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Dorothea “Thea” Lavon McLeese, 98, of Harpers Ferry, died peacefully Wednesday, February 9, 2005, in Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. At her request there will be no visitation. A celebration of her life and interment will take place at a later date at Dunham’s Grove Cemetery in rural Randalia, Iowa.

The daughter of James W. and Dora (Thomas) Orr, Thea was born January 12, 1907, on their rural Fayette farm. Thea graduated from Fayette High School in 1924 and from Upper Iowa University in Fayette in 1928. Following graduation she was a teacher in the Jesup High School.

LaVerne H. “Rudy” Pacholl, age 74, of Lansing, Iowa, died Tuesday, February 15, 2005, at Thornton Manor in Lansing. Funeral services were held Friday, February 18 at The Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Lansing with Fr. Daniel Knipper officiating. Burial was in Gethsemane Cemetery, Lansing. Military rites were accorded by the Beck-Glenn-Strong Post #50 of the American Legion and the Gustav F. Kerndt Post #5981 of the VFW. Thornburg Hanson Funeral Home, Lansing, was in charge of arrangements.

Clara D. Boeckenheuer, 93, of Reinbeck, Iowa, formerly of Hawkeye, West Union, and Waukon, Iowa, died Tuesday, February 15, 2005, at Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo, Iowa, from complications of pneumonia. Funeral services were held Friday, February 18, 2005, at the American Lutheran Church in Grundy Center, Iowa, with Pastor David Turner officiating. Burial was in the Hawkeye Cemetery in Hawkeye, Iowa. French-Hand Funeral Home in Reinbeck was in charge of arrangements.

Harlan “Sonny” Thompson, age 80, died Friday, February 11, 2005, in Rawlins, Wyo., while traveling to California. A memorial service was held Saturday, February 19 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Wykoff. His body was donated to medical science at Mayo Clinic.

Harlan was born October 3, 1924, in Waukon, Iowa, to Herman and Inez Thompson. In February of 1948 he married Vivian Stoen. They were later divorced.

On March 30, 1973, he married Eunice Scheevel.

Ione Stangeland, 100, of Newark, Ill., formerly of Wedron, died Wednesday evening, February 16, 2005, at the LaSalle County Nursing Home. Funeral services were held Saturday, February 19 at the Fox River Lutheran Church with Pastor Kevin Garner officiating. Burial was in DeBolt Cemetery. Arrangements were through Gabel-Dunn Funeral Home, Ltd. in Sheridan.

Chest pain is a common presenting complaint in any emergency room, including the emergency room at Veterans Memorial Hospital. There is always the possibility of heart disease in every complaint of chest pain or upper abdominal pain and must be taken very seriously.

The common signs and symptoms of an acute myocardial infarction, commonly called a heart attack, are;

1. Chest pain (crushing, squeezing, or heaviness).

2. Sudden onset of weakness, nausea, fainting, and sweating without an obvious cause.

When the sun starts shining more, and the snow begins melting, many midwesterners head outdoors for the fresh air and fitness it promises. For many, the spring melt signals an end to the hibernation instinct some of us fight during the cold winter months. But, before you jump straight into a new workout routine, take stock of where you are and where you want to go with your fitness goals.

Veterans Memorial Hospital’s Cultural Diversity Liaison Norman Feinstein, RN, recently presented on the importance of Lead Screenings and lead poisoning prevention at the Allamakee Community Elementary Schools. Veterans Memorial Hospital’s role as the Home Health/Public Health provider of Allamakee County includes being this county’s representative of the Tri-County Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. This is part of a state-wide network managed by the Iowa Department of Public Health.

The Waukon community helped to meet the rising demands of blood and blood products by sponsoring a community blood drive Wednesday, Feb. 9. Nearly 60 people registered at the blood drive with 43 units of blood being collected. Eighteen of these collections were from first time donors!

The success of the blood drive can be attributed to the many hours of planning and organization done by chairperson Beth Fitzpatrick, and sponsor group Veterans Memorial Hospital.

Saturday, Feb. 26, 2005, Merle and Juanita Monroe will be celebrating their 59th wedding anniversary. Their families would like to invite the community to share in a card shower to help them note the occasion. Cards may be sent to either:

Juanita Monroe

Good Samaritan Center

400 Hardin Drive

Postville IA 52162

or

Merle Monroe

1167 150th Ave.

Castalia IA 52133