Obituaries

Francis (Frank) M. O’Malley, 72, of Waukon passed away from natural causes March 22, 2026, at his home. Services will be held at a later date.

Frank was born August 13, 1953, in Waukon to Patrick and Mary (Marsden) O’Malley. He graduated from Waukon High School in 1971. Following high school he attended Western Wisconsin Technical Institute in La Crosse, WI.

In his career Frank was employed in the meat business, the building trades and as a member of the gaming staff at casinos in Biloxi, MS. In 2015 he returned to live in Waukon.

Frank enjoyed playing cards, pool and softball, hunting and fishing. He was a fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Jean Ann O’Malley.

Mildred Aileen (Powell) Myhre, long-time resident of Spring Grove, MN, was the first-born child of Ethel (Enyart) and Louis Powell.  She entered this world on the blustery day of March 25, 1929, and departed on the blustery day of March 16, 2026.

Funeral and burial services were at Waterloo Ridge Lutheran Church March 21. Memorials can be directed to the Waterloo Ridge Church Cemetery Perpetual Fund or to the family c/o Laurie Knoke; 2 Cari Court, DeKalb, IL 60115.

Mildred graduated as the valedictorian of Waukon High School in 1947. She taught at a country school where her younger brothers Roger and Lyle were among her students. Her brother Robert was not of school age yet.

Stanley W. Straate, 76, of Waukon passed away peacefully Sunday, March 29, 2026, at Good Samaritan Society in Waukon, after a courageous fight with cancer. Memorial services will be held Wednesday, April 1 at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. Philip Agyei officiating. Burial will be held later at Ebenezer Cemetery, rural Waukon, with close family.

Visitation will be held Tuesday, March 31 from 4-7 p.m. at Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon, with a 3:30 p.m. scripture service. Memorials may be directed to Veterans Memorial Hospital, 40 1st Street SE, Waukon, IA 52172 or www.veteransmemorialhospital.com/about/foundation/.

Donald J. McKee, 65, of Lansing died peacefully in his childhood home surrounded by family and his little dog, Sassie, Sunday, March 22, 2026, following a long illness of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). Memorial services were held Monday, March 30 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Lansing with Fr. Joseph Sevcik officiating.

Donald John McKee was born August 11, 1960, in Waukon, the son of Richard and Evelyn (Knopf) McKee of Lansing. Donnie was a welder for Kol-Gol for ten years and fenced for area farmers for many years. He also worked at Strong’s gravel pit. Donnie was a lumberjack and woodsman and could identify most trees in the area.

He enjoyed watching westerns and woodcutting and machinery shows, playing battleship on TV, and playing euchre with friends. Every year on Easter Sunday, he would drive his tractor up Mount Ida hill for a hayride for his nieces and nephews, and he kept a campfire going for family get-togethers.

Thomas Francis Kistler, 77, of Chandler, AZ passed away Thursday, March 5, 2026. Services were held Tuesday, March 17 at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Phoenix, AZ. Interment is at St. Francis Cemetery in Phoenix.

Thomas was born October 7, 1948 in Yuma, AZ to Charles and Dorothy (Sadler) Kistler. In 1953 the Kistler family moved to Waukon, where his parents remained until their retirement. Thomas graduated from St. Patrick’s Catholic High School in Waukon in 1966. After graduation he attended Loras College in Dubuque and spent his life working in the chemistry field.

Irvin K. Fosaaen Jr., 76, of Waukon died Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, March 31 at 11 a.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon with Pastor Mark Oehlert officiating. Burial will be in Stavanger Cemetery in Ossian, and fellowship at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon. Friends may greet the family from 4-7 p.m. Monday, March 30 at Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Veterans Memorial Hospital, St. John’s Lutheran Church, Stavanger Lutheran Church, or the Waukon Swim Club.

Irvin Kermit Fosaaen Jr. was born in Decorah, the eldest son of Irvin Kermit Fosaaen Sr. and Marion (Mundt) Fosaaen, and grew up in Ossian. He was baptized and confirmed at Stavanger Lutheran Church, a place that remained meaningful to him throughout his life, and was a longtime member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon.

John J. Clauson, 67, of Waukon, died Sunday, March 15, 2026, at his home. Memorial services were held Saturday, March 21 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. Philip Agyei officiating. Burial will be held at a later date in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Waukon.

John Joseph Clauson was born February 7, 1959, at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon, the son of John M. and Ruth Anne (Howes) Clauson. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Patrick Catholic Church and graduated from Waukon High School in 1977. John attended Iowa State University and Upper Iowa University where he received his bachelor’s in social services degree.

John moved to Milwaukee, WI, to work for Grainger Industrial Supply, where he met Denise Pearson. John and Denise married in Wisconsin where they started their beautiful family. They soon decided to leave the city to raise their family in Waukon.

Marlys R. Martins, 84, of Waukon passed away Sunday, March 15, 2026, at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, WI, after some declining health issues for the past 18 months, followed by a brief illness. Memorial services were held Saturday, March 21 at Martin - Grau Funeral Home in Waukon with Tom Hollmann officiating. The family is requesting memorials be sent to the Waukon Wellness Center in Marlys’ name.

Michael R. DeLay, 64, of Des Moines died Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at Wayne County Hospital in Corydon. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, March 18 at 1 p.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Dorchester with Fr. Philip Agyei officiating, and burial will be at the church cemetery. Friends may greet the family from 11 a.m. until the time of services Wednesday at the church. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements.

Michael Robert DeLay was born April 16, 1961, in Oelwein, the son of Robert DeLay and Marjorie Hurley. He grew up in Cedar Falls, attending St. Patrick’s school and Cedar Falls High School.

Robert Dale Meiners of Caledonia, MN, passed away peacefully Friday, March 13, 2026 at Hillview Health Care Center in La Crosse, WI, surrounded by his loving family, just four days before his 90th birthday. Visitation will be held Saturday, March 21, beginning at 8:30 a.m., at St. Mary’s Parish Holy Family Hall in Caledonia, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church with Father Vogel officiating.

Burial with military honors will take place at Calvary Cemetery immediately after the service. A luncheon will be served at St. Mary’s Parish Holy Family Hall following the funeral. Memorial contributions will be given to charitable organizations in his honor.