News Center newsletter

John Albert Ashbacher, age 91, formerly of Waukon, went home to be with the Lord Friday, March 11, 2022. Funeral service will be held at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Evansville, WI Wednesday, March 16 at 1 p.m. A visitation will be held at the church one hour prior to the funeral service. A graveside service will be held at Oakland Cemetery in Waukon March 17 at 1 p.m.

John was born December 9, 1930 in the French Creek area of rural Lansing, the son of Harold and Louise (Scharping) Ashbacher. He attended a one-room country school through eighth grade. He played football, basketball and baseball for Waukon High School before graduating in 1948.

Don (Donald) “Duck” Anthony Manning, age 71, of Lansing passed away March 10, 2022 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Honoring Don’s wishes, he will be cremated, and there will be no visitation, funeral or memorial service. Memorials may be directed to the family.

Don was born June 2, 1950, the fourth child of Cyril and Vi (Augedahl) Manning of Lansing. He graduated from Kee High School, Lansing in 1968. Don married Rose Mary Marti August 28, 1969 in Crystal Falls, MI.

Don worked as a body man for the Ford Garage and for Dave Moritz at Crash Control, Lansing. In 1973, he began as a machine operator for LaVern Christoffer. In 1975, Don went to work for Mueller Pipeline as a union machine operator. In 1984, Don began working as an operator for Dave Christoffer, until his early retirement.

Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Business and Community Solutions will be offering an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course in Waukon beginning March 28. This 138-hour course will conclude the end of July. This will be an in-person class held locally in Waukon, which is a huge advantage to students attending versus taking an online class.  NICC has received a grant to cover 70% of the tuition for this course so generous tuition assistance is available, keeping the class costs under $400.

Bethany Stock of Waukon is a new graduate and obtained her EMT license just this month. She works in Decorah during the day, but plans to help with ambulance call some evenings and weekends.

by Jill Fleming, MS, RD/LD, Veterans Memorial Hospital

You may have heard about green smoothies, but have you ever tasted one?  If not, you may want to reconsider.  Here is a short list of why you will gladly add a green smoothie to your daily diet. We have provided two recipes for you to try.  Feel free to substitute any of your favorite fruits or vegetables.

To Lose Weight: When I work with weight loss patients, one of the easiest ways for them to start losing weight is to add more fruit,  vegetables and water to their daily diets. My most successful weight loss clients are now eating a total of 8-10 servings of fruit or vegetables daily. To easily reach this goal; eat more vegetable-based soups, make omelets loaded with vegetables and drink green smoothies often.

Veterans Memorial Hospital Community and Home Care/Allamakee County Public Health will continue to offer walk-in clinics for all doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, each Friday afternoon, continuing through the entire month of March, from 1:30-3:45 p.m. in the ICN Conference Room located on the southeast side of the hospital. Both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be available.

Parking is available by the orange cones along the golf course for easy access to the vaccine location. Flu shots will also be available and can be safely administered at the same time as the COVID-19 vaccine.   Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Be sure to wear a mask and bring your insurance card and vaccination card if you are coming for your second or booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Both Hartig Drug and Nightingale Pharmacy in Waukon have vaccine available for ages 12 and older. Parental/guardian consent is required. Call them ahead to schedule an appointment.

Veterans Memorial Hospital will be offering the Grandparenting Classes again this spring.  Corinne Cook, RN, Babysitting Class instructor, will be instructing the next Grandparenting Class Saturday, April 2 from 9:30 a.m. until Noon. The class will be held in the hospital’s ICN Conference Room on the east side of the hospital, next to Gundersen Clinic.  Signs will be posted to mark the location.

In these classes, new or soon-to-be grandparents will learn all the new protocols to use when caring for their new grandchild. Some topics covered will include basic baby care, car seat safety, Tylenol/Ibuprofen dosing charts, home safety, poison control information, infant/child CPR, choking and other emergency medical information, as well as tips to support parents such as handling the baby blues and postpartum depression.  Free-will donations will be accepted to cover the costs of the class.

Veterans Memorial Hospital will sponsor a Babysitting Seminar Saturday, April 9. This class will be broken down into two different sessions to allow for better spacing of the students. The morning session will be held from 9 a.m. to Noon and the afternoon session from 1-4 p.m. The same information will be taught at both sessions, so students can sign- up for one session or the other.  A total of 20 students will be allowed in each session.

Both classes will be held in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of Veterans Memorial Hospital. The entrance for the class will be the hospital shipping/receiving entrance located on the east side of the building near the MRI truck, across from the golf course. Signs will be posted.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, March 17, at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held at Veterans Memorial Hospital in the Large Conference Room, located on the lower level of the hospital. Masks will be required to be worn.

This diabetes class is open to everyone who has diabetes or has a friend or loved one with diabetes.  For more information on the Diabetes Support Group, call  Angie Mettille, RN, at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Gloria Jacobson by Betty White, in memory of Greg Thiele by Chuck and Lois Votsmier, in memory of Tanya Benda Schnuelle by Greg and Rosie Piggott, and in memory of Doris Walsh by Chuck and Lois Votsmier and Norb and Nola Palmer.

Memorials were also received in memory of Shirley Elliott by Leonard and Mary Althouse, Mary Ann Burke, Mary Cunningham, John and Denise Hager, Lollie Hirth, Gil and Sharon Hunstad, Clint and Dacia Johnson, Ardie Kuhse, Joyce Kuhse, Russ and Mary Jo Meyer, Maurice Mooney, Sigurd and Barb Ness, Ernie and Donnalee Osland, George Pickett, Dr. Dave and Joan Schwartz, Bill and Beth Shafer, Donelle Sherman, Linda Siegrist, Virgil and Debbie Thorstenson, Betty White, Arlen and Karlene Wonderlich, and John and Shelly Elliott.

Kourtney Stone and Diego Velarde of Waukon announce the birth of their son, Collins Santiago Velarde Stone, born December 24, 2021 at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, WI. He weighed 9 lbs. 10 ozs. and measured 21-1/2 inches in length at the time of his birth.

Grandparents are Kristine and Pat Schwartzhoff of Waukon, Eric and Casey Stone of Elgin, Albino Velarde Cibrian of Waukon and Azul Rodriguez Aguirre of Las Palmas de Arriba, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco.

Great-grandparents are Mary and the late Gary Johnson of Waukon, Jean and Darrel Stone of Waukon, Santiago Velarde Curiel and Francisca Cibrian Rivera of Las Palmas de Arriba, Puerta Vallarta, Jalisco, Virginia Aguirre Hernandez and Heriberto Rodriguez Salas of Guadalajara, Mexico, Ed and Betty Young of Waterville and the late Larry Foster of Sebring, FL.