Obituaries

Jim O’Neill, 73, of Waukon passed away Thursday, February 16, 2023 at his home in Waukon. Funeral services were held Tuesday, February 21 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. John Moser officiating. Burial will be held at a later date in Wexford Cemetery in rural Lansing.

James Francis “Jim” O’Neill was born August 21, 1949 in Decorah, the son of Steve and Eleanor (Mullarkey) O’Neill. He was baptized and confirmed at Wexford Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in rural Lansing and graduated from St. George Catholic School in Lansing in 1967.

December 5, 1970, he married Susan Marti at Wexford Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Wexford. Jim retired from his lifelong career at J.F. Brennan Company in 2011. Retirement years led to development of Wexford Valley Campground.

James N. Gruber Sr., 101, of Lansing died Saturday, February 11, 2023 at Good Samaritan Society in Waukon. Memorial services will be held Thursday, March 2 at 11 a.m. at United Methodist Church in Lansing with Pastor James “Buck” Buckhahn officiating. Burial will be held at a later date in Oak Hill Cemetery, Lansing. Friends may greet the family from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, March 1 at Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon.

James Norbert Gruber Sr. was born April 16, 1921 in Lafayette Township, rural Lansing, the son of Leslie and Salome (Hacklander) Gruber. He attended Prairie Lafayette School in rural Lansing. September 28, 1952, he married Catherine Hancock at Waterville Lutheran Church in Waterville.

Natasha Lynn Walleser, age 27, of Lansing passed away Sunday, February 12, 2023 surrounded by family at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, WI. She was the beautiful daughter of Fred and the late Dora Walleser. She was the loving older sister of Ethan, Michael and Michelle.

There will be a service in her honor at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Lansing at 1 p.m. Friday, February 17, followed by a visitation and celebration of life at TJ Hunters Banquet Hall starting at 3 p.m. All who knew and loved her are welcome to attend.

Mark N. Benda, 43, of Waukon died suddenly Thursday, February 9, 2023 at his home. Memorial services will be held Friday, February 17 at 11 a.m. at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Waukon with Pastor Kim Gates officiating. Friends may greet the family from 4-8 p.m. Thursday, February 16 at Martin - Grau Funeral Home in Waukon. In lieu of flowers and gifts, memorials are preferred for his daughter, Nalia.

Mark Neal Benda was born February 9, 1980 in Waukon, the son of Paul and Kathy (Palmer) Benda. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Waukon, where he remained a lifelong member. Mark attended Waukon schools and graduated in the class of 1998.

He worked in concrete construction for Rusty Berger and for his brother, Matt. For the past five years, Mark worked for the City of Waukon as an operator at the sewer plant. Mark loved working on the family farm as a kid and continued to help his neighbors and friends with their farm work.

Clair Wagner, 86, of Lansing died peacefully in his home surrounded by family February 11, 2023. Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. Friday, February 17 and from 9:45-11:45 a.m. Saturday, February 18. Scripture service will take place at 4 p.m. Friday and Funeral Mass will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, all taking place at Immaculate Conception Church in Lansing.

In lieu of flowers, donations/memorials may be made to Holy Family of the Bluffs Faith Formation, Gethsemane Cemetery Restoration, or Crossing Rivers Hospice of Prairie du Chien, WI.

Clair Francis Wagner was the fourth son and eighth child in the Frank and Monica (Hogan) Wagner family.  He was born in Waukon April 1, 1936. Clair graduated from Immaculate Conception (IC) High School in Lansing in 1954. At IC, Clair was a catcher on the baseball team and a key member of their 1954 Archdiocesan Championship basketball squad.

John “Jack” Levi Hagensick, age 89, of Waukon passed away at home after a short battle with cancer Wednesday, February 8, 2023. Funeral Services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, February 17 at the Zion Lutheran Church, 117 West Greene Street in Castalia. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. until the time of service Friday at the church.

Jack was the only child born to Joseph and Lois (Bacon) Hagensick in Waukon June 2, 1933. Jack went to school in Waterville through the eighth grade. They then moved to Castalia where Jack started farming with his dad. This is where he met the love of his life, Sally Schultz, who lived just a mile down the road.

Jack married Sally December 27, 1953. They farmed in Castalia until 1965 when they purchased their own farm in Glenwood Township. There they raised their five children.

Debra Ann Zeimet, 57, formerly of Waukon, finished her journey Monday, January 16, 2023 at Thornton Manor Nursing Center, Lansing, where she spent the last 16 months of her life. All are welcome for a graveside gathering Saturday, February 25 at 11 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, Wexford, where she will rest alongside her beloved mother, Gloria.

Her pure spirit was born to Adrian and Gloria (Hodgkinson) Zeimet January 3, 1966 in Prairie du Chien, WI. As the youngest, she was welcomed into a home of four brothers and two sisters where she won our love and showed us how to care. Those siblings included Frank (Kim) Zeimet of Kearney, MO, John (Joyce) Zeimet of Camdenton, MO, Robert (Barb) Zeimet of De Soto, WI, Catherine (Robert “Bob”) Stevenson of De Soto WI, Kenneth Zeimet of Smithville, MO and Teresa (Tim) Jandrey of Gilbert MN.

Norman “Chris” Clinton Christianson, 78, of Issaquah, WA passed away at home January 27, 2023 of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Chris was born in Waukon April 14, 1944 to Hilma Corneilia (Larson) and Andrew Cornelius Christianson. He worked the family farm in Waukon after graduating from high school. Chris served in the United States Navy and the Marines as a hospital corpsman from 1966 to 1970. He was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal with Combat “V” for meritorious service while serving in Vietnam.

Toward the end of his military career, he was stationed at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, CA. There he met Gayle Shapiro and they married five months later. Chris and Gayle lived most of their lives and raised their two sons in Vallejo, CA.

Donald Hanson, age 83, of Decorah died Friday, January 27, 2023 at Hillcrest Manor nursing home in Sumner. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, February 11 at Canoe Ridge Lutheran Church, 1316 Canoe Ridge Road, Decorah, with Rev. Adam Starrett presiding. Burial will be in the church cemetery at a later date. Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. Friday, February 10 at the Helms Funeral Home, 604 South Avenue in Decorah.

Donald Allen Hanson was born July 9, 1939 in Waukon to Clarice (Teslow) and Carmen Hanson. Donald attended #1 Glenwood Schoolhouse and graduated from Waukon High School, Class of 1957. After completing a trade school course from home, he moved to Minneapolis, MN where he worked for Minnesota Concrete Pipe. In Minneapolis he met a Pennsylvania girl, Martha Jean Berry, and they married in Washington, PA in 1961. They resided in Washington, PA for 13 years with their four children.

Alfred J. Smerud, 93, of Onalaska, WI, formerly of New Albin, died Saturday, January 28, 2023 at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, WI. Memorial services will be held Friday, February 10 at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in New Albin with Fr. Joseph Sevcik officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery.

Friends may greet the family from 9:30 a.m. until the time of services Friday at the church. Thornburg-Grau Funeral Home in Lansing is handling arrangements.

Alfred Joseph Smerud was born March 6, 1929, one of 11 children, to Oscar and Clara (Wild) Smerud in Houston County, MN. He was educated in a one-room rural school and graduated from the New Albin high school, where he played baseball and basketball. It was there that he met Lorna Darling; they married shortly after graduation. They were lovingly together for 76 years and had four children: Trudy, Susan, Sam and Jane.