Obituaries

Lara Ann Burns, age 35, of Gays Mills, WI left this world in the early morning of Saturday, April 9, 2016 to join her deceased family and friends in heaven. There will be a brunch and celebration of life visitation at the family home in rural Gays Mills, WI this Saturday, May 14 from 11 a.m. until finished.
 

Robert Daniel "Bob" Schmitt, 79, of Harpers Ferry died of melanoma May 4, 2016. A Celebration of Life service will be at a later date.

Bob was born August 11, 1936 at home in Little Turkey to Joseph and Christina (Kunt) Schmitt, one of 12 children. He attended Mount Carmel Catholic School and Lawler High School before moving to Cresco and graduating from Notre Dame Catholic High School in 1954. He served in the Marines from 1955 to 1959.

January 31, 1959 he married Mildred Zobeck and they had one son, Gary; they later divorced. September 1, 1989 Bob married Wendy Allen, originally of Norwich, England. He worked at John Deere in Waterloo for 35 years. Shortly after his retirement in 1989, Bob and Wendy moved to Harpers Ferry.

Kenneth C. Meyer, age 55, of Greensburg, IN, formerly of Waukon, died unexpectedly Monday, April 18, 2016 at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, IN following a brief illness. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 29 at First Presbyterian Church in Waukon. Visitation will be one hour prior to service and a celebration of life will follow the service in the fellowship hall.

Kenneth was born in Waukon December 3, 1960 to Marlend and Sylvia (Macauley) Meyer. He spent his younger years in northeast Iowa and graduated from Waukon High School in 1979. He was a Veteran of the United States Air Force and served his country from 1979-1982.

Kevin Kruse, age 55, of Waukon died Thursday, April 28 at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, WI from injuries he received in a fall. Funeral services were held Wednesday, May 4 at Decorah Lutheran Church, with Rev. Doug Bryce officiating. Interment was in Calvary Cemetery in Cresco.

Kevin Alex Kruse was born June 27, 1960 in Cresco, the son of Linus and Lucille (Reicks) Kruse. He grew up on a farm near Cresco. He graduated from Notre Dame High School in 1979 and attended Northeast Iowa Area Community College from 1980-1981, earning a certification for auto body repair.

Harold E. Coughlin, 88, of Hokah, MN died Sunday, May 8, 2016 in his home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, May 14 at 11 a.m. at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Hokah, MN. Rev. Pratap Reddy Salabindla will officiate. Burial with Military Honors will be in the Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Hokah, MN.

Friends may call at the church Saturday, May 14 from 10 a.m. until the time of services. The Schumacher-Kish Funeral & Cremation Services of La Crescent, MN is in charge of arrangements.
 

Willis "Buster" W. Mathis, 99, of Waukon died Friday, May 6, 2016 at Good Samaritan Center in Waukon. Funeral services were held Tuesday, May 10 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon, with Rev. Msgr. Cletus Hawes, Fr. Donald Hawes and Deacon Mike Ward officiating. Burial was at St. Joseph's Paint Rock Cemetery, rural Harpers Ferry.

Willis "Buster" William Mathis was born December 6, 1916 on his parents' farm in Lafayette Township in rural Lansing, the son of Adolph and Nellie (Burns) Mathis. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Joseph's Paint Rock Catholic Church in rural Harpers Ferry and attended Prairie country school in Lafayette Township, rural Lansing.

October 19, 1938 he married Myrtle Magdalene Steiber at St. Joseph's Paint Rock Catholic Church. Together they farmed in the rural Harpers Ferry area milking Holsteins and raising Black Angus cattle, pigs, sheep and chickens until moving to Waukon in 1978.

Jane A. Hausman, 84, of Waukon died Thursday, April 28, 2016 at Good Samaritan Center in Waukon. Private family burial services will be held at a later date at Oakland Cemetery in Waukon.

Jane Audrey Hausman was born January 1, 1932 in Van Horne. She was the daughter of Lester and Ruby (Wiese) Engelking. After graduating from Van Horne High School, she lived in Cedar Rapids, where she worked a number of years at Rockwell Collins.

June 30, 1963 she married John Hausman at Salem United Methodist Church in Cedar Rapids. They later moved to Waukon, where Jane spent 40 years working in and helping to run the family business, H&H Shoe Store.

Larry John Syhlman, 77, of New Albin died Sunday, April 24, 2016 at his home in New Albin. Funeral Services were held Monday, May 2 at St. Peter Community Christian Church, New Albin, with Rev. William Reese as the Officiant. Burial followed at St. Peter Memorial Cemetery, New Albin.

Larry was the second born child to William and Effie (Siems) Syhlman in Cedar Falls. He graduated from Cedar Falls High School in 1956. Larry was united in marriage with Maudie Back in 1958. They were blessed with four children.

Larry worked as a supervisor for John Deere for 32 years and retired in 1992. He was a very considerate person and always thought of others first, he was a man of great faith. Larry spent time traveling, fishing and visiting family. He was an avid gardener and enjoyed watching westerns, especially John Wayne. Larry was a member of St. Peter Community Christian Church.

Bill “Billy” G. Johns, 20, of Dorchester died Sunday, May 1, 2016 as a result of a car accident near Dorchester. Funeral services were held Friday, May 6 at 7 p.m. at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon, with Rev. Msgr. Ed Lechtenberg officiating. A private family burial of ashes will be held at a later date at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Dorchester.

Bill Grady Johns was born April 24, 1996 in La Crosse, WI, the son of William Grady and Jane Suzanne (Nelson) Johns. Bill’s family moved to Indianapolis, IN and in 2004, they returned to Dorchester. In 2014, he graduated from Waukon High School where he was very active in FFA and participated in track, wrestling, football and basketball. While in high school, Bill worked at Wings Supper  Club in Dorchester and also worked at Cabela’s in Prairie du Chien, WI. He was currently working as a mechanic at Bion’s Full Service Auto Care in La Crosse, WI, which he particularly enjoyed and they treated him like family.

Neal D. Leas, age 78, of Des Moines, world renowned all breed dog trainer/handler and German Shepherd breeder, died April 7, 2016. A Celebration of Life Service was held Wednesday, April 27 at the Windsor Heights Community Center in Colby Park in the Windsor Heights area of Des Moines. A graveside service will be held later in Neal's beloved northeast Iowa.

Neal was well known throughout Iowa, nationally and internationally for his expertise in dog training as well as his Guinness Book of World Record Champion German Shepherds.

Neal Dean Leas born April 3, 1938 in Waukon, the only child of Floyd Andrew Leas and Ireta Mabel Deal. Neal grew up in Rossville and graduated from Waukon High School in 1956. Neal was a proud 1961 graduate of Drake University, obtaining a double major in speech/drama and psychology; attended Drake Law School; and was a proud member of the Pi Kappa Delta National Honorary Debate Society - Diamond level.