bank. Upon Bernard's retirement in 1972, they moved to Osage. Ada enjoyed gardening. She was a member of the Sweet Adelines and the Sons of Norway.

Ada is survived by two daughters, Phyllis Youngerman of Lexington, Kentucky and Suzanne (Michael) Loberger of Blaine, Minnesota; one granddaughter, Barbara (David) Hathaway of Kenosha, Wisconsin; two great-granddaughters, Valerie and Jorie.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Bernard Youngerman; four sisters; and two brothers.

Funeral arrangements were made by the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, Osage.
© 2007 Mitchell County Press

Velda M. Apel

October 2, 2007

Velda M. Apel, 92, of Charles City, died on Sunday evening, September 30, 2007, at the Eleventh Street Chautauqua Guest Home in Charles City.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., on Wednesday, October 3, at the Trinity United Methodist Church, Charles City, with the Rev. Gary Van Wert officiating. Interment will be in the Riverside Cemetery in Charles City.

The family will greet relatives from 6-8:00 p.m., on Tuesday, at Fullerton-Hage Funeral Home, Charles City. The visitation will continue on Wednesday at the church, one hour prior to the service.
© 2007 Mitchell County Press

Mike Alan Tolsdorf

October 29, 2007

Mike Alan Tolsdorf, age 48, of Gainesville, Georgia, and formerly of Mason City, Mike died on Sunday, September 30, 2007.

Memorial services will be held at 11:00 a.m., on Saturday, November 3, 2007, at the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage, with Pastor Gary Gilbert officiating. Inurnment will be at 10:00 a.m., on Saturday, at the Osage Cemetery. There will be a time for lunch and fellowship following the memorial service at the Osage Senior Citizens Center. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to hospice or cancer research in memory of Mike.

Mike was a loyal employee of ZF Industries and a faithful servant at Chicopee United Methodist Church in Gainesville. He was a passionate racing fan and enjoyed piloting small aircraft. Mike was a true example of grace and love to all those who had the honor of knowing him.

He was preceded in death by his younger sister, Mary Tolsdorf.

Mike is survived by his parents, Robert and Dorothy Tolsdorf of Osage; his brother, Tony Tolsdorf of Portland, Oregon; and many other family and friends.

Funeral arrangements were made by the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, Osage.
© 2007 Mitchell County Press