Obituaries

Richard K. Hermeier, 88, of Waukon died Saturday, August 2, 2025, at his home in Waukon. Richard donated his body to the University of Iowa. Memorial services were held Monday, August 18 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon with Pastor Bryan Robertson officiating. Burial will be held at a later date in Bethlehem Cemetery, rural Postville.

Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon handled the arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. John’s Lutheran Church or Veterans Memorial Hospital, both in Waukon.

Bernadette “BB” Becker, 87, of Lansing died Friday, August 8, 2025, at Thornton Manor in Lansing. Funeral services will be held Thursday, August 14 at 11 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Lansing with Fr. Joseph Sevcik officiating. Burial will follow at Gethsemane Cemetery in Lansing.

Friends may greet the family from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, August 13 at Thornburg-Grau Funeral Home in Lansing, where there will be a 6:30 p.m. scripture service, and also starting at 10 a.m. until the time of services at church Thursday.

Bradley Alan Bucknell, age 72, of Waukon, passed away August 7, 2025, at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, WI. Memorial services will be held at Iron Ridge Church in Waukon. Visitation will be Wednesday, August 13, from 4-8 p.m., and the funeral will take place Thursday, August 14, at 10:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, gifts, or memorials, the family kindly requests that donations be made to the Postville Booster Club in honor of Brad’s lifelong dedication to Postville High School students and athletes. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.iowacremation.com under Obituaries.

Brad was born September 22, 1952, in LeRoy, MN, to Virgil and Shirley Bucknell. In 1971, he married the love of his life, Jeannie Alberts. Together they built a beautiful life and raised two sons, Shannon (born in 1972) and Wade (born in 1977).

Marilyn Adelaide (Aldrich) Richard of La Saucelle, France died July 11, 2025. She was 88 years old. Memorial services were held in France at the Dreux Funeral Home. She was buried in the family grave next to her husband at Saint Anne Church cemetery.

Marilyn Adelaide Aldrich was born April 9, 1937 to Alvin and Adelaide (Lea) Aldrich. She grew up on the family farm near Churchtown. Marilyn was active in church, playing both the piano and organ. She graduated from Waukon Senior High in 1955 as class valedictorian.

Nancy (Fellows) Larson passed away, May 3, 2025. She was born in Waukon August 24, 1936 to John and Dorothy (Minteer) Fellows. She had three siblings: Bert (Jan) Fellows, Linda (Jerry) Siegrist and Johnny Fellows.

Nancy was raised in Waterville - a tight knit town of 200 people. She had so many fond memories of growing up in Iowa - a family full of love and laughter, close friends, lots of responsibilities, playing high school basketball (to hear her tell it, she was the best point guard to come out of Iowa until Caitlin Clark!), and the beauty of northeast Iowa.

Nancy attended the University of Iowa for a short time and that is where she went on a blind date with a fellow from Iowa State University and promptly fell in love with Don Larson. They were married in 1957 and moved to Berkeley, CA where Don finished his PhD and Nancy worked in the offices of the School of Engineering at UC-Berkeley.

Christina Kay Peterson was born March 2, 1967, to Allan and Patricia Peterson of Spring Grove, MN. Sunday, August 3, 2025, after a short but spirited fight with cancer, Christina Kay Waters rode into Heaven’s wide-open pastures.

Family and friends are invited to join in celebrating Christina’s life Saturday, August 30 from 4-7 p.m. at Empty Nest Winery in Waukon. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the college scholarship fund established in her honor at Waukon State Bank.

Christina was one of the hardest workers you could ever meet - keeping an immaculate home, creating beautiful landscaping, and somehow remembering every phone number and miner’s employee number without ever writing them down. She had a way of making people feel seen and cared for, never needing the spotlight but always shining in her own way - much like the sunflowers she loved, standing tall and bright in the yards she tended so well.

Thomas “Tom” J. Hodina, 77, of Waukon passed away peacefully Sunday, July 27, 2025, at Northgate Care Center in Waukon. There will be a private graveside service at the Czech National Cemetery in Cedar Rapids at a later date. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements.

Thomas James Hodina was born June 22, 1948, in Cedar Rapids to parents Lester and Mary (Regan) Hodina. Tom grew up in Cedar Rapids and graduated from Jefferson High School. Shortly after graduation, Tom joined the Navy and served four years on a submarine. After his time in the Navy, Tom moved to Colorado and spent over 30 years of his working career as the maintenance supervisor at Coors Brewery in Golden, CO.

Ronnie Paul Knopf, 66, of Pleasant Plains, AR departed this life Saturday, July 26, 2025. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

Ronnie was born in Monona October 16, 1958 to Paul Knopf and Helen Budal. He worked on farms and also worked at the Iowa turkey plant.

Ronnie enjoyed watching old Western movies, being outdoors, listening to rock music - especially AC/DC, spending time with family and friends, and taking road trips with friends on weekends. He also loved being with his two dogs, Blue and Copper.

He is survived by his sons, Matt Doda and Jerrad (Sabrina) Zeimet; his daughters, Jesse (Jake) Golly,  Elisha Rudolph and Megan Doda; his grandchildren, Adam, Braxton, Morgan, Hannah, Brandon, Cadie, Laine, Nate, Kaitlyn, Adian, Allison, Ashlyn, Jarrad, Joanna, Janessa, Brooklyn, Carson, Heileigh and Raelynn; his brother, Iverson Knopf; his sisters, Shirley Tanguay, Carol Morse, and Sally Blackford; and many nieces, nephews and friends.

Curtis O. Steele, 86, of Waukon died Thursday, July 31, 2025, at Good Samaritan Society in Waukon. Funeral services were held Tuesday, August 5 at Martin - Grau Funeral Home in Waukon with Pastor Bryan Robertson officiating. Burial was at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon.

Curtis Orvold Steele was born May 10, 1939, in Decorah, the son of Raymond and Gertrude (Ramsay) Steele. He attended Glenwood rural school. August 21, 1960, he married Shirley Elaine Roffman at Glenwood Lutheran Church in rural Decorah. Curtis helped his father on the farm and over the years had several other jobs: worked for Wapsi Produce in the packing department, hauled milk, and dug wells for the Nelson Brothers. He also drove gravel truck, drilled dynamite holes, and operated a rock crusher for R.J. Cooney Quarries as well as for Billy Bresnahan. Curtis then went to work for Agri-Processors, was a janitor at Northern Engraving, and helped out at Pop’s Produce.

Theresa Elizabeth Anderson was called to Jesus July 24, 2025. A funeral mass at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon and burial of ashes at Mt. Olivet Cemetery will be scheduled for this fall.

Theresa was born to Aloysius “Louis” and Sarah Wetzel in Cincinnati, OH December 9, 1921. She was the fifth child in a family of 11 brothers and sisters. Her patron saint was Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, known as the “little flower”.

She attended the Regina all girls Catholic high school. After high school she worked in different businesses in Cincinnati, one of which was P. Goldsmith Sporting Goods which manufactured baseballs, gloves, and shoes, and also golf clubs. In 1942 she asked her father if she could move to Miami to live with a girlfriend, and her father said, “You are 21, you can do anything that you wish.”