|
Merlin F. Lowenberg
May 8, 2002
Merlin F. Lowenberg, 74, of Belmond, died
on Saturday, May 4, 2002, at
the Belmond Medical Center.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Tuesday, May 7, at the St. Francis
Xavier Catholic Church in Belmond. Rev. David Beckman and Deacon Nick Schmit
officiated. Burial was in the St. Francis Cemetery near Belmond.
Merlin, the son of Arthur and Mary (Nolan) Lowenberg was born on March 2,
1928, in Goodell. He attended school there and graduated from the Goodell
High School in 1945. He also attended Loras College in Dubuque.
Merlin was united in marriage to DeLoris Weiland on February 14, 1948.
The couple made their home in Belmond where Merlin worked for General Mills.
Merlin, Dee and family lived for two years in Sidney, Nebraska, where Merlin
was the Assistant Manager for Pacific Vegetable Oil. They later moved back
to Belmond and then to an acreage north of Belmond. Merlin worked for
General Mills and Central Soya for 36 years. He also farmed north of
Belmond.
Merlin was a member of the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Belmond,
he belonged to the Knights of Columbus, was an Eucharistic Minister and
Catechism Teacher. He liked the outdoors and enjoyed working in the
garden and then sharing his fruits and vegetables with friends and
relatives.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Lois Sanzone; and a
son-in-law, Larry Gerten.
Merlin is survived by his wife, DeLoris; three daughters, Cynthia Lind
and her husband, Buster and their children, Peter and Carmen of Lakeville,
Minnesota, Marsha Gerten and children, Amy and Will of Hugo, Minnesota,
Jolene Dirks and son, Chad of Belmond; siblings, Joan Janssen and her
husband, Merle of Goodell, Elizabeth Jinrich of Kearney, Nebraska, Tom
Lowenberg and his wife, Sue of St. Paul, Minnesota, Duane Lowenberg and his
wife, Carol of Medford, Oregon and Therese Heminger and her husband, Joe of
Ottumwa.
©Belmond
Independent 2002
|
|
Vivian M. Ross
May 8, 2002
Vivian M. Ross, 81, died on
Saturday, May 4,
2002, of cancer at her home in Dows.
Memorial services will be held at 2:00 p.m.,
on Thursday, May
30, at the First Presbyterian Church in Dows, with Pastor Tony Hershey
officiating. There will be no visitation.
Vivian Marie Welzien, was born on September 5, 1920 at
Dows, the daughter of Henry William and Laura Elisa (Anderson) Welzien. She
graduated from the Dows High School in 1938.
Shortly following graduation, Vivian moved to East
Chicago, Indiana, and worked as a bookkeeper at Givell's Furniture Store. On
May 29, 1943, Vivian was united in marriage to Herbert K. Ross in Indiana.
The couple made their home in Indiana until 1953, when they moved back to
Dows.
Vivian and Herb owned and operated the H & V Cafe at Dows
from 1953 until 1978. For over 25 years, Herb cooked while Vivian waited on
customers and balanced the books.
After retirement in 1978, Vivian and Herb wintered in
Alamo, Texas, and lived the warmer months at their home in Dows. Vivian
spent time golfing, reading and playing games such as bingo and bridge, but
most importantly, she enjoyed dancing with Herb.
During her retirement in Dows, Vivian delivered meals
on wheels, called bingo at the Dows Care Center and was a tourism guide at
the Dows Welcome Center Depot. She was a life long member of the First
Presbyterian Church in Dows, where she remained active in the Lamplighters,
served communion and was presently a church Elder.
Preceding her in death were her parents; grandson in
infancy; brother, Wallace Welzien; sisters, Ila Welzien, Margaret Schlagel
and Marcella Mensing; and sons-in-law, Rick Lee, Mike Armour and John Kunz.
Survivors include her husband, Herb; daughters, Nancy
Lee and Sylvia Armour-Greenwood and her husband, Jerry, all of Belmond;
grandchildren, Stacie Elmore and her husband, Simmie of Belmond, Rick of
Summerville, South Carolina, Ryan of Mount Vernon, Iowa, Chad Armour of West
Des Moines, Mark Armour of West Des Moines and April Wolter and her
husband, Noah of Belmond; eight great-grandchildren, Daniel, Ricky and Kaytlynn Lee, Trae and Zoie Elmore, Alexa and Dillon Anthony and Ashley Wolter;
and sister, Arliss Tangeros of Estherville.
| ©Belmond
Independent 2002
|
|
|
Dean Edwin Mallow
May 14, 2002
Dean Edwin Mallow, originally from
Belmond, died in Florida on Saturday,
May 4, 2002. He was born on June
21, 1935.
Preceding him in death were his parents, William and Zoe Mallow; brother, Don Mallow; and grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin
Thompson.
Survivors are his three sons, Edwin Mallow of Rowan,
Sgt. Roger Dean Mallow and his wife, Christi and their daughter Samantha of
California and Martin Mallow of Waterloo.
| ©Belmond
Independent 2002
|
|
Richard Tillman
May 14, 2002
Richard Tillman, 84, of Belmond, formerly of Rowan, died on Monday,
May 6, 2002, at the Belmond
Medical Center.
Funeral services were held on Thursday, May 9, at the United Church
of Christ at Rowan, with Pastor Janet Wearda officiating. The Dugger Ewing
Funeral Home of Belmond was in charge of the arrangements.
Music was provided by Wilma Aldrich, organist, JoAn
Skyrme, soloist and a duet of Eugene and Randy Frohling. Honorary casket
bearers were Leland and Adean Dorr, Avery and Darlene Heaberlin, Merle and
Myrtle Gunderson and Rick Goldberg.
Casket bearers were Paul Hensel, Steve
Stille, Steve Janssen, Craig Watne, Roger Leist and Ted Watne. Ushers were
Larry Aldrich and Dwight Groom. Military services were provided by the Rowan
American Legion Post. Interment was in the Graceland Cemetery near Rowan.
Richard Tillman, the son of Walter and Hattie Belle
Farr Tillman, was born on September 14, 1917 in Clarion. He grew up in Clarion
and graduated from the Clarion High School.
Richard entered the United States Army in 1941. During
WW II he served in North Africa, Italy and the European Theater. He received
a Good Conduct Ribbon, American Defense Service Ribbon,
European-African-Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon with one Silver Battle Star
and four Bronze Stars, and five Overseas Service Bars. He returned home in
1945 and worked for the railroad for a short time.
Richard was united in marriage to Darlene Chapman on
April 18, 1953 at the United Brethren Church in Goodell. The couple made
their home near Rowan. Richard was then employed by Farm Service where he
operated the bulk plant in Rowan. He also farmed part time. In 1969 the
couple moved east of Rowan where Richard began farming full time. He retired
in 1988 and the couple moved to Belmond in 1991.
He was a member of the Andrew Whitten American Legion
Post in Rowan. He enjoyed riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle.
Preceding him in death were his parents; son, Rory in
1987; and brothers, Walter Augustus, Darryl and Wayne.
Survivors include his wife, Darlene; sons, Randall of
Belmond and Richard of LaCrosse, Wisconsin; grandson, Andrew; sister, Gladys
Woodley of Rowan; sisters-in-law, June Mellot of Fairfield, Mae Drury of
Rowan and Lucille (Mrs. Bud) Berhow of Kanawha.
| ©Belmond
Independent 2002
|
|
|
Sink Or Swim
By Judge Newt Draheim
for the Wright County Monitor, Clarion, Iowa
September 21, 2006
 At
the Normandy D-Day Invasion on June 6, 1944, Richard Tillman was
unloaded into the English Channel. Weighted down with heavy equipment,
he said, "it was either sink or swim" to get ashore. With considerable
struggling and desperation, he made it. Thousands of Higgins boats
carrying hundreds of thousands of American soldiers stormed the beaches
of Normandy. Higgins boats were designed to be rammed up onto the beach.
Many were impeded by a small ridge one hundred yards from shore. Unable
to get closer, the boat operators lowered the ramps and the soldiers
went storming off into deep water.
D-Day was the beginning of the biggest
invasion in the history of warfare, involving 6,000 ships, 11,000
aircraft and 175,000 men. Before it was over, 20,000 soldiers had died.
On D-Day plus two, the stench of dead bodies was terrific.
To make the operation work, the Allies
needed high tide to get the landing craft on the beaches; new moon so
paratroopers and gliders could land; clear skies so aircraft could
support the ground troops; and calm seas to support the rapid movement
of troops and equipment ashore. The Allies tricked the Germans into
believing the attack was coming at Pas de Calais on the northern coast
of France, which was only a few miles across the Channel from England.
The invasion, named Operation
Overload, marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany.
Tillman was attached to Company C of the 899th Tank Destroyer Battalion.
The battalion was composed of 36 tank destroyers. The combat concept was
to support infantry with one battalion. His battalion supported the 9th
Infantry Division.
By August 25, 1944, the Allies had
liberated Paris. The good news was that the Germans were in full
retreat. The bad news was that the Allies were running out of
everything. Tillman's outfit was in desperate need of footwear. One day
Gen. Eisenhower appeared on the front lines and asked what they needed.
Tillman said in a few days we had proper footwear.
Later as American troops went
house-to-house searching for the enemy, German snipers would fire on
them. The snipers were hiding in church steeples in villages. Tillman
was on the front lines in campaigns in Northern France, Ardennes,
Rhineland and Central Europe.
Since the Ardennes had few roads,
thousands of combat vehicles had to travel on them. The Ardennes is a
wooded and partly hilly section in southern Belgium and northeastern
France. At the Battle of the Bulge, Tillman's unit with other tank
destroyers knocked out 300 German armored tracked vehicles.
The Rhineland was part of Germany west
of the Rhine. The west bank of the Rhine River bordering France was a
strategic territory. On March 7, 1945, the 899th Tank Destroyer
Battalion and the 9th Infantry Division arrived at the Rhine River
Bridge at Remagen, the only river bridge the Germans failed to destroy.
Tillman's company remained on the west bank in Remagen until March 10.
He said the first night was a rough one, as the Germans were desperately
trying to destroy the bridge. At noon the next day he saw a lone German
Stuka divebomber release a bomb angling for the bridge. The bomb missed
the bridge. No German enemy crossed the Rhine since Napoleon did in
1805. Hitler had ordered all 47 bridges across the Rhine destroyed.
As a motorcycle enthusiast, Tillman
carried orders on his bike to various units on the front line. Despite
fast speeds, he was able to pick fruit off trees to eat. Other times,
for food he would throw grenades in rivers to get fish. The concussion
from the explosion would bring the fish to the surface.
Before D-Day, Tillman's first battle
was in Tunisia, a country in northern Africa on the Mediterranean. It
had excellent port facilities and a short distance by air and sea to
Sicily. In the Battle of El Guettar, Tunisia, March 1943, his battalion
had the new full-tracked M10 Tank Destroyer to challenge the German
panzers tanks. Tunisia was the logical place to end the North African
invasion. Once secured, North Africa was used as a staging area for the
invasions of Sicily and Italy.
The next battles were Algeria, another
country in North Africa, then Naples-Foggia and Rome-Arno, all in Italy.
Then his outfit received the new tank destroyer, the M18 "Hellcat". It
proved to be the fastest armored fighting vehicle in World War II.
On February 4, 1941, Tillman was
inducted into the U.S. Army and discharged on June 30, 1945. During this
time, he was in combat on the front lines over 261 days. His citations
include the African-Middle Eastern Theatre Ribbon with one Silver Star
and four Bronze Battle Stars. Tillman was promoted to the rank of
Corporal. The 9th Infantry Division sustained total causalities of
33,864, which included 2,905 killed. They captured 113,324 enemy
prisoners of war. He was extremely reluctant to talk about his overseas
experiences, as he wanted to forget the bad memories.
Tillman was reared on a farm near
Clarion and graduated from the Clarion High School in 1936. He married
Darlene Chapman of rural Goodell on April 18, 1953. They had three sons,
one of whom died in 1987. After farming near Rowan, they moved to
Belmond in 1988, where his wife continues to reside. Richard Tillman
died on May 6, 2002.
In order to understand the many
tremendous sacrifices made by the men and women of the Greatest
Generation, their experiences of World War II must be told. It was their
bravery, heroism and continuous determination to fight that resulted in
our Freedom!
© Wright County Monitor 2006 |
|
Mary G. Brindle
May 14, 2002
Mary G. Brindle, 78, of Belmond, died on Sunday,
May 12, 2002, at the Belmond
Medical Center.
Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m.,
on Wednesday,
May 15, at the First Baptist Church in Union, with Revs. Roger Crawford and John
Murray officiating. Interment will be in the Union Cemetery.
Mary was born on February 5, 1924 in Hardin Country, the
daughter of Burl and Mable (Claybrook) Rowen. Raised and educated in the
Union-Whitten area, she graduated in 1942 from the Whitten High School. She
attended beauty school in Des Moines and the Ellsworth Community College in Iowa
Falls.
She married George A. Brindle on February 20, 1949 in
Union, and they farmed in the Union-Whitten area. She owned and operated the
O.K. Cafe in Union from 1970 to 1972. Following the death of her husband in
1975, she was employed by the Marshall County Care Facility until her
retirement in 1986. She moved to Osage in 1994 and to Belmond in 2000.
Mary was a member of the Baptist Church in Osage, the
Ann Judson Circle, Hubbard American Legion Auxiliary, the Shepherd Community
Club and had been attending the Calvary Baptist Church in Belmond.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband;
brothers, Robert, William and Pete; and sisters, Opal Rowen and Hazel
Heryford.
She is survived by sons, Charles (Sheryl) Brindle of
Belmond and Duane Brindle of Missouri Valley; daughters, Diane Warden and
Janine Lawler of Union; sister, Myrna Smith of Union; brother, Paul Rowen of
Union; 15 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
| ©Belmond
Independent 2002
|
|
|
Raynold L. Kinseth Jr.
June 4, 2002
Raynold L. Kinseth, Jr., 78, died of cancer on Sunday, May 12, 2002, in
Simi Valley, California.
A private
internment will be held at the Belmond Memorial Cemetery at a later date.
Raynold was born on May 4, 1924 in Belmond. He graduated
from the Belmond High School and called Belmond his home for 30 years. He was an
active member of the 89th Division Veterans Organization of World War II,
serving in the Army under Patton during WW II. He then attended college,
receiving a degree in business administration. He later was recalled from
the reserves for the Korean War.
He worked for the Dravo Corporation International as an
administration/finance consultant for overseas construction projects, living
in many countries. He was involved with mining projects in Chile, Canada,
Indonesia, Mexico, Singapore and Australia. He retired in 1985.
Ray enjoyed golfing, wood-working and traveling.
Ray is survived by his wife of 55 years, Virginia of
Belmond; daughter, Mallory Wolter of Simi Valley, California; grandson, Noah
Wolter and his wife, April and their daughter, Ashley of Belmond; and
sister, Luann Hohbein of Beatrice, Nebraska.
| ©Belmond
Independent 2002
|
|
Donald Olson
May 21, 2002
Donald L. Olson, 82, of Mason City, died on Tuesday,
May 14, 2002, at the Muse-Norris
Hospice Inpatient Unit. A Memorial service was held on Friday, May 17, in the community
room at The Willows on the Mercy Medical Center West Campus. Interment will
be held at a later date.
Donald was born on October 15, 1919 in Sac City, the son
of Edward O. and Ruby H. (Putbrese) Olson. He graduated from the Sac City
Schools.
Donald married Doris G. Coats on October 19, 1941 in Lake View. He
served in the U.S. Navy during WW II aboard a troop transport ship in both
the Pacific and Atlantic theaters. After leaving the military he farmed with
his brother and parents for 10 years near Sac City. Don then worked as
Sheriff of Sac County, for Aid Assn. for Lutherans, as a probation agent
and as Executive Secretary of the Iowa Board of Parole in Des Moines until
he retired in 1982.
He was preceded in death by his parents; and a brother,
Bill.
Donald is survived by his wife; daughters, Sonnee (Ron)
Steveson of Ventura (formerly Belmond), Tamara Beschen of Seattle and Laura
Olson of Decorah; grandchildren, Derek Steveson of Phoenix, Jennifer
Steveson of Phoenix, Brooke Beschen of Seattle and Peter, Samuel and Paul Vanney of Decorah; and brother, Charles (Phyllis) Olson of Sac City.
| ©Belmond
Independent 2002
|
|
|
Earl A. Christenson
May 21, 2002
Earl Albert Christenson, 84, of Forest City, formerly of
the Belmond and Kanawha areas, died on Tuesday,
May 14, 2002, at the Good
Samaritan Center in Forest City.
Funeral services were held on Saturday, May
18, at the Trinity Lutheran Church in rural Kiester, Minnesota, with Rev. Dani Jo
Ninke-Greaver and Rev. Lee Laaveg officiating. Burial was in the Trinity
Lutheran Church Cemetery, rural Kiester. The Peterson-Lund Funeral Home of
Forest City was in charge of the arrangements.
Earl Albert Christenson, the son of Oluf and Anna (Wenos)
Christenson, was born on February 23, 1918 in Norway Township, Wright County,
Iowa. He was baptized at the Congregational Church in Belmond and was
confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Belmond. He attended Norway Township
rural school and worked as a farm hand.
On September 14, 1941, he was united in marriage to
Carol Johnson at the Congregational Church in Belmond. He started farming in
1942 in the Kanawha and Clarion areas. In 1952, they moved to a farm near Bricelyn, Minnesota, where they farmed until he retired in 1983. In 1993,
they moved to Forest City. Earl and Carol celebrated their 60th wedding
anniversary on September 14, 2001. Earl entered the Good Samaritan Center on
January 4, 2002.
Earl enjoyed fishing, golfing and playing cards and
dancing. He also made wooden crosses, which have been sent all over the
United States and overseas. Earl was a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church,
serving on the council as church Treasurer and as a member of Brotherhood. In
1995, he transferred his membership to the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Forest
City.
He was preceded in death by his parents; three
brothers; three sisters; one sister in infancy; one son-in-law, Gary
Anderson; and one great-grandson, Zackery.
Survivors include his wife, Carol of Forest City; son
and daughter-in-law, Larry and Mary Christenson of Phoenix, Arizona; son,
Keith Christenson of Belmond; daughter and son-in-law, Kathy and Dan
Swearingen of Thompson; daughter and son-in-law, Pat and Gordon Sevley of
Kiester, Minnesota; daughter and son-in-law, Eloise and Lyle Wirtjes of
Thompson; daughter and son-in-law, Deborah and Harlan Nyhus of Forest City;
a brother and sister-in-law, Lloyd and Eunice Christenson of Belmond; a
sister, Maxine Morris of Castro Valley, California; numerous grandchildren;
and great-grandchildren.
| ©Belmond
Independent 2002
|
|
|
Helma L. Dugger
May 21, 2002
Helma Lucille Dugger, 96, of Manson, died
on Sunday,
May 19, 2002, at the Manson Good Samaritan Center.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m.,
on Wednesday, May
22, at Our Savior United Methodist Church in Manson. Burial will take place
in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Manson.
Helma Lucille Bowen, was born on January 18, 1906 in
Delta, Iowa, the oldest daughter of Harry Ellis and Vida Stout Bowen. She
graduated from the Delta High School in 1924, attended business school and
worked for the Keokuk County Auditor.
In 1927, she married Gerald Dugger. They operated a
grocery business in Delta and Boone. They moved to Manson in 1951 where they
operated Dugger's Super Valu. In 1956 she attended the Floral Arts School in
Chicago and then was a florist in Manson for 13 years.
She was a 50-year member of the Eastern Star, a member
of the Gideon Auxiliary and the Grace Methodist Church in Manson.
Preceding her in death were her husband, Gerald; her
parents; and two sisters.
Survivors include her children, Richard (Joan) Dugger
of Indiana, Marilyn (Larry) Hoffer of Illinois and Robert (Janice) Dugger
of Manson; 10 grandchildren, including Rob Dugger of Belmond; and 22
great-grandchildren.
| ©Belmond
Independent 2002
|
|
|
Sara Simerson Murray
June 4, 2002
Sara Simerson Murray, 61, of San Francisco, California, formerly of
Belmond, died on Tuesday, May 21, 2002, at the Azienda Sanitaria Delle Zone
Siena in Montepulciano, Italy.
Funeral services were held on Monday, June 3, at the
Trinity Lutheran Church in Belmond, with Pastor Rod Hopp and Pastor Lowell
Halvorson officiating. Burial was in the Belmond Cemetery. The Dugger Ewing
Funeral Home of Belmond was in charge of the arrangements.
Sara, the daughter of Harold Chester and Marjorie
Ingrid (Lien) Simerson was born on September 18, 1940, at the Simerson home.
Sara was baptized at the St. Olaf Lutheran Church near Kanawha and confirmed at
the Trinity Lutheran Church in Belmond. She graduated from the Belmond High
School in 1958. Sara majored in vocational home economics and graduated from
St. Olaf College in 1962.
She taught home economics in the Clear Lake High School for
one year.
She was married to David J. Trygstad, on August 17,
1963, at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Belmond. The couple lived in California,
Arizona and Louisiana, before moving to Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1969.
Sara taught at the Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls.
A daughter, Tanja Liv, was born prematurely and died
on
December 22, 1967. Sara and David later adopted two children, Sabina and
Christopher.
Sara and David then moved to Pipestone, Minnesota,
where she taught senior high and middle school home economics. Sara and
David divorced in 1979.
On August 27, 1982, Sara married Laurence William
Murray at the Hope Lutheran Church in San Mateo, California. They made their
home in Benica, California, and later moved to the San Francisco area. Sara
and Laurence traveled extensively.
Sara was a member of the St. Mark's Lutheran Church in San
Francisco.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Harold C. and
Marjorie Lien Simerson; and one daughter, Tanja Liv.
Sara is survived by her husband, Laurence of San
Francisco, California; daughter, Sabina Dawn Trygstad of Winnipeg, Canada;
son, Christopher Cory Trygstad and his wife, Becky of Springfield, Illinois;
grandchild, Dakota Mystic Trygstad of Springfield, Illinois; step-children,
Brenda Murray, Jenny Murray and Laurie Murray; step-grandchildren, Zachary, Laurisa, Beau
and Thomas; and sister, Sandra Simerson Nelson of Belmond.
| ©Belmond
Independent 2002
|
|
|
Gertrude Hummel
May 30, 2002
Gertrude "Trudie" Hummel, 94, died
on Wednesday, May 22, 2002.
Funeral services
were held on Saturday, May 25, at the United Methodist Church in Klemme, with Pastor Paddy Druhl and Tim and Cherrie LaFavre Peterson officiating. Eulogist was Jeff
LaFavre. Interment was in the Ell Township Cemetery near Klemme.
Organist was Margaret Tue, vocalist and pianist was
Nancy Potter, special music was recorded by JoAnn Peters. Ushers were Calvin
Bruggeman, Mark Tue and Bob Scott. Honorary bearers were Scott LaFavre,
Rachelle LaFavre Kallevig, Larry Kallevig, Larry Kallevig, Sandra Berry,
Shelly Hovenga, Cindy White, Bob Johnson, Leland Hummel, Merle Bertilson,
John Schwichtenberg, Marlin Johnson, Kenneth Kluckhohn, Carl Swearinger and
Roger Peters. Active bearers were Russell Peters, Adam LaFavre, Dave Berry,
Richard Peters, Jay White, Reggie Hovenga and Bob Potter.
Gertrude "Trudie" Elvera Johnson Hummel, was born
on March
6, 1908 on a farm east of Klemme, the daughter of Joseph E. and Sophie Ryden
Johnson. Her parents were from Sweden. She graduated from the Klemme High School
and later attended Bible College in Los Angeles, California.
Trudie married Alfred Carpenter in 1930, and to this
union three daughters were born, Marcia, JoAnn and Janice.
Trudie married Dwight Hummel in 1943 and they had a
daughter, Joyce.
In 1954, the couple purchased the West Side Laundromat
in Waterloo and operated it for two years. Dwight died in 1956. After
selling the business in 1957, Trudie and her daughter, Joyce went to
California. They later moved back to Klemme where Trudie was employed at the
post office, retiring in 1974.
Trudie played golf, was active in the church, teaching
Sunday School for 40 years, attending the church annual conferences for many
years and participating as a Methodist Builder. She was a volunteer at
Mercy Hospital in Mason City.
Trudie was preceded in death by her parents; her
husband, Dwight; daughter, Marcia in 1938; six sisters, Bertha, Carrie,
Hulda, Maybelle, Irene and Mildred; and three brothers, Clarence, George and
Arthur.
Survivors are her daughter and son-in-law, JoAnn and
Harry Peters of Kanawha; daughter and son-in-law, Janice and Gordon Sloth of
Dike; daughter, Joyce LaFavre of Klemme; and 50 grandchildren and
great-grandchildren.
| ©Belmond
Independent 2002
|
|
|
Les Braner
May 28, 2002
Leslie A. (Les) Braner, 55, of Belmond, died
on Sunday,
May 26, 2002, at the Belmond
Medical Center.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, May 30, at 10:30
a.m., at the United Methodist Church in Belmond, with Pastor Mike Druhl
officiating. Burial will take place in the Immanuel Reformed Church Cemetery
east of Belmond. Visitation will be from 5-8:00 p.m., on Wednesday, May 29, at
the Dugger Ewing Funeral Home in Belmond and one hour prior to services at
the church. Graveside military rites will be conducted by the Belmond Honor
Guard.
Leslie, the son of Donald and Eileen Ruka Braner, was
born on March 1, 1947, at Belmond. He graduated from the Belmond Community School
in 1965. He attended NIACC. In 1966 he enlisted in the Air Force and served
three years, which included a tour in Vietnam.
Les moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he worked
for a landscape company. On November 11, 1966, he married Kathleen Foley. To
this union three children were born, Leslie Jr., Colleen and Michael. Les
returned to Belmond in 1974, and began farming with his father. On August
20, 1982, he married Gloria Wertz at the Little Brown Church in Nashua. To
this union two children were born, Nathan and Brandon.
Les enjoyed golfing, bowling, snowmobiles, camping and
riding horses. He was a member of the Jaycees, was a lifetime U.S. Jaycee
Senator (the first Senator from Belmond), held Regional Director and
District Director jobs at different times, was past Jaycee of the Year and
received other Jaycee awards.
He belonged to the United Methodist Church in Belmond,
the Iowa River Riders Snowmobile Club and the Belmond Country Club.
Les was preceded in death by his grandparents, Harm and Lillain Braner and Earl and Beulah Ruka.
He is survived by his wife, Gloria of Belmond; five
children, Leslie Braner, Jr. and his wife, Jamie of Frisco, California,
Colleen Braner of Carmichael, California, Michael Braner of Sacramento,
California and Nathan Braner and Brandon Braner, both at home in Belmond;
four grandchildren; parents, Don and Eileen Braner of Belmond; brother,
Randall Braner and his wife, Vicky of San Antonio, Texas; mother-in-law and
father-in-law, Harley and Phyllis Wertz of Menlo, Iowa; brother-in-law,
Michael Wertz and his wife, Carol of Hanlontown; and sister-in-law, Christine
Pace of Stuart, Iowa.
| ©Belmond
Independent 2002
|
|
|
John "Jack" Baker
June 4, 2002
John Douglas Baker, 75, of
Spencer, died on Thursday, May 30, 2002, at the McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Funeral services were held on Monday, June 3, at the First
Congregational Church of Spencer, with Rev. Thomas Van Tassell and Rev.
Martha Rogers officiating.
John "Jack" Baker, the son of Glenn Curtis and Huda
Sophia (Nelson) Baker, was born on May 5, 1927 in Belmond. He graduated from
the
Belmond High School.
He served with the U.S. Navy during WW II as a
Ship's
Clerk from 1944 until his
honorable discharge in 1946. He then went to Iowa State and graduated with a
degree in Veterinary Medicine.
He worked in Klemme, Ames, Kansas City, Missouri, and
Denver, Colorado, before moving to Spencer in 1984. He worked as a
veterinarian at DVM Supply until his retirement.
Jack married Jacqueline Davis on June 6, 1987, in
Spencer.
He was a member of the First Congregational Church in
Spencer, was active as a member of the Kiwanis, American Legion, V.F.W.,
Masonic Lodge, American Veterinarian Medical Association, Lion's Club and
Toastmasters. He also taught school.
He was preceded in death by his parents; one son; one
sister; two brothers; and an infant brother.
Jack is survived by his wife, Jacqueline of Spencer;
one son, Barry Baker of Carson City, Nevada; two daughters and sons-in-law,
Janice and John Nellis of Kansas City, Kansas and Jill and Roy Ebel of Rockwall,
Texas; two stepsons, Cole Lineweaver and his wife, Julie of Arnolds Park and
Eric Lineweaver and his wife, Tammy of Milford; one brother and
sister-in-law, Glenn "Bus" and Dorothy Baker of Colorado Springs, Colorado;
one sister, Jean Greenwood of Belmond; and eight grandchildren.
| ©Belmond
Independent 2002
|
|
|
