Obituaries

Lillian Brown, age 75, of Nevada, formerly of Harpers Ferry, passed away peacefully October 22, 2023 surrounded by her family after a long battle with cancer. A visitation will be held November 4 from 10:30 a.m. until 12 p.m. with a Celebration of Life Service beginning at 12 p.m. at the Fayette County Fairgrounds Dance Pavilion, 504 South Vine Street, West Union.

Lillian Mae Brown was born July 31, 1948 to Paul and Agnes (Stodolny) Culbertson in Chicago, IL. She was the oldest of her siblings, Wayne, Karen and Darrell. Lillian attended public school in the Chicago area, then graduated from Ippolito School of Cosmetology.

Lillian met Jerry Brown at a carnival the summer of 1968 and it was love at first sight. They were united in marriage November 2, 1968 in Chicago, IL. Together, they had three children, Cathy, Tina and James. The family moved to West Union in 1976 where Jerry and Lillian began their career working at Atwood.

Daniel K. O’Brien, M.D., 76, of Springfield, IL passed away October 23, 2023 at HSHS St. John’s Hospital. A private family ceremony will be held in accordance with Dan’s wishes.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to The Parkinson Foundation, https://www.parkinson.org/; The Joy of Movement, https://thejoyofmovement.org/ (a local organization serving Springfield, IL); or a charity of the donor’s choice.

A kind man with a great sense of humor, Dan’s legacy will continue through his children, grandchildren, and the many lives he touched over the course of his career and every day.

Dan was born May 13, 1947, the son of Kenneth William and Alphild Leona Pladsen O’Brien, in Waukon. He married Elizabeth Ann Louden August 22, 1971 in Grinnell.

Mona A. Campbell, 91, of Waukon died Sunday, October 22, 2023 at Aase Haugen Home in Decorah. Per her wishes, no services will be held.

Memorials may be directed to the PEO Chapter EK c/o Linda Johanningmeier, 1033 Highway 76, Waukon, IA 52172, or to Cottey College at https://cottey.edu/give. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is assisting the family.

Mona Ann Campbell was born March 31, 1932 in Prairie City to John and Edna (Borene) Van Steenbergen. She was baptized and became a member of the Prairie City Methodist (later United Methodist) Church.

Cecelia Kay Heffernan, age 74, passed away October 19, 2023 in Boscobel, WI. There will be no services for Kay at this time. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Kay was born October 17, 1949 to Lillian and Paul Allenby in Wheeling, WV. Her father, Paul, was in the military and Kay lived abroad as a young child. She had a brother and best friend, Paulie, who passed away when he was 12 years old. After that Kay found the love of her life in Larry Heffernan at the age of 14. This started their lifelong journey as they were married when she was just 14 and he was 16 April 19, 1964 in Mexico.

Jerre J. Henthorn, 80, of Waukon died Saturday, October 21, 2023 at Good Samaritan Center in Waukon. Memorial services are pending. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements.

Jerre Jean Henthorn was born August 7, 1943 in Richland Center, WI, the daughter of Gerald and Eva (Williams) Henthorn. She attended Chore Elementary and graduated from Readstown High School; she then attended Vernon County Teachers College for two years. Jerre received her teaching certificate from UW-Platteville and her special education endorsement from UNI in Cedar Falls.

Jerre taught third and fourth grades in Postville for five years before becoming a special education teacher at Waukon Junior High for 38 years. In 1983, she met Gregory A. Thiele and they were together until Greg’s death in 2021.

Milton “Bill” C. Jones, 84, of Harpers Ferry died Friday, October 20, 2023 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. A celebration of life will be held from 12-3 p.m. Saturday, October 28 at Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon. Burial with military honors will follow at Sixteen Cemetery in rural Monona.

Milton “Bill” C. Jones was born July 6, 1939 in Luana, one of 12 children of Andrew Nathan and Floy Olive (Clawson) Jones. He attended Ion country schools and, at age 17, joined the U.S. Navy. He served a total of six years and was stationed all around the world as a submarine tender.

August 20, 1966, Bill married Ramona Platten in Monona. He worked in Cedar Rapids for a couple years before going to Northern Engraving in Waukon. In 1975, Bill bought his Caterpillar bulldozer and helped farmers with terracing, building ponds and removing trees. In the early 1990s, he returned to Northern Engraving as a maintenance man, retiring in 2002.

Jim E. Nagel, 82, of Waukon died Thursday, October 19, 2023 at Northgate Care Center in Waukon. Funeral services were held Monday, October 23 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. John Moser officiating. Burial was at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Waukon. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon handled arrangements.

James “Jim” Edward Nagel was born June 17, 1941 in Waukon, the son of Edward and Aurelia (Stock) Nagel. He attended Waukon schools. February 23, 1963, he married Mary Sweeney at St. Mary’s Lycurgus Catholic Church in rural Waukon. For over 50 years, Jim worked for Quandahl’s Food Ranch in Waukon.

Family was very important to Jim; he loved spending time with them, especially his grandchildren. He enjoyed working in his yard and scratching lotto tickets. Jim collected guns, coins, stamps, marbles, dominoes and comic books. He was an all-around great guy, always very generous, kind, and had a positive word to say about everyone.

Raymond “Jim” Dougherty, 86, of Waukon, formerly of Dorchester, died Wednesday, October 11, 2023 at his home. Funeral services were held Tuesday, October 17 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. John Moser officiating. Burial with military honors was at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Waukon. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon handled arrangements.

Raymond “Jim” James Dougherty was born January 23, 1937 in Waukon, the son of Emmet G. and Irene (Bresnahan) Dougherty. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon, attended country schools near Waukon, and graduated from St. Patrick Catholic High School in 1955. He then farmed with his parents and in 1960 went to military basic training in Missouri and AIT training for four months in Norfolk, VA, before becoming a reservist for six years out of Prairie du Chien, WI.

Virginia Anne Robinson (Anne), died peacefully October 9, 2023 in Chicago, IL. A Celebration of Life will be held in Chicago at a future date.

Anne Robinson was born November 11, 1937 in Manchester. She was the daughter of Burdette and Lynne Harris. Being the child of a serviceman, Anne traveled much during her younger years with stops in Illinois, Texas, Alabama, Nebraska, among others.

It was in Hanover, IL that she met the young man she would eventually marry.  Jack and Anne Robinson tied the knot July 18, 1956.  They settled down in Hazel Green, WI where their first child, Roxanne, was born.  A second child, Randy, was born three years later in Manchester. The family lived in Edgewood before moving to Waukon in 1969. In 2001, Jack and Anne moved full-time to Winter Haven, FL where they spent 18 years.

Gregory Lee Steffans, 65, of Somerset, KY passed away Monday, October 9, 2023 at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, WI. A Celebration of Life Gathering was held Saturday, October 14 at Schutte-Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Postville. A Graveside Service was held Sunday, October 15 at God’s Acres in Clermont with Pastor Karla Johnson serving as the officiant.

Gregory was born December 20, 1957 to Donald and Wilma (Quandahl) Steffans in Decorah. He graduated from Valley High School in 1976.