Janet Mae Peterson

April 11, 2012

Janet Mae Peterson, 76, of Joice, died on Tuesday, April 3, 2012, at her home after a courageous battle with cancer and was surrounded by her loving family.

Funeral services were held at 1:00 p.m., on Friday, April 6, at the First United Methodist Church of Plymouth, Plymouth, with Pastor Doug Farrell from the Calvary Baptist Church in Forest City officiating. Burial was held in the Oakwood Cemetery, Plymouth. Visitation was held from 5-7:00 p.m., on Thursday, April 5, at the Hogan Bremer Moore Colonial Chapel, Mason City. Should friends desire, memorial contributions may be made to the Janet Peterson Memorial Fund in care of her family.

Janet, the daughter of Ervin and Alta Sutton of Plymouth, was born on March 2, 1936 in Mason City. She graduated from high school in Plymouth in 1954, before marrying Earl Peterson on July 24, 1954. The couple farmed in the Carpenter area, kept bees, and owned a carpentry shop. Later in her life, she moved to Nora Springs and worked at the Good Samaritan Nursing Home in St. Ansgar as a CNA for more than twenty years before retiring and moving to Joice to be closer to her family.

Janet taught Sunday School for many years and was involved with the Fellowship of Christian Women. She loved music and played the piano and accordion. Family was very important to her and she kept in touch with her loved ones every day.

She is survived by her seven children, Darvin (Veronica) Peterson of Joice, Brian (Noella) Peterson of Lake Mills, Burton (Marcie) Peterson of Lake Mills, Carmen (William) Lange of Joice, Justin Byers of Creston, Robert (Vivian) Carson of Roswell, New Mexico and Heather (Brent) Butler of Kensett; 22 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren; sisters, Lora (Jerald) Tourtellott of Osage and Linda (Mike) Kohler of Mason City; brother, Clinton (Karen) Sutton of Hastings, Minnesota; sister-in-law, Carol Sutton of Rudd; along with many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Earl Peterson; infant son, Gary; son, Mardy; grandson, Jason Peterson; brothers, Earl Sutton and William Clayton Sutton; infant sister, Bonnie Crystal and sister, Carrol Bernice.

God Bless, I Love You!

The Hogan Bremer Moore Colonial Chapel, Mason City, was in charge of the arrangements.

John A. Gambell

April 18, 2012

John Allen Gambell, 67, of McKinney, Texas, formerly of Lakeville, Minnesota, died on Friday, April 6, 2012.

A Celebration of Life service was held at 11:00 a.m., on Tuesday, April 10, at the St. John's Lutheran Church in Lakeville, Minnesota. In lieu of flowers the family requests gifts of remembrance to the Mayo Clinic Cancer Research or the Lodge Hospice Facility.

He was a longtime businessman in Lakeville, the former owner of Imperial Plastics, Inc.

He is survived by his wife, Janet; son, Anthony Gambell; daughter, Susan (Nathan) Frazier; grandsons, Jonathan and Elliott Frazier; sisters, Judith (Wayne) Buckley and Kay (Paul) Sorensen of Forest City; and brother, Charles (Sally) Gambell.

John was preceded in death by his parents, Doland and Berneta Gambell.

www.Washburn-McReavy.com

Vincent R. Finer

April 18, 2012

Vincent R. Finer, 86, of Leland, died on Thursday, April 12, 2012, at the Mercy Medical Center North Iowa in Mason City.

Funeral services were held at 2:00 p.m., on Monday, April 16, at the Winnebago Lutheran Church, rural Lake Mills, with Pastor Bill Peters officiating. Burial took place in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Thompson, with military honors conducted by the Leland VFW Post #6161. Visitation was on Sunday, April 15, from 3-5:00 p.m., at the Winnebago Lutheran Church, rural Lake Mills and continued one hour prior to the services on Monday.

Vincent R. Finer, was born on September 7, 1925, on a farm near Thompson, to parents Rudolph A. and Evelyn (Anderson) Finer. He attended the King No. 8 rural school near Thompson for eight years, and then attended the Thompson High School until he was inducted into the United States Navy. Vincent entered the service on August 21, 1945, in Kansas City, Missouri and served in the Pacific Theater until he was honorably discharged on August 16, 1946.

He was united in marriage with Eunice Christ on June 21, 1950, at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Forest City. They resided on a farm in Mt. Valley Township for 42 years, and later, retired to Leland.

Vincent enjoyed fishing, hunting, camping, working with wood, crafts, tractor rides, driving his Mustang and spending time with his family. He and Eunice wintered at Fiesta Village in Mission, Texas for 32 years. Vincent was a proud member of the Leland VFW Post #6161 and an active member of the Winnebago Lutheran Church, where he served in many capacities.

Survivors include his wife of soon to be 62 years, Eunice of Leland; three children, Carolyn (Mark) Brock of West Branch, Donna (David) Reineke of Forest City and Steven (Becky) Finer of Emmetsburg; eight grandchildren, Marcus Brock, Julie Brock, Adam Brock, Christopher Reineke, Matthew (Beth) Reineke, Angela Finer, Dustin Finer, and Joshua (fiancée, Tarra Gacke) Finer; two great-grandchildren, Isaac and Moriah Reineke; five sisters, Virginia Meineke of Forest City, Ardis Olson of Des Moines, Lois (Ralph) Holst of Leland, Ruby Olson of Richfield, Minnesota and Barbara (Ron) Thompson of Urbandale; two brothers, Keith (Beverly) Finer of Thompson and Kenneth (Sue) Finer of Perry; a sister-in-law, Joann Finer of Thompson; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Vincent was preceded in death by his parents, Rudolph and Evelyn; two sisters, Eileen Strong and Marjorie Senne; and a brother, Junior Finer.

The Mittelstadt Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements.

Marvin Dean Anderson

April 25, 2012

Marvin Dean Anderson, age 84, of Forest City, died on Tuesday, April 17, 2012, at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit in Mason City.

Funeral services were held at 1:00 p.m., on Saturday, April 21, at the Calvary Baptist Church in Forest City, with Pastor Doug Farrell and Pastor Peter Hixson officiating. Burial was in the Oakland Cemetery in Forest City, with graveside military honors. Visitation was on Friday, April 20, from 5-7:00 p.m., at the Petersen Lund Funeral Home, Forest City and continued one hour prior to the services at the church.

Marvin, the son of Albert E. and Mable (Myhre) Anderson, was born on the family farm west of Forest City, on October 18, 1927, where he resided for the majority of his life. He attended the Linden Township Country School and the Forest City High School. He married Dorothy J. Krieger on December 30, 1950. After employment at the Armstrong Tire Company in Des Moines, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served 3 years during World War II. He farmed, for 58 years, the land that has been in the Anderson family for nearly a century.

He served both as a Soil Conservation Commissioner and as Linden Township Clerk for over a decade. Additionally, he was a member of the American Legion and the Forest City Lion's Club. He was privileged to be a part of the Honor Flight to Washington DC in 2009. Marvin accepted the Lord as his personal Savior at a young age and was an active member of the Calvary Baptist Church.

Survivors include his beloved wife Dorothy, wife of 61 years; daughters, Sandi (Larry) Hixson of Des Moines, Mishelle Dalal of Clarksburg, Maryland and Teresa (Brad) Hunemuller of Round Rock, Texas; son, Michael (Sheri) Anderson of Chandler, Arizona; grandchildren, Heidi Zawisza, Peter Hixson, Hannah Bickford, Stephanie Stocker, Chris Anderson, Tom Anderson, Jennifer Anderson, Brittany Hunemuller, Bianca Dalal and Sydney Hunemuller; great-grandchildren, Hope Hixson, Carter Zawisza, Addie Hixson, Ava Zawisza, Isabelle Bickford and Matthew Stocker; two sisters, Marilyn Sogard of Ames and Nancy Johnson of Plymouth, Minnesota; as well as many cousins, nephews and nieces.

He was preceded in death by his parents; seven siblings; and three half siblings.

The Petersen Lund Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements.

Charles L. Graber

April 25, 2012

Charles Lee Graber, 62, of Woden, died suddenly at his home on Wednesday, April 18, 2012.

Memorial services will be held at 2:00 p.m., on Wednesday, April 25, at the Ewing Funeral Chapel in Britt, with Pastor Joel DeBoer officiating. The family will greet friends one hour prior to the service. In accordance with his wishes, he has been cremated. Burial will take place at a later date in the Bingham Township Cemetery.

Charles "Chuck" was born in the home he grew up in located NW of Woden. He graduated in 1970 from the Woden-Crystal Lake Community High School. He was actively involved in farming the family farm and caring for his livestock. His greatest joy was spending time with his sister, brother, nieces and nephews for family time, meals and afternoon cards and board games. He also loved hunting, fishing and attending farm auctions.

Chuck is survived by his sister, Candace "Candy" (Denis) Benjegerdes of Manly; brother, DuWayne (Julie) Graber of Albert Lea, Minnesota; nieces and nephews, Cheri (Lance) Aldrich of Belmond, Dan Benjegerdes (fiancée, Hannah) of Lakeville, Minnesota, Mike Graber (friend, Sarah) of Austin, Minnesota, Laura Graber of Albert Lea, Minnesota, Candice Carlisle of Clarksville, Tennessee and Elizabeth (Mark) Maunz of Columbus, Georgia; and his beloved dog, Buddy.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Ollie Graber; brother, Maynard Riggle; sister, Corrine Melton and brother-in-law, Jimmy Melton.

He will be sadly missed by his family and friends.

The Ewing Funeral Chapel of Britt, was in charge of the arrangements.

Virginia L. Foland

April 25, 2012

Virginia Lucille Foland, 88, of Leland, died on Saturday, April 21, 2012, at the Mercy Medical Center North Iowa in Mason City.

Visitation will be from 5-7:00 p.m., on Wednesday evening, April 25, at the Mittelstadt Funeral Home, Lake Mills. Private family services are scheduled.

The Mittelstadt Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

Mark Bertram

May 9, 2012

Mark Bertram, age 30, of Forest City, died on Saturday, April 21, 2012, at the Mercy Medical Center in Mason City.

Memorial services were held at 4:00 p.m., on Saturday, April 28, at the United Methodist Church in Forest City, with Pastor Jerald Swanberg officiating. Visitation was held one hour prior to the church services at the United Methodist Church. Inurnment will be held at a later date.

Mark was born in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, on June 13, 1981, to Sue (Bertram) Rohlfs and Dennis (Tank) Fenstra. Mark spent his first 10 years in Minnesota. Jerry Rohlfs took over the Dad duties in 1985. Mark and his family migrated down to Iowa in 1992 where they placed roots in rural Forest City. Mark graduated from the Forest City High School in 2000, where he enjoyed being a part of the school's football team. Mark continued to grow in his love of football and he could tell you any statistics that you wanted to know about the sport. His dream team being the Kansas City Chiefs. Mark "Big Daddy" was also an avid "gamer". The World of DC will miss a great hero as will the rest of us.

Mark's biggest fans were his nephews and nieces. His nephews enjoyed playing sports with their Uncle Mark, and a weekend of video game play at his house was a common occurrence. His nieces loved hanging out with him for his ability to make them jump out of their skin and laugh the whole time. Family was very important to him and came before anything else in his life. That love for family didn't end at his parents or siblings...it carried on through his extended family, friends, co-workers and anyone he came across.

Mark's compassion and willingness to help people is what he would want his legacy to be, and for all of us to carry that on in his honor. For the past six years Mark has worked at Stellar Industries as a Crane Assembler. He took pride in his work and made many friends during his time at Stellar. Throughout his working years he also spent time as an amazing caretaker for individuals with disabilities at Kryslis.

Mark is survived by his grandparents, Delores (Ole) Laakso of Florida and MaryAnn Coleman of Las Vegas; parents, Sue and Jerry Rohlfs of Forest City; sister, Mistie (Kevin) Johnson and sons, Travis and Zachary; brother, Dusty (Jessica) Rohlfs and children, Josh, Kevin, Rachel, Michael, Chelsea and Chance; Heather (Greg) Volmer and sons, Troy and Luke; sister, Robyn (Rich) Onken and sons, Jordan and Tanner; sister, Lisa Bertram and her fiancé, Charlie Van Overbeke and daughter, Genevieve; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

Preceded in death by Ruth Bertram, Herb Bertram, Gertie Rohlfs, Hank Fenstra, Dennis "Tank" Fenstra and Bill Coleman; as well as several friends.

The Petersen Lund Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements.

Evelyn P. Callies

May 9, 2012

Evelyn P. Callies, age 100, formerly of Rochester, died on Wednesday April 25, 2012, at the Golden Living Center in LaCrescent, Minnesota.

Funeral services were held at 11:00 a.m., on Monday, April 30, at the Worlein Funeral Home Chapel in Austin, with Pastor Mark Evinger officiating. Visitation was held one hour prior to the services. Interment was in the Grant Township Cemetery near Woden. The family prefers that memorials be made to the Salem Road Covenant Church in Rochester, Minnesota or to Mayo Clinic Cancer Research.

Evelyn Pauline Olson, was born on October 9, 1911 in Winnebago County, Iowa, to John and Inger (Auestad) Olson. She graduated in 1929 from the Buffalo Center High School and attended Waldorf College, where she received her teacher's certificate. She taught country school for nine years. Evelyn was married to Frank Callies on May 15, 1940 in Winnebago County, Iowa. Frank passed away on April 14, 1973.

A member of the Salem Road Covenant Church, Evelyn enjoyed gardening and baking, bird watching, listening to music, and was an avid reader. In 1981, she left the farm in Forest City to live in a townhouse in Rochester. She entered the Golden Living Center in 2009.

Survivors include her two daughters, Pamela (Robert) Tryggestad of Stoddard, Wisconsin and Kandyce Kuns of Austin, Minnesota; four grandchildren, Tom, Matt, Callies, Amanda; two great-grandchildren, Westin Alan Voigt and Koby Cruz Tryggestad; one sister, Delores (Lehman) Tweeten of Forest City; and nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Inger; husband, Frank; son-in-law, Alan Kuns; granddaughter, Christina Tryggestad; two brothers, Elmer Olson and Stanley Olson; and two sisters, Minnie Swenson and Edna Ree.

www.worlein.com

Donald B. Buffington

May 9, 2012

Donald B. Buffington, 90, of Forest City, died on Monday, April 30, 2012, at the Good Samaritan Care Center in Forest City.

Funeral services were held at 10:30 a.m., on Friday, May 4, at the United Methodist Church in Forest City, with Pastor Jerald Swanberg officiating. Burial was in the Buffalo Township Cemetery in rural Titonka. Visitation was held from 4-7:00 p.m., on Thursday, May 3, at the Petersen Lund Funeral Home, Forest City and continued one hour prior to the services at the church.

Donald Bradford Buffington, was born in rural Titonka, on January 14, 1922, to Ross and Elna (Christensen) Buffington. He attended the Doan Methodist Church and graduated from the Titonka High School. On January 17, 1942, he married Dorothy Budlong in Malcomb. The couple farmed at Burt for four years, at Wesley for four years and moved to Forest City in 1951 and farmed and lived there until March, 2012.

He and Dorothy followed their son, Bob's softball team wherever they played for many years. Donald liked to restore old equipment. He enjoyed many events held at Heritage Park.

Survivors include his children, Kathy Carlson of Forest City, Kent (Carol) Buffington of Morton, Illinois, Bob (Ann) Buffington of Forest City and Bruce (Nancy) Buffington of Forest City; 15 grandchildren; 23 great- grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild and one due in May; and a brother, Roger (Rita) Buffington of Algona.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Dorothy; two brothers, Art and Ilo; and two grandsons, Shane and Brandon Buffington.

The Petersen Lund Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements.