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Naomi R. Swyter, 85
June 4, 2009
Naomi R. Swyter, 85, long time resident of Mason City, Iowa
and recently of Faribault, Minnesota, died on Monday, March
23, 2009, at the Homestead Hospice in Owatonna, Minnesota.
Memorial services will be
held at 10:30 a.m., on Monday, June 8, 2009, at the First
United Methodist Church, Wayside Chapel in Mason City, with
Reverend Jo Frahm Watkins officiating. Inurnment will be in
the Elmwood-St. Joseph Cemetery, Mason City.
Naomi (Ludeman) Swyter,
was born on November 14, 1923 in Mason City, Iowa, daughter
of Richard and Lela (Yost) Ludeman. She graduated from the
Mason City High School in 1941 and attended Mason City Jr.
College before moving to Chicago to work during the war
years. Naomi was undoubtedly an exemplary member of “The
Greatest Generation”, enduring the Great Depression during
her youth and the war years as a young adult. She led her
entire life guided by the principles of honesty, loyalty,
faith, patriotism, thrift, hard work and prudence.
Naomi Ludeman married
Maynard H. Swyter on June 3, 1950 in Mason City. She helped
support her family by working for various companies in Mason
City, Sioux Falls and Minneapolis. She was an active and
faithful member of the First United Methodist Church
congregation and church circle. Naomi enjoyed her family and
friends with all her heart. Her passions included cooking,
sewing, music, and dancing with her husband. She was there
when needed, always with a smile and kind words of
encouragement.
Naomi is survived by her
children, David Swyter and wife, Suzanne of Reading,
Massachusetts, James Swyter and wife, Rita residing in
Jakarta, Indonesia and Lisa Wagner and husband, Joel Carlson
of Faribault, Minnesota; six grandchildren, Tom, Hailey,
Harrison, Taylor, Kelsey and Nicholas; and one sister,
Maxine Cearley of Claremont, California.
Naomi was preceded in
death by her loving husband, Maynard in 2000; her parents;
and her siblings, Paul Ludeman, Carol Basgall and Lois Dyke.
The Major Erickson Funeral
Home was in charge of the arrangements.
© 2009 Forest City Summit |
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Julia G. Burnham,
86
June 9, 2009
Julia G. Burnham, age 86, of Forest City, died on Monday,
June 1, 2009, at the Good Samaritan Care Center in Forest
City.
Funeral services were held
on Friday, June 5, at the Bethany Lutheran Church in
Thompson, with Pastor Mark Decker officiating. Burial took
place in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Thompson. Visitation was
held on Thursday, June 4, at the Petersen Lund Funeral Home
and continued an hour prior to the services at the church.
Julia was born in rural
Leland, Iowa, on October 11, 1922, the daughter of Philip
and Lydia (Siekmeier) Branstad. She graduated from the
Thompson High School and then attended Waldorf College for
one year, followed by teaching country school. After
marrying Francis Burnham on November 27, 1943, she worked at
the Lost Angeles Port of Embarkation for over a year until
WW II was over and her husband was discharged from the U.S.
Navy in 1945. Julia was a working mother. She worked at J.C.
Penney's and the Marshalltown Community School District for
many years. She also was a Girl Scout Leader for a troop
from 3rd grade through high school.
Julia was an outgoing
person with respect and concern for others. She was active
in many organizations such as Sons of Norway, Republican
Women, Church, Winnebago Historical Society, Retired School
Personnel, Genealogy Society, American Legion Auxiliary and
Evening Lions Club. Among her many interests was a passion
for outdoor gardening including pulling weeds and attending
flowers all over town. She liked horses.
Julia is survived by her
husband of over 65 years, Francis of Forest City; daughter,
Kitra Burnham of Richwood, West Virginia; son, Alan Burnham
and wife, Mary of Livermore, California; brothers, Paul
Branstad of Buffalo Center, Clifford (Grace) Branstad of
Thompson, Donald (Verneil) Branstad of Minneapolis,
Minnesota and Glenn Branstad of Bensonville, Illinois; three
grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and many nieces,
nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
Julia was preceded in
death by her parents; and sisters, Doris Lehman and Lorraine
Branstad.
The family requests
memorials be directed to the Good Samaritan Care Center,
Forest City, Iowa.
© 2009 Forest City Summit |
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Michelle Denise (ConLee)
McKibban, 35
June 18, 2009
Michelle Denise (ConLee) McKibban, 35, of Fort Dodge, passed
away on Wednesday, June 3, 2009.
A memorial service was
held at 2:00 p.m., on Monday, June 8, at the Gunderson
Funeral Chapel.
Michelle was born in New
Jersey on April 17, 1974, to Robert and Doreen (Gorman)
Conlee. She was a Physical Therapy Assistant and enjoyed her
job along with getting to know her patients and helping them
feel better. She loved spending time with her children,
family and friends. She also enjoyed horse back riding and
snow skiing.
Michelle is survived by
her husband, Will; step-son, Jacob and daughters, Sydney and
Emma; her parents, Robert and Doreen Conlee of Mountain
Home, ID; brother, Douglas Conlee of Fort Dodge; nephew,
Ethan Conlee; and uncle, Louis Tegtmeyer of Woden, Iowa.
© 2009 Forest City Summit |
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William L. Potter,
82
June 16, 2009
 William
L. Potter, 82, died on Tuesday, June 9, 2009, at his son's
home in Frisco, Texas, after losing his battle against
cancer.
Graveside services will be
held on Saturday, June 20, at 10:00 a.m., in the Oak Hill
Cemetery in Coralville. Following the service a reception to
celebrate his life will be held at the American Legion Post
721, Coralville. A gathering for family and friends will be
held from 4-8:00 p.m., on Friday, June 19, at Lensing's Oak
Hill in Coralville. In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been
established at Hill's Bank and Trust Company, which will be
donated to charity.
Bill was born on April 14,
1927 in Des Moines, the son of Dr. Charles H. Potter and
Marian Trimble. He was united in marriage to Velva L. Potter
on March 11, 1956 in Adair, Iowa and widowed on November 23,
2003. Bill was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great
grandfather, and was a friend to all, he will be greatly
missed.
Bill was raised in Forest
City where he attended high school and later Waldorf
College. He worked for the Des Moines Register from 1939 to
1944, until he joined the United States Marine Corps from
1945 to 1949. He would later join the United States Army in
1961 as part of the 301st Army Field Hospital and served
until his honorable discharge in 1964.
Bill worked for Brown Camp
Hardware Wholesale from 1951 to 1955 in Des Moines and later
Hansen Hardware until 1960 during which time he met his
wife. Bill and his family moved to Coralville in 1960 when
he started working as an American Legion Representative at
the Veterans Affairs Medical Center until he retired in 1984
to open Kites-N-Stuff in both Coralville and South Amana. He
would return to the hardware business from 1986 to 1996 when
he joined Lenoch & Cilek and again from 1999 to 2006. During
Bill's break from hardware he worked at the Coral Ridge Mall
as the Carousel Operator from 1996 to 1999.
Bill served on the
Coralville City Council from 1989 to 1995. He was a lifetime
member of the American Legion, Forest City Post 121 and
Coralville Post 721. Bill was also a 50 year member of the
Mason's, Forest City Truth Lodge 213 and later Clarksville
Lodge 668 of Coralville and a member of the St. Marks United
Methodist Church.
Bill is survived by three
sons, Robert of Henderson, Nevada, Thomas of Parnell, Iowa
and Toby of Frisco, Texas; three grandchildren, Travis,
Rachel and Abigail; and one great-grandchild, Mya; and one
sister, Beverly Larson of Forest City.
He was preceded in death
by his parents; wife, Velva; and two siblings, Betty and
Robert.
© 2009 Forest City Summit |
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Janet E. Schroeder,
76
June 18, 2009
Janet E. Schroeder, 76, of Britt, passed away on Wednesday,
June 10, 2009, at her home.
Funeral services were held
at 1:30 p.m., on Saturday, June 13, at the Britt Evangelical
Free Church, with Pastor Stan Johnson officiating. Burial
was in the Evergreen Cemetery in Britt. Visitation was held
on Friday, June 12, from 5-7:00 p.m., at the Ewing Funeral
Chapel in Britt and continued one hour prior to the services
at the church.
Janet Elaine Schroeder,
the daughter of Charles and Lovella (Bolsinger) Hanson, was
born on June 1, 1933 north of Forest City. She grew up on a
farm near Carpenter, Iowa, graduating from both the
Carpenter High School and Waldorf College. On August 23,
1954, Janet was united in marriage to Harlan Schroeder at
the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Forest City, Iowa. From
this union three children were born, Karen Elaine, Julie
Marie and Linda Kay.
Janet loved to crochet,
quilt and do embroidery, which she gave to her family and
others. She loved to spend time with her family and
grandchildren. Janet worked at the Ben Franklin, later
Sweers Emporium, in Britt for 25 years until it closed. She
really enjoyed interacting with people from the community.
Janet was a member of the
Britt Evangelical Free Church. She was active in the
Women's Missionary Society (WMS) and Bible study group.
Janet is survived by her
husband, Harlan; children, Karen (Glen) Arkema of Britt,
Julie (Dave) Eden of Wesley and Linda (Mark) Gudmonson of
Savage, Minnesota; five grandchildren, Megan and Jenna
Arkema, Brett Eden, Callie and Troy Gudmonson; brothers and
sisters, Marvin (Sharon) Hanson, Roger (Shirley) Hanson,
Marilyn (the late Doyle) Wilder all of St. Ansgar, Ellen
(Charles) Krueger of Mesa, Arizona and Sharon (Hillis) Rupe
of Des Moines.
She was preceded in death
by her parents.
© 2009 Forest City Summit |
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Luther Alm, 75
June 16, 2009
Luther Alm, age 75, of Forest City, died on Saturday, June
13, 2009, at his home in rural Forest City.
Funeral services will be
held at 2:00 p.m., on Wednesday, June 17, at the Immanuel
Lutheran Church in Forest City, with Pastor Barb Spaulding
officiating. Visitation was held from 4-7:00 p.m., on
Tuesday, June 16, at the Petersen Lund Funeral Home in
Forest City. Burial will be a private family service held
prior to the funeral in the Madison Township Cemetery in
Forest City.
Luther was born on April
12, 1934 in Forest City, the son of Carl and Mae (Evenson)
Alm. He spent through 8th grade in the Landru County School
and graduated from the Forest City High School in 1951. He
married Avis Olson on June 3, 1953 at the Little Brown
Church in Nashua, Iowa. To this union 3 children were born,
Linda, Cindy and Mark. The kids were great but the
grandchildren were the icing on the cake, Jacob, Samantha
and Hunter. Luther and Avis made their home on a farm
northwest of Forest City their entire married lives. Luther
loved farming.
He served on various
boards over the years and was a member of the Immanuel
Lutheran Church. He liked to go fishing and play some golf.
Luther loved to talk and spun some tall tales to his
friends. He prided himself on being tight but he never told
of the generous things he did.
He is survived by his
wife, Avis; children, Linda (Bob) Hoveland of Miller, Mark
Alm of Forest City and Cindy (Dale) Lipp of Nora Springs; 3
grandchildren, Jake, Sam and Hunter; and other relatives.
© 2009 Forest City Summit |
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Laura Brockman, 93
June 23, 2009
Laura Brockman, 93, of
Madrid and formerly of Slater, passed away on Monday, June
15, 2009, at the Madrid Home.
Memorial services will be
held at a later date.
Laura Viola Nelson
Brockman, was born in Wesley, Iowa on June 12, 1916, to Nels
Cornelius Nelson and Amanda Louise Hauptley Nelson. Seven
years later on Easter, her dearest wish was fulfilled when
baby sister, Amy was born. Laura skipped two grades and
graduated when she was 16, the first in her family to earn a
high school diploma. She worked after school for the Wesley
News World as a typesetter and a reporter. On November 24,
1937, she married Lloyd Brockman, moved to Britt and worked
at the Krispy Shop as waitress and cook. During World War
II, Laura worked for Bell Telephone as an operator. Due to
the German POW camp near Algona, there were many
international calls.
In 1958, Laura was widowed
with four children from 2-11 years of age. She remained in
Corwith with her main focus on her children until all four
children completed high school. She was the area's Rawleigh
and then Watkins dealer. She moved to Britt and then to
Slater to be near her children when grandchildren were born.
Laura taught Sunday School
and was active in UMW all of her adult life. In 1996, she
was the nominee for Woman of the Year from the Slater Unit
of the American Legion Auxiliary. For over 20 years, she was
an RSVP volunteer. Until a broken ankle slowed her down in
2003, she raised a garden every year.
She enjoyed crossword
puzzles, keeping up with local and national news, tatting,
crocheting, quilting and conversing with her family and
friends through letters, phone calls and personal visits.
Laura is survived by her
children, Jerry (Debi) Brockman of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma,
Jan (David) Mitchell of Boone, Jeff (Tracy) Brockman of
Ruston, Louisiana and Jo (Dennis Fisher) of Dallas Center;
grandchildren, Kelli (Parrish) Wessels, Kristin Brockman,
Andrew Mitchell and Emily and Zoe Brockman; two
great-grandchildren, Nash and Nora Wessels; sister, Amy
Webner; and numerous nieces and nephews will also mourn her
death but celebrate her life.
© 2009 Forest City Summit |
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Becky L. Jensen, 54
June 23, 2009
Becky L. Jensen, 54, of
Britt, died on Thursday, June 18, 2009, at the Mercy Medical
Center-North Iowa in Mason City.
Memorial services were
held at 11:00 a.m., on Tuesday, at the West Hancock
Elementary School Gym in Britt, with Rev. Joel DeBoer
officiating. Visitation was from 4-7:00 p.m., on Monday, at
the Cataldo Funeral Home in Britt and continued one hour
prior to the services on Tuesday. Memorials may be directed
to the Westview Care Center or the Humane Society of North
Iowa.
Becky Lee Jensen, the
daughter of Dr. Donald and Dorothy (Dare) Benge, was born on
December 2, 1954 at Clinton, Iowa. She graduated from the
Hampton High School in 1973 and continued her education in
nursing home administration at DMACC in Ankeny. Becky began
working for the ABCM Corporation in Hampton in 1972. The
past thirty years she had served as Administrator of the
Westview Care Center in Britt. She also owned and operated
an antique shop in Clear Lake for several years. During her
time with ABCM, she was named "Administrator of the Year"
three times. She was especially proud to have Westview Care
Center recognized as one of the top facilities in Iowa
achieving a record fifteen deficiency free surveys along
with being one of three facilities to receive the Governor's
Quality of Care twice. Recently, she had received the
Governor's Outstanding Iowan Award.
Becky enjoyed her acreage
south of Britt, flower gardening, camping with Doug in their
RV and collecting antiques, especially Coca Cola
memorabilia. She was active in the Iowa State Nursing Home
Quality Assurance Group since 1995 and had been a past
president of the Coca Cola Collectors Club.
She is survived by her
husband and soul mate of 28 years, Doug Jensen of Britt;
son, Peter Jensen of Boone; mother, Dorothy Benge of
Hampton; sister, Barb Benge of Hampton; brother-in-law,
Steve Jensen and wife, Gay of Mason City; niece, Kellie
Jensen of Mason City; nephew, David Jensen of Mason City;
great-niece, Olivia Bull of Mason City; best friend, Paula
Tyler of Lewisville, Texas; her Westview and ABCM family;
and cherished terriers, Maizey and Tucker and poodle, Regis.
Becky was preceded in
death by her father, Dr. Donald Benge; and friends, Murphy
and Mackenzie.
© 2009 Forest City Summit |
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Nancy A. Decklever,
69
June 23, 2009
 Nancy
A. Decklever, 69, of Forest City, died on Thursday, June 18,
2009, at the Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa in Mason City.
Funeral services were held
on Monday, at the Petersen Lund Funeral Home in Forest City,
with Rev. Jon Rollefson officiating. Inurnment will be at a
later date. Visitation was held on Sunday, at the Petersen
Lund Funeral Home and continued one hour prior to the
services on Monday.
Nancy Aline Decklever, the
daughter of Harold and Catherine McKee, was born on March
29, 1940 at Tujunga, California. She grew up in California
and graduated from the Tujunga High School. She moved to
Iowa and made her home in Osage before moving to Forest City
in 1987. Nancy had worked at North Central Human Services in
Forest City and Fleetguard in Lake Mills. She also sold Avon
products for many years. In December of 2008, she became a
resident of the Good Samaritan Society in Forest City.
She enjoyed reading her
Bible and playing cards with her friends at the Town Square
Apartments. Her greatest joy was spending time with her
grandchildren. She was a member of the First Congregational
Church in Forest City and was active as a Girl Scout Leader
for over 35 years.
Nancy is survived by her
three children, Denny Decklever of Perryville, Missouri,
Debrah Coury of Panama City, Florida and Aleen Pettit and
special friend, Mike Bailey of Scarville; and five
grandchildren, Doug McCoy, Danny Decklever, Alissa Decklever,
Courtney Perry and Christian Perry.
She was preceded in death
by her parents; a brother, Bob; and a sister, Carol.
© 2009 Forest City Summit |
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Pearl D. Hanna, 85
June 23, 2009
 Pearl
D. Hanna, age 85, of Forest City, died on Sunday, June 21,
2009, at the Oakwood Care Center in Clear Lake, Iowa.
Funeral services will be
held at 10:30 a.m., on Thursday, June 25, at the Immanuel
Lutheran Church in Forest City, with Pastor Rod Hopp
officiating. Burial will be in the Oakland Cemetery in
Forest City. Visitation was held from 4-7:00 p.m., on
Wednesday, June 24, at the Petersen Lund Funeral Home,
Forest City and an hour prior to the services at the church.
Pearl was born on a farm
near Forest City, Iowa on April 25, 1924, the daughter of
Henry and Ida (Hanson) Lovick. She received her education at
the Mt. Valley Country School #6. She was united in marriage
to Raymond Hanna in 1940. The couple made their home in
Forest City for much of their married lives. Pearl had an
unmatched zest for life. She spent many years at Winnebago
Customer Service where she met many of her life-long friends
~ both employees and customers. She retired from Winnebago
and spent many winters in South Texas at W&I Park, again
making many precious friends.
Pearl was the "Life of the
Party" whether it was camping, fishing or a game of 500. All
of us were blessed and enriched by having her in our lives.
She is survived by her
son, Lyle (Mary Kay) Hanna; her daughter, LaRae (Wayne)
Ybarra; daughter-in-law, Peggy Hanna; 9 grandchildren; 11
great-grandchildren; 1 great-great-granddaughter; brothers,
James and Leo; sisters, Merlet, Elaine, Alice and Doris; and
numerous nieces, nephews and countless friends.
She was preceded in death
by her husband, Raymond; son, Lynn; brothers, Paul, Arty and
Larry; and sisters, Amy and Irene.
© 2009 Forest City Summit |
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Marna Lorraine
(Sheller) Erdahl, 74
July 14, 2009
 Marna
Lorraine (Sheller) Erdahl, age 74, of Edina, Minnesota,
formerly of Forest City, passed away on Tuesday, June 23,
2009, at the Wellstead of Rogers, Rogers, Minnesota.
Marna was the daughter of
Lyle and Berdella (Nerem) Sheller, born on January 21, 1935
in Rippey, Iowa. Marna's family moved to Forest City when
she was in the 4th grade. After graduation from the Forest
City High School, she attended Gale Institute, a secretarial
school in Minneapolis. After graduation from Gale Institute,
Marna was employed for several years with the Dept. of the
Navy in Washington, D.C. She then moved to Newton, Iowa,
where she was employed in the Headquarters Dept. of the
Maytag Company. In 1964, she moved to Minneapolis where she
was employed as a secretary for Dairy Queen International,
Marquettte Corp. and for over 16 years at Honeywell
Incorporated. On June 5, 1965, Marna married Al Erdahl. They
had been classmates at Forest City through high school.
Marna and Al are the parents of sons, Mark and Dean. Mark's
son, Everett is their only grandchild.
Marna
was active in church activities at the Shepherd of the Hills
Lutheran Church. She enjoyed painting, crafts and growing
flowers. She always enjoyed her friends from church. She
liked to plan the visits to interesting shows, mansions in
St. Paul, Minneapolis Institute of Art and shopping trips.
She loved to travel. Even though it was a long trip, she
loved to spend time at the cabin on Lake of the Woods. When
Mark and Dean were young she would spend weeks at a time
with them at the cabin. Although she suffered from
Alzheimer's for several years, as late as July of 2007 she
loved the cabin and lake.
Marna
is survived by her husband, Al; sons, Mark and Dean; and
grandson, Everett; her mother, Berdella; and brother, Gary
and his wife, Marvel.
She was proceeded in death
by her father, Lyle; and sister, Karen.
© 2009 Forest City Summit |
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