Obituaries

Kathleen Jo Fossum, 75, of Waukon passed away Saturday, May 23, 2026. Services will be held Friday, July 10 at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon. Family and friends will be able to visit with the family prior to the service from 9-11 a.m. at the church. After the service, family and friends will be welcomed to gather at The Empty Nest Winery in rural Waukon for visitation and a lunch.

A private graveside service will be at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to St. Patrick’s Schools, Veterans Memorial Hospital, or Good Samaritan Center, all in Waukon.

Kathy Jo Waldron was born July 12, 1950 in Waukon  to Bill and Marge Waldron. Kathy was baptized and confirmed at St. Patrick’s Church in Waukon. She attended St. Patrick’s School in Waukon, grades 1-12, and graduated from St. Patrick’s High School in 1968. Kathy worked at the Waukon Bakery during her school years.

Marian R. Hesla, age 87, of Waterville passed away peacefully surrounded by her family Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at the Good Samaritan Center in Waukon. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, June 15 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon with Pastor Mark Oehlert officiating. Friends may greet the family from 9 a.m. until the time of the service.

A luncheon will follow in the church basement. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Waterville EMS, Waterville Cemetery or to Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in Waukon. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements.

Jean Mathis, 97, of Waukon died Monday, May 25, 2026, at her daughter’s home in Waukon. Funeral services were held Thursday, May 28 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon, with Fr. Philip Agyei officiating. Burial was at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Waukon. Memorials can be made to the family and will be designated by the family at a later date. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon handled the arrangements.

Loretta Jean (Kelly) Mathis was born March 11, 1929, in Waterville, the first of two children born to Ted R. Kelly and Gertrude (Wachter) Kelly. Jean was baptized and confirmed at St. Pius Catholic Church, Cherry Mound. She attended all 12 years at Waterville Consolidated School and graduated in 1947. She attended Luther College and received her teaching certificate. Jean taught for a year in Lafayette Township.

There’s an old adage: “Jack of all trades, master of none.” Adelbert Dale “Butch” Whittle proved during his 99+ years on this earth that you can be both a jack of all trades AND a master of all. Whether it was one of the many jobs he took on, working with wood, building his four houses, or playing a game of checkers with his great-grandchildren, his determination to succeed was rivaled only by his commitment for perfection.

Butch was born to Bernard L. and Odelia (Fassbinder) Whittle September 17, 1926. He graduated from Monona High School in 1944, served three years in the U.S. Navy, and attended the University of Dubuque for two years. He married the love of his life, Darlene Mae Havlicek, October 15, 1946 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Monona, where they raised their three children. In 2021, Butch and Darlene moved to Clive to be near their son and daughter-in-law, Doug and Dianne Whittle.

Bernard D. Pausch, 90, of Waukon died Sunday, May 24, 2026, at Emplify Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, WI. Funeral services were held Saturday, May 30 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon, with Pastor Mark Oehlert officiating. Burial was at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon.

Bernard Darwin Pausch was born August 18, 1935, in Postville, the son of Harvey and Florence (Thornton) Pausch. He attended country school in the Postville area and graduated from Postville High School. October 20, 1956, he married Mary Andregg at the Little Brown Church in Nashua. Bernard and Mary lived in Postville, Waterloo, and Bowling Green, OH, where he was a meat inspector for the USDA. He and Mary moved to Waukon in 2000.

Donald A. Vonderohe, 90, of New Albin passed away Friday, May 15, 2026, at the Good Samaritan Society, Waukon. A visitation will be Wednesday, May 27, beginning at 9 a.m., and concluding promptly at 12 noon at the New Albin Community Center, New Albin. A funeral service will be at 1 p.m. at St. John’s United Church of Christ, Wheatland. Pastor Allen Hanson will officiate.  Burial will follow in the church cemetery with military honors by the Kenneth Casey VFW Post 5603 of New Albin.

Donald A. Vonderohe was born August 31, 1935 in Caledonia MN. Along with his parents Henry and Marie (Hahn), he and his twin brother Ronald lived in rural New Albin. Donald graduated from Waukon High School and then served in the Army.

Donald married Helen (Banse) October 21, 1961. They farmed and lived on the family farm until 1987 when they moved to New Albin.

Dorothy Kluth, 93, of Rochester, MN, formerly of Farmersburg, died Monday, May 4, 2026 at Samaritan Bethany in Rochester, MN. A Funeral Service was held Saturday, May 23 at St. John Lutheran Church in Farmersburg with Rev. Jeremy Wolfe as the officiant.

Inurnment followed in Farmersburg-Wagner Cemetery, rural Farmersburg. Memorials may be made to St. John Lutheran Church, Farmersburg-Wagner Cemetery and Farmersburg Fire Department and EMS. Leonard-Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Monona helped the family with the arrangements.

She was born in Bloomfield Township in Iowa to Helmuth and Amanda (Block) Schutte. Dorothy graduated from Postville High School in 1951. She worked in bookkeeping and secretarial jobs at the bank, Huinker Chevrolet and Interstate Power Company.

Sandra L. Hesse, 77, of Waukon died Sunday, May 17, 2026, at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Memorial services were held Thursday, May 21 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. Joseph Sevcik officiating. Burial was in Salem Cemetery, Waukon. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon handled arrangements.

Sandra Lynn Hesse was born January 4, 1949, in Waukon, the daughter of Edwin and June (Landro) Leiran. She was baptized and confirmed at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon, where she later taught Sunday School. She attended Waukon High School.

June 14, 1968, Sandy married Wayne Runice. To this union three children were born: Jay, Shelle, and Heather. Wayne passed away July 4, 1986. She then married Orville Hesse March 6, 2002. Orville passed away October 21, 2008. One day while at a thrift store, Sandy met John Troendle. The two were married April 15, 2023.

Brigitte L. Weymiller, 49, of Harpers Ferry died Sunday, May 10, 2026, at Emplify Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, WI. Memorial services will be held Friday, May 15 at 2 p.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon.
The family invites relatives and friends to join them for a Celebration of Life beginning at 5 p.m. Friday, after the service, at Portside Supper Club in Harpers Ferry, where a meal will be served from 5-7 p.m. Please feel free to stay, visit, and share memories into the evening. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements. Online condolences may be left at www.martinfunerals.com.

Timothy “Tim” R. O’Malley, 74, of Lansing passed away Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Lansing. Per Tim’s wishes, he will be cremated. A celebration of life will be held at TJ Hunters Banquet Hall at 377 Main Street, Lansing Saturday, June 27 from 1-5 p.m.

Memorials may be directed to the family at P.O. Box 655, Lansing, IA 52151. Thornburg-Grau Funeral Home in Lansing is assisting the family. Online condolences may be left at www.martinfunerals.com.

Timothy Raymond O’Malley was born June 27, 1951, in Davenport to Dennis and Kathleen (Spinner) O’Malley. He graduated from St. George High School in 1969. He was a member of the U.S. Army, serving in Vietnam. Tim was also a member of the VFW Post 5981 in Lansing.