Kenneth Severson
February 12, 2008
Kenneth P. Severson, 89, a lifelong Belmond area farmer,
died on Tuesday, February 5, 2008, at home following a
courageous battle with cancer.
Funeral services were held on Friday, February 8, at the St.
Olaf Lutheran Church west of Belmond, with Rev. Lowell
Halvorson officiating. Burial was in the St. Olaf Cemetery.
Kenneth Pershing, the son
of Knute and Alma (Gunderson) Severson, was born on
September 26, 1918, on his parents' farm near Thor. He was
baptized and confirmed at St. Olaf Lutheran, where he was a
lifelong member. Ken received his education at the Belmond
rural School #9.
Kenneth married Icle
Leonard on June 6, 1940, at the Little Brown Church in
Nashua. They farmed for over 60 years in Belmond and Grant
Township. Though he retired from farming full time, he
continued to assist his son, Sidney and grandson, Troy. Ken
could be found helping with farm tasks this past summer
until his health began to decline.
He was an active member of
the St. Olaf Church, where he held various offices and sang
in the men's chorus. He was a long-time board member of both
the Wright County REC and the Clarion Co-op.
Ken and Icle enjoyed
wintering in Mesa, Arizona, where he also sang in a men's
chorus. They enjoyed many trips, including a memorable
journey to Norway in 1974.
Following the passing of
his wife, Ken enjoyed the friendship and camaraderie of
long-time neighbor and special friend, Kay Marshall. He also
enjoyed times spent with his family and friends.
Kenneth was preceded in
death by his parents; his wife in 1997; sisters, Myrtle
Chauncey, Leila Wion, Betty Lynch and Kathryn Christenson;
and brother, Sanford Severson.
Survivors include his son,
Sid (Sherry) of Clarion; grandchildren, Troy (Beth) Severson
and their children, Allison, Clayton and Knuton of Belmond,
Traci Gorton and her children, Alaina and Landon of Corinth,
Texas and Tanya (Ken) Scribner and their children, Paige
Icle and Jarrett of Sanger, Texas; step-grandchildren,
Johnathan (Jenna) German of Belmond and their children,
Desiree and Ethan, Nicholas (Stacy) German and their
children, Paige and Justin of Clarion and Ryan (Shannon)
Maasdam and their son, Austin of Clarion; sister, Elaine
Lenz of Mason City; and longtime friend and neighbor, Kay
Marshall of Clarion.
©Belmond
Independent 2008 |
Louise Pearson
February 19, 2008
Louise Pearson, 83, formerly of Klemme, died on Sunday,
February 10, 2008, at the Hancock Memorial Hospital in
Britt.
Funeral services were held on Thursday, February 14, at the
Immanuel Reformed United Church of Christ in Klemme, with
Rev. Donna Buckman officiating. Burial was in the Ell
Township Cemetery.
Louise Viola, the daughter of Lubbe and Gretchen Albers, was
born on March 27, 1924, on a farm outside of Klemme, about
two miles from where her future husband grew up. She was one
of six children growing up during the Depression.
Louise's father died in
1926, and the family moved to a smaller parcel of land that
Lubbe's father had owned. Louise's mother died in 1936, and
siblings Jennie and Jo raised the family. Louise began her
education at the age of four in a one room country school.
When she graduated from the 8th grade, Jennie and Jo decided
Louise would go to high school, something her siblings never
had the opportunity to do. Louise graduated from the Klemme
High School in 1941.
Following high school she
worked for a year in Klemme and then enrolled in business
school at Omaha. She graduated and became a civilian
bookkeeper for the Air Force with assignments in Omaha,
Topeka and Oklahoma City. She returned to Klemme in July
1946 to keep house for her two brothers after declining an
assignment to go to Hawaii.
She then met Melvin, and
they were married in September 1947 at Winona. They farmed
with his parents, and later farmed on their own. In addition
to assisting her husband, Louise was a homemaker and mother
for their three children.
She was an active member
of Immanuel Reformed in Klemme, where she was involved in
the Women's Fellowship, held a variety of offices, and
served at various functions and funerals. She was a member
of the Farm Bureau and helped with the American Cancer
Society. Louise enjoyed being involved with the senior
citizens and 500 card clubs. She loved sewing, reading and
gardening, raising a wide variety of flowers.
Louise and Melvin took a
trip to Venezuela during the 1970's to visit daughter,
Rosalyn in the Peace Corps. Winters they traveled to
Arkansas to spend several weeks until spring. They farmed
until Melvin's health declined, and in 1984 they sold the
farm and moved into Klemme. Melvin died in July 1985.
Then Louise's main focus
became her grandchildren, children, church and community
groups. She looked forward to visits with her sister,
Johanna and traveling to visit her children and
grandchildren. Her journeys included California, Puerto
Rico, Connecticut, Nevada, Mexico and the Apostle Islands.
Her health began to
decline in 2000. Louise had resided at the Westview Care
Center in Britt for the last several years.
She was preceded in death
by her husband; her parents; sisters, Jennie and Marie; and
brothers, John and Harold.
Survivors include
children, VaLinda (Karl DeWahl) of St. Paul, Rosalyn (Jim)
de la Cruz of Las Vegas and Kent Pearson of Rockwell;
grandchildren, Kathleen and Aaron DeWahl and James de la
Cruz; a sister, Johanna Foss of Belmond; brother-in-law,
Carl (Delores) Pearson of Klemme; and sister-in-law, Jean
Pearson of Klemme.
©Belmond
Independent 2008 |
Jennie Lieuwen
February 27, 2008
Jennie Lieuwen, 98, of Belmond, died on Sunday, February 17,
2008, at the Belmond Health Care Center.
Funeral services were held on Thursday, February 21, at the
United Methodist Church in Goodell, with the Pastor Mark
Pluff officiating. Burial was in the Amsterdam cemetery east
of Goodell. Jennie,
the daughter of Fred and Anna (Zell-Stadtlander) Albers, was
born on August 26, 1909 near Belmond. Jennie grew up in the
Klemme area where she attended country school.
Jennie married George
Lieuwen on December 23, 1931, at the Reformed Church
Parsonage in Klemme. Together they farmed and raised their
family near Belmond. They moved to the home place in 1943.
Jennie lived there until moving to the Belmond Health Care
Center in 2006.
She was preceded in death
by her parents; her husband in 1986; son-in-law, Jack
Fulton; sister and brother-in-law, Anna and Robert
Churchouse; sister, Johanna; and brothers, Fred, Alvin and
John.
Jennie is survived by
daughters, Shirley Fulton of Belmond and Alice Bryant of
Edina, Minnesota; grandson, Michael S. (Janice) Bryant of
Ames; great-grandchildren, Michael J. (Lisa) Bryant of New
Hope, Minnesota and Diana (Matt) Kain of Iowa City;
great-great-grandchildren, Charlie and Emma Bryant;
step-grandchildren, Jeff (Carissa) Calentine of Omaha,
Christin Calentine of Winona, Minnesota and David Calentine
of Ames; brother, Ed (Barb) Albers of Mason City; and
sister-in-law, Mary Jasperson of Arizona.
©Belmond
Independent 2008 |
Hazel Bachman
February 27, 2008
Hazel A. Bachman, 87, of Alexander, died on
Thursday, February 21, 2008, at the Muse Norris Hospice
Inpatient Unit in Mason City.
Funeral services were held on Monday, February 25, at the
First Reformed Church in Alexander, with Pastor Phillip
Arnold officiating. Burial was in the Alexander Cemetery.
Hazel Alene was born at
Alexander, the daughter of Chris and Louella Larsen, on
September 20, 1920. She graduated from the Alexander High
School in 1938. On February 28, 1940, she married Fred
Modderman at the Alexander Reformed Parsonage. Fred and
Hazel farmed just east of Alexander where they raised two
children. Besides helping on the farm, Hazel worked for many
years at the W.P. Aldinger store in Alexander. Fred died on
October 28, 1965, just months after they celebrated their
25th anniversary.
On February 8, 1967, Hazel
married Earl Bachman of Klemme. Earl passed away on November
12, 1971. She then moved to Clear Lake where she worked for
Moeller's Clothing Store until her retirement. At that time
she cared for several elderly people in their homes.
Hazel spent several years
wintering in Texas, where she loved to dance, and spent
summers in northern Minnesota, where she loved to fish. She
will be remembered for her sense of humor and for being a
hard worker who loved to help others. She dearly loved her
children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren as well as
her nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death
by her parents; husbands; brothers, Lyle and Russell;
sisters, Doris (Ben) Dorenkamp, Lela (Denver) Schofield,
Gertrude and Theo; grandson, Joel Vanness; and special
friend, Fritz Botello.
Survivors include
daughter, Kaye (Dennis) Vanness of Alexander; son, Jerry
(Maureen) Modderman of Altoona; grandchildren, Chris
(Melinda) Vanness of Latimer, Mitchell (Debra) Vanness of
Latimer, Todd Modderman of Suwanee, Georgia and Tammy
(Brian) Johnson of Altoona; great-grandchildren, Kaylee,
Kyle and Kendra Vanness, Zachary and Madilyn Vanness and
Cameron and Abbie Johnson; sister, Emily Modderman of Palo
Alto, California; and sister-in-law, Frances Larsen of
Royal, Iowa.
©Belmond
Independent 2008 |
Muriel Licklide
February 27, 2008
Muriel Licklider, 87, of Clarion, died on
Saturday, February 23, 2008, at the Careage of Clarion,
after a brief respiratory illness.
Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m., on Saturday,
March 1, at the Ewing Funeral Home in Clarion, with Pastor
Don Morrison officiating. Burial will take place in the
Graceland Cemetery near Rowan. Visitation will be held at
the funeral home one hour prior to the service Saturday.
Muriel Marie Rietz, was
born on January 3, 1921 in Rowan, where she was raised. She
graduated from the Rowan High School in 1938. In 1946 she
married Wayne Licklider, her husband for 42 years. They
lived briefly in St. Louis, moved back to Rowan, and moved
to Clarion in 1965.
Muriel loved home, family
and music. She was a wonderful mother.
She was preceded in death
by her husband; sisters, Anne and Nina; and brothers, Karl,
E.A. and Paul.
She is survived by her
children, Sheila (Alvin) Flatebo and Dale (Kathy) Licklider;
grandchildren, Daniel Flatebo of Louisville, Kentucky, Lisa
(Jonathan) Bass, Cale (Amber) Licklider and Katie;
sisters-in-law, Pauline Licklider Jones of Winterset and
Jean Rietz of Washington, Iowa; brother-in-law, Everett
Smith of Pennsylvania; nieces, Carmen Jorgensen and Julie
Mangold; and nephews, Steve Heathershaw, Roger Rietz and
Paul W. Rietz. Both of her children and all of her
grandchildren, except Dan, live in the Kansas City area.
©Belmond
Independent 2008 |
Dorothy Schmidt
March 4, 2008
Dorothy Schmidt, 87, formerly of Meservey, died on Saturday,
February 23, 2008, at the Mercy Medical Center in Des
Moines.
Funeral services were held on Friday, February 29, at the
First Reformed Church in Meservey, with Rev. Rodney Meester
presiding. Interment was in the Meservey Cemetery.
Dorothy was born on
November 26, 1920 at home in Anamosa, a daughter of Dean and
Addie (Campbell) Perdue. The family moved many times during
her youth, and she graduated from the Rockwell High School.
She attended the Mason City Junior College and earned her
teaching certificate. She began teaching in Meservey in
1940.
On August 21, 1942,
Dorothy married Ralph D. Schmidt at Memphis, Missouri. She
continued to teach, but after a few years devoted her time
to raising her children. Dorothy returned to teaching at CAL
and then at Klemme. She returned to college to earn her
bachelor's degree and was a proud alumnus of Drake
University. Dorothy taught at Klemme for 21 years before
retiring, and then continued to tutor students during the
summer.
Ralph died in 1987.
Dorothy traveled with her sister-in-law, Francis Groen on
many bus trips. In 1999 she moved to an apartment in Des
Moines.
Dorothy was a member of
the First Reformed in Meservey and her family remembers her
strong faith. She played the violin and was an avid fan of
all sports, especially those at Drake.
Dorothy was preceded in
death by her parents; husband; brothers, David and Daniel;
and sister, Delores "Jo" Burgess.
Survivors include her son,
James Jay Schmidt of Clear Lake; daughter, Rebecca (J.C.)
Chalberg of Wheeling, Illinois; son, Steven J. (Mary)
Schmidt of Norwalk; grandchildren, Lacey and Dylan Schmidt,
John (Paige) Gourley and Matt Gourley; brother-in-law,
Charles "Bud" Burgess; and sisters-in-law, Bernice Perdue,
Arlene Kaldenberg, Loraine Bertilson and Francis Groen.
©Belmond
Independent 2008 |
Irene Katter
March 4, 2008
Irene M. Katter, 84, of Klemme, died on Monday, February 25,
2008, surrounded by her family, following a four-year battle
with cancer.
Funeral services were held on Friday, February 29, at the
Klemme United Methodist Church, with Rev. Paddy Druhl
officiating. Burial was in the Ell Township Cemetery,
Klemme.
Irene Marie, the daughter
of Frederick and Elsie (Josten) Becker, was born on October
19, 1923, on her parents farm in Ell Township. She attended
rural school through the 8th grade and graduated
salutatorian of the Klemme High School Class of 1941.
Irene married Cecil B.
Katter on November 28, 1943 at Klemme. They farmed and
raised Holstein cattle. In 1951, they moved to Oregon where
Cecil was in the lumber business with his brothers until
1955, when they returned to farm near Clear Lake. They
eventually returned to operate the family farm at Klemme
where Irene lived for most of her life. The home place
became a Century Farm in 1993 and continues to remain in the
family.
Irene was a life long
homemaker, devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She and
Cecil were leaders in the regional, state and national
Holstein Associations and she showed cattle at all levels.
She traveled to many of the Central National Holstein shows
in Madison, Wisconsin.
Irene worked as a
dietitian at the nursing home in Garner and for a number of
years in the catering business with Sheryll Klessel.
Irene fulfilled various
roles in her church, including playing piano, marimba and
organ, and was active in UMW, church circles and the
luncheon committee. She had also shared her gift of music at
area care centers, community festivities, state and national
contests, including Soldier Field in Chicago.
Irene was active in 4-H
and the Klemme Grandmother's Club. She was an avid gardener
and a wonderful cook and baker. Irene was an accomplished
seamstress, making many clothes, including her daughter's
bridesmaids dresses. Irene had a kind place in her heart for
horses and cats. Irene loved to attend the Iowa State Fair
and had done so nearly every year since the 1960's.
She was preceded in death
by her parents; and her husband in 1981.
Survivors include her
children, Lynn (Donna) Katter and their daughters, Melissa
and Allison of New York; Noel (Margaret) Katter and their
children, Miekka and John of Menlo; Marla (Bob) Hadacek and
their son, Ben of Klemme; and Murray (Marcia) Katter and
their daughter, Emilee of Ankeny; and four
great-grandchildren.
©Belmond
Independent 2008 |
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