Obituaries

Sharon I. Miene, 77, of Postville died Tuesday, July 26, 2016 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Funeral services were held Saturday, July 30 at 11 a.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Postville with Greg Hamm and Pastor Lynn Noel officiating. Burial was at Postville Cemetery.

Sharon Irene Miene was born November 20, 1938 in Winneshiek County, rural Decorah, the daughter of Mervin Julemen and Clara Genette (Flatland) Stegen. She was baptized at the Glenwood Lutheran Church and confirmed at the Madison Lutheran Church. Sharon attended the Bluffton #2 rural school and Decorah High School.

Kurt Rathbun, age 68, of Waterville took his final road trip July 18, 2016. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Kurt was born June 24, 1948 in Waukon, the fifth of nine children born to Lawrence and Hilma (Moe) Rathbun. Growing up he loved to sneak off to Paint Creek to fish or just play in the water. He would trap in the winters to earn spending money and loved to hunt and fish. Kurt had a keen interest in the way things worked and would take apart items to fix or just to see what made them “tick”.

He attended elementary school in Waterville and high school in Waukon, graduating in 1966. He was a member of the Waterville Lutheran Church. As he grew older he enjoyed working on cars he owned or helping friends with theirs. In 1972 he married Diane Leiran in Champagne, IL and raised two sons.

Allen G. Kubitz, age 82, formerly of Iowa, died Sunday, July 17, 2016 in Sparks, NV. Arrangements for burial of his ashes in Clinton are in the process of being finalized. A full obituary will be made available once those plans have been completed. John Sparks Memorial is assisting the family with arrangements.
 

The end of an era happened July 22, 2016 with the death of Larry Gene Beisker of Cedar Rapids. He passed away while working in his cherished garden at the age of 73 of an apparent heart attack.

There will be a Celebration of Life at The Legacy Center at Murdoch-Linwood, located at 520 Wilson Avenue SW in Cedar Rapids, July 29 from 4-8 p.m. for visitation. The family invites friends and family to The Timeout Lounge, located at 3230 16th Avenue SW in Cedar Rapids, Saturday, July 30 from 1-3 p.m. to “take a break” for a toast to Larry. Please feel free to wear denim, as that is how we all remember him.

He now joins his beloved family, including his mother, Alice Alzina (Ewing) Beisker; his father, George William Karl Beisker, Sr.; nine siblings: Georgia Ream, Virginia Kellison, George Jr., John (Jack), Amanda Kelbl, Dean, Marvin, Roger and David; and an infant daughter, Carry Lynn.

Martina E. Schlein Fritz, 94, of Waukon died Tuesday, July 19, 2016 at Good Samaritan Center in Waukon. Funeral services were held Saturday, July 30 at First Presbyterian Church in Waukon, with Pastor Grant VanderVelden officiating. Burial was at Monona City Cemetery, Monona.

Martina Eleanor Broderick Schlein Fritz was born to Martin and Eleanor (Aird) Broderick May 6, 1922 in Evansville, WI. At an early age, her family moved back to Iowa. Her early education was acquired at various country schools. Martina attended Waukon High School, graduating in 1939 with a normal training teaching certificate. Being only 17 years of age, she attended one year of junior college in Waukon.

Lillian A. Stockton, 98, of Anamosa, formerly of Waukon, went home to her Lord and Savior July 17, 2016 at Pinicon Place in Anamosa surrounded by her family. Funeral services will be held Thursday, July 21 at 2:30 p.m. at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon, with Pastor Don Jackson officiating. Burial will be at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon. Friends may call one hour before services Thursday at the funeral home.

Donald F. Lyon, 82, of Waukon died Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at Thornton Manor in Lansing. Memorial services will be held Thursday, July 21 at 11 a.m. at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon, with Pastor Grant VanderVelden officiating. Burial will be at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon. Friends may call one hour before services Thursday at the funeral home.

Donald Frederick Lyon was born March 16, 1934 in Creston, the son of Sidney and Florence (Robinson) Lyon. He attended rural country schools in Union County prior to graduating from Creston High School in 1952. After working on the family farm for a couple of years, he moved to Monticello, where he worked for the Eclipse Lumber yard. In 1955, he married Sally Guyan and from this union two sons were born, Allen and Michael.

Lori “Lulu” J. Heitman-Blanchard, 54, of La Crosse, WI passed away unexpectedly Saturday, July 9, 2016 at her home. Memorial services were held Saturday, July 16 at Trinity Lutheran Church, La Crosse, WI, with Pastor Erik Freig officiating.

Lori was born November 22, 1961 in La Crosse, WI to Elmer and Gladys (Meyer) Heitman. Lori was baptized and confirmed at St. John’s United Church of Christ (Wheatland Church), rural New Albin. She was a graduate of Waukon High School in Waukon and also attended Western Technical College in La Crosse, WI for two years.

Norval "Jack" Larson of Lansing, MI, formerly of Waukon, passed away July 6, 2016 at the age of 100. A funeral service was held Monday, July 11 at Peoples Church in East Lansing, MI with Rev. Andrew Pomerville officiating. For those desiring, contributions may be made in Jack's memory to Peoples Church.

Norval "Jack" Larson was born May 16, 1916, the son of Arthur and Geanette Larson. He was the proud owner and operator of Jack Larson Apartments and was a skilled builder and a savvy salesman. Also, in his spare time, he was a ballroom dance instructor.

Jack was preceded in death by his parents; his siblings, Minnie, Arnold, Leslie,  Frances,  Walter  and Lorrain. Surviving to  cherish  his memory are his beloved wife, Oleane "Trish" Larson; his daughter, Judy McDannald; his grandchildren, Judith   Bartels and Beverly Drewry; his sister, Virginia Rumbaugh; and many nieces and nephews.

Pat A’Hearn, age 68, of Waukon passed away December 7, 2015 at Veterans Hospital in Iowa City after a short illness. Services will be held Saturday, July 16 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon.

Friends and family will be gathering at 9 a.m. at the church with services to follow at 10 a.m. Interment will be at Mount Olivet Cemetery, rural Waukon.