Obituaries

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.

Jean Hager, 80, of Cedar Falls died Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at Western Home Communities in Cedar Falls. A private service was held at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon handled arrangements.

Jean Ellyn Hager was born July 8, 1945, the daughter of Robert and Marian (Raisty) Hager. She graduated from Waukon High School and received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa.

Jean kept busy throughout her life and lived in various places such as Washington state, Connecticut, California, Wisconsin, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Iowa where she worked at various jobs. She became a loving caregiver for her mother in her last years and later provided compassionate care for her cousin Virgil in his remaining years.

Sister Mary Lou Cota, PBVM (formerly Sister William Marie), 88, died Thursday, May 7, 2026, at Sisters of the Presentation (Mount Loretto), 2360 Carter Road, Dubuque. Wednesday, May 13, friends may call from 9:30-11 a.m. at Sacred Heart Chapel, Sisters of the Presentation, where there will be a wake service at 9:30 a.m. and funeral service at 11 a.m. Burial will follow in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Key West.

The Hoffmann Schneider & Kitchen Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Memorials may be made to the Sisters of the Presentation, 2360 Carter Road, Dubuque, IA 52001 or online at www.dbqpbvms.org.

Sister Lou, daughter of William and Marie (Hawes), was born June 15, 1937, as Mary Lou Cota, in Harpers Ferry. She entered the Sisters of the Presentation September 8, 1955, and professed her perpetual vows August 21, 1963.

Patrick Loras Byrnes, 88, of Rochester, MN, formerly of Waterloo, passed away May 2, 2026, in Rochester. He was born August 16, 1937, in Waukon, the son of Garland and Mary (Reddy) Byrnes.

Mass of Christian Burial was held Tuesday, May 12 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Waterloo, under the auspices of Queen of Peace Catholic Church. Burial took place in Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetery, Waterloo.

Patrick grew up on a farm near Dorchester and graduated from St. Patrick’s High School in Waukon with the Class of 1955. He then served his country in the United States Army from 1956 to 1958 and was stationed in Fort Lewis, WA. Upon his honorable discharge from service, Patrick continued his education as a diesel mechanic.

Patrick was united in marriage to Barbara Jean Hundey. She preceded him in death November 23, 1998. October 20, 2001, he was united in marriage to Carol Wanderscheid Ehler.

Linda Ann Hamadani, age 75, of Waukee, passed away peacefully April 21, 2026. She was born December 2, 1950, to Arden and Gladys (Ludeking) Iverson and raised in Waukon. Online condolences may be left at https://www.reifffamilycenter.com/ under the Obituaries section.