Marlys Lien

Marlys Lien, age 82, of Decorah, IA died Friday, Sept. 28, 2018 at Winneshiek Medical Center in Decorah surrounded by her family. 

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. today (Wednesday, Oct. 3) at Springfield Lutheran Church in Decorah. The Rev. David Werges will officiate.

Interment will be held in the church cemetery. Casket bearers will be Marlys’ grandchildren Kari, Aaron, Megan, Mikayla, Isaac, Taylor and Shayla Lien.

Schluter-Balik Funeral Home, Decorah, is in charge of arrangements.

Marlys was born Oct. 28, 1935, daughter of William H. (Bill) and Esther (Nordheim) Wilkens, in Decorah, IA. 

She attended Pleasant No. 2 Country School and Decorah High School. She continued her education at Luther College, completing a two-year program, and also attended summer school in Boulder, Colo. 

Gary Grap

Gary Sylvester Grap, 67, of Dubuque passed away peacefully holding his beloved daughter’s hand on Friday, Sept. 28, 2018 following a reoccurrence of leukemia.

  Visitation will be on Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018, at St. Joseph The Worker Catholic Church from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. with a prayer service at 7 p.m.  

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the church, where friends may gather after 9 a.m.  

Burial will be in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Greenwood, Wis., at a later date. 

Leonard Funeral Home & Crematory of Dubuque, IA is in charge of arrangements.

  Gary was born at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, Wis., to Edna (Hinker) and Franklin “Kaiser” Grap on Feb. 23, 1951.  

Patricia Froning

Funeral services for Patricia N. Froning, 82, of Hazleton will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, at First Baptist Church in Oelwein.

Visitation has been set for 4-8 p.m. today (Wednesday, Oct. 3) at Jamison-Schmitz Funeral Home in Oelwein and for one hour before the service at the church on Thursday.

Patricia died Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018, at Grandview Health Care Center in Oelwein.

Erwin Franke

Funeral services for Erwin Carl Franke were held Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Spring Valley, Minn., with Rev Mark Van House officiating. 

Burial was in the church cemetery. 

Hindt Funeral Home in Spring Valley, Minn., was in charge of arrangements. 

Erwin Carl Franke, son of John and Ida (Schlenner) Franke, was born on a farm five miles south of Gaylord, Minn., on Dec. 22, 1919.

On Jan. 18, 1920, he was baptized into the membership of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Gaylord, Minn., by Rev. Tychsen.  On May 20, 1934 he was also confirmed at St. Paul’s Lutheran by Rev. Wm. Uhrich.

  Erwin graduated from Gaylord High School as valedictorian in the spring of 1939.  In the spring of 1943 he graduated from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, and on May 16, 1945 he graduated from Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa.

Don Lee

Donald C. Lee, 62, of rural Hawkeye, died unexpectedly Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018, at Mercy Hospital of Franciscan Sisters in Oelwein.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018, at United Methodist Church in Hawkeye with Mona Christie, Lay Servant, officiating. 

Visitation was set for 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2, at Becker-Milnes Funeral Home in Hawkeye and for one hour preceding the service at the church on Wednesday. 

Memorials may be directed to the family for later designation. 

Online condolences may be left at www.beckermilnesrettig.com. 

Donald Cletus, son of Donald and Eileen (Fettkether) Lee, was born Feb. 14, 1956, at Mercy Hospital in Oelwein. 

He was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic Faith.

Joann Teel

Funeral services for Joann Marie Teel, 61, of Wadena will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 5, 2018 at Fawcett Funeral Home in Winthrop with Pastor Sue Ann Raymond officiating. 

Casket bearers will be Jordon Teel, Zach Burns, Tyler Burns, Chad King, Dean DeGreif, and Steve Boleyn. Honorary bearers will be Nathan Teel and Raymond Teel. 

Interment will be in Fairview Cemetery at Winthrop. 

Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018, and after 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 5, 2018, at Fawcett Funeral Home in Winthrop. 

Joann entered into her eternal rest on Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018, at her rural Wadena home. 

Joann Marie Teel was born July 20, 1957, in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the daughter of Raymond and Marlys Shepard Carlson.  

She attended school at Washburn Elementary and West High School in Waterloo, Iowa.

James Fossan

James Edward Fossan passed away on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018, at Duke University Hospital after a short illness. He was 56 years of age.  

He was a resident of Faith Homes in Durham, N.C., where he was affectionately known as “Gramps” to fellow residents and staff.  

He was a faithful member of Peace Church, attending services there for at least 10 years. 

James is survived by his father, Ernest Fossan of Texas; his maternal uncle and aunt, Millard and LaVonne Nelson of Decorah, Iowa; cousins Ann Rowland, Linda Martin, Mark Nelson and Laurie Biedermann, all of Iowa; numerous second cousins; and many brothers and sisters in Christ at Peace Church.  

He was preceded in death by his mother, Judith Nelson Fossan, and his brother, Thomas Fossan.

A celebration of James’s life in Christ was held Saturday, Sept. 22, at Peace Church, Durham, N.C. 

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Darrell Libke

Darrell D. Libke, 74, passed away at the UI Hospitals in Iowa City on Sept. 18, 2018, from complications of cancer surgery. 

Funeral services were held Monday, Sept. 24, at St. John Lutheran Church in Sumner with Rev. Tracy Hinkel officiating. 

Interment followed at Union Mound Cemetery in Sumner. 

Becker-Milnes Funeral Home was in charge of services.

Darrell Libke was born July 12, 1944, in Aurelia, Iowa, son of Albert and Alice (Lydell) Libke. 

He graduated from Aurelia High School in 1962 and Buena Vista College in 1966. In 1975 he earned an MA degree from UNI in speech with emphasis in oral interpretation.

In 1975 he married Nancy Samuelson; they made their home in Sumner. Together they shared many great travels, exploring the U.S. and its history, enjoying all types of theatre throughout the Midwest, and discovering great restaurants. 

Mary (Brehme) Halverson

Mary Delores Brehme Halverson passed away at 5:36 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018, at her home in Concordia Village, Springfield, Ill., surrounded by her family.  

Preceding her in death were her husband, Vern; her parents, Wilbur and Cecil Brehme; and her brother, Jerry Brehme.

Mary is survived by her five children, Sue (Pat) Landgrebe, Terry (Terrence) Moody, Jill (Mike) Meseke, Steve (Sharon) Halverson and Scott Halverson; grandchildren Kyle (Kayla) Zellers, Chelley (Ben) Macon, Jeremy and Lindsey Landgrebe, Cade (Kirstin Cooksey), Caitlyn and Cara Moody, Coleton and Clayton Meseke, and Kramer and Leah Halverson; great-grandchildren Will, Jack and Kinsley Zellers, Landon and Addison Macon, and Thomas Moody; and many nieces and nephews.  

Mary was very proud of her family and enjoyed gathering with them and sharing stories.

Mary Pape

Services for Mary Pape, 77, formerly of Hawkeye, were held Thursday, Sept. 20, at St. Peter Lutheran Church, Eldorado. 

Burial was in the West Union Cemetery.

Becker-Milnes Funeral Home of Hawkeye was in charge of arrangements.

Mary died Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018, following a long battle with dementia.

Marilyn Rosella Vagts was born Dec. 3, 1940, the youngest of the five children of Lawrence and Mabel Vagts of Eldorado. 

She was baptized and confirmed at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Eldorado.

Following graduation from North High School, West Union, in 1958, she went to Minneapolis to work for Hardware Mutual as a file clerk. 

In 1960, Mary returned to Eldorado, and on June 11, she married Daryl Pape.