Marjorie Schwinefus

   Marjorie Schwinefus, age 84, of Decorah, IA, died on Tuesday, February 16, 2021, at Wellington Place in Decorah, IA. Services were held on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 at the Decorah Lutheran Church, Decorah, IA with Rev. Peter Kowitz as clergy. Interment was in the Stavanger Lutheran Cemetery, Ossian Iowa.

Floyd Westpfahl

Floyd E. Westpfahl, 93, of Oelwein, Iowa died Sunday morning, February 28, 2021 at his home surrounded by his family.

A private family memorial service will be held at the Jamison-Schmitz Funeral Home in Oelwein.

Inurnment will be in the Woodlawn Cemetery at a later date.

Online obituary may be viewed at www.jamisonschmitzfuneralhome.com

Due to recommendations from state and federal health officials during the COVID-19 pandemic, guests are required to wear a mask and social distance.  We encourage relatives and friends not able to attend the service to reach out to the family by leaving a message on the funeral home web site, by mail, text or phone.

Dorothy Anderson

Dorothy J. Anderson, 91, of Elgin, Iowa died Monday February 22, 2021 at Gundersen Health in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She was born March 20, 1929 to John and Julie (Braken) Grimm in Elgin, Iowa. Dorothy graduated from Elgin High School.

On August 2, 1952 Dorothy was united in marriage with Harry Anderson. One son was born to this union. Dorothy worked as an Accountant and Bookkeeper. She enjoyed fishing, gardening, crocheting, reading and doing jigsaw puzzles. Family was always important to her. Dorothy collected Elgin Memorabilia and enjoyed watching and reading murder mysteries.

Yvonne Nelson Franks

Yvonne Nelson Franks, 84, passed away Saturday, February 20, 2021, at home following a courageous four-year battle with leiomyosarcoma. 

Friends may call from 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, February 25, 2021 at the Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Cresco, Iowa. 

A private funeral service will be held.  Burial will take place at God's Acres Cemetery in Clermont, Iowa.   Lindstrom Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. 

Yvonne Marie Chapman was born April 30, 1936, to Alice (Lantz) and Ray Chapman. She and her older brother, Bob, grew up in Elgin, Iowa. Yvonne was baptized and confirmed at the Elgin Methodist Church. I

Arliss Grimes

Arliss (Brandt) Grimes, 98, of West Union passed away on Thursday, February 11, 2021 at Maple Crest Manor in Fayette.

Arliss was born in Postville, Iowa on March 16, 1922 to Melvin and Mabel (Dow) Brandt. She was united in marriage to Harry Grimes Jr. in June 1940 at the Little  Brown Church. Six children were born to this union.

Arliss belonged  to the the Union Study Club in West Union for many years. Arliss enjoyed bowling and was a member of the many card clubs in the area. She was very good at several card games. She enjoyed spending winters in Arizona with her husband. 

She is survived by her children, Jim Grimes of West Union, Jon Grimes of West Union, Cinda Searles of Leander, Texas and Nancy Grimes of Frisco, Texas; and nine grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, son, Bill Grimes, daughter, Linda Grimes, two sisters and a brother.

Arlene Schaller Vandersee

Arleta Schaller Vandersee, 93, of Fayette, Iowa, died February 13, 2021, at Maple Crest Manor, Fayette, Iowa.

Arleta Ruth Jellings was born, March 11, 1927 in West Union, Iowa to Clarence Bert Jellings and Ruth Wilbur Jellings. She attended Fayette County schools starting in a one room schoolhouse and graduating in 1945 from West Union High School. She attended Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls, Iowa and earned a teaching certificate.

She taught in Randalia, Iowa where she was introduced to her future husband David D. Schaller by her future father-in-law. They married December 26, 1948. Together they farmed in rural West Union until 1968, when a farm accident forced them to move to West Union. Arleta then worked at several positions including Baumler Implement, Cuddies Boot Hill Supper Club, Pill Inc., Bostrom’s Grocery and North Fayette schools.

Karen Kruse

Karen Kay Kruse, 66, of La Crosse, WI passed away at her daughter’s home surrounded by her family on February 16, 2021 after a courageous battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).  

A memorial mass will be held at 11:00 a.m., on Saturday, February 27, 2021, at St. Luke’s Catholic Church, 307 East Main Street, St. Lucas, IA, with Rev. Nick Radloff presiding.  Burial will be in the church cemetery.

Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service on Saturday at the church.  The Schluter-Balik Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Karen was born December 24, 1954 to Leland and Adeline (Bender) Brownlee in Boscobel, WI. Karen attended Boscobel High School. She married Harold (Dick) R. Boebel on February 27, 1971 and they raised three children, Jason, Jody and Jenny. They later divorced. 

Robert Pleggenkuhle

Robert William Pleggenkuhle, 96, of Sumner, died Friday, February 12, at the Hillcrest Home, Sumner.

Public visitation and services were held starting at noon on Thursday, February 18, 2021, at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church with the service beginning at 1:30 p.m. The service was live-streamed at 1:30 on the Hugeback Johnson Facebook page.

Burial was in St. Peter's Lutheran Church Cemetery - Richfield, rural Sumner.

Memorials may be directed to the Richfield Cemetery Association. Condolences can be left at hugebackfuneralhome.com.

Robert William Pleggenkuhle was born on September 13, 1924, to William and Emma (Stephan) Pleggenkuhle on the Dividing Ridge Farm, located on the Fayette and Chickasaw county line on Highway 18. He was the youngest of four boys and also had two sisters.

Wally McIntyre

Wally McIntyre, 84, of Hawkeye, passed away, Friday, February 19, 2021, at Unity Point/Allen Memorial Hospital in Waterloo.

Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, February 27, 2021, at the United Methodist Church in Hawkeye with Mona Christie, Lay Servant officiating. The service will be livestreamed on Becker-Milnes & Rettig Facebook Page. Burial will be at Hawkeye Cemetery at a later date. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, February 26th at Becker-Milnes Funeral Home in Hawkeye and for one hour preceding services at the Church on Saturday.

Leslie Lauer

Leslie Ralph Lauer, 89, of West Union, Iowa was called home by our heavenly Father on Wednesday morning, February 10, 2021 at his home in West Union. Born May 26, 1931 at the family home near Eldorado, to Peter and Hulda (Trapp) Lauer, the youngest of four children. Leslie was baptized at St. Peter’s Lutheran, Eldorado on June 14, 1931 and was confirmed at St. Peter’s on May 20, 1945. He graduated from high school in West Union in 1948 and the summer of 1948 he started a custom baling, trucking, and harvesting business.

Leslie was united in marriage on November 16, 1952 with Frances Wolfs at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Eldorado, Iowa. Five children were born to this union. In 1955 Leslie and Frances purchased their first bulldozer and the excavating work was added to the business, which is still operated as a family business today.