Obituaries

Peter Rethwisch, 83, of Lansing died Sunday, January 8, 2017 at Central Iowa Healthcare, Marshalltown. Arrangements are pending with Thornburg-Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Lansing.
 

Phyllis M. Welch, 84, of Waukon died Monday, January 9, 2017 at her home in Waukon. Funeral services will be held Thursday, January 12 at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. Mark Osterhaus officiating. Burial will be at St. Mary's Lycurgus Cemetery, rural Waukon. Friends may call from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, January 11 at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon, where there will be a 3:45 p.m. scripture service.

A full obituary will appear in the January 18 edition of The Standard. You can subscribe to The Standard's print edition or e-edition by clicking here.

Leland Edwin Wenig, age 86, of Berlin, WI died peacefully Thursday, December 29, 2016 at ThedaCare Medical Center-Berlin. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, January 4 at 11 a.m. at Grace English Lutheran Church in Berlin, WI, with the Rev. Scott T. Piper officiating. Interment with Military Honors will be in Oakwood Cemetery in Berlin, WI. Friends and relatives may call Wednesday at the church from 9:30 a.m. until the time of services.

Lee was born December 31, 1929 in Waukon, the son of Edwin and Grace Bulman Wenig. Lee was a 1948 graduate of Waukon High School and served his country in the U.S. Army, Korean Conflict from 1951-1953. May 28, 1955, he was united in marriage to Jean Rice in Caledonia, MN.

Dennis Ruen, age 63, of Decorah died Sunday, December 25, 2016 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, MN after suffering a stroke in his home. No formal service was held.

Dennis was born in Decorah December 27, 1952 along with his twin sister, Donna. He grew up on a farm in the Glenwood Township. When he was a child, he and his sister enjoyed racing homemade wooden race cars down the hill and played “cowboys and indians.” He learned his trade of carpentry from his father.

In high school, he had a propensity for the arts. After graduating from Decorah High School in 1971, he worked at a car wash and then at Camcar before starting his own construction company. He married Janeen Nelson in 1979, and they had four daughters, which were his pride and joy.

Dorothy Ruth Kistler, age 93, of Scottsdale, AZ passed away December 19, 2016. A Prayer Service was held at St. Daniel the Prophet Catholic Church, Scottsdale, AZ Thursday, December 29 followed immediately by a Funeral Mass and interment thereafter at St. Francis Cemetery in Phoenix, AZ.

Dorothy was born October 29, 1923 to Norman Sadler and Dora Margaret (Stone) in Janesville, WI. She married Charles Kistler October 30, 1942 in La Crosse, WI. In 1953 they moved to Waukon, where they lived until retiring to Scottsdale, AZ  in the early 1980s.

Joseph “Joe” C. Teff, 81, of Dorchester died Sunday, January 1, 2017 at Good Samaritan Center in Waukon. Memorial services will be held Thursday, January 5 at 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Dorchester with Fr. Mark Osterhaus officiating. Burial will be at the church cemetery. Friends may call one hour before services Thursday at the church. Martin Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements.

Joseph "Joe" Carlton Teff was born November 24, 1935 in Spring Grove, MN, the son of Carlton and Bernadette (Klug) Teff. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Mary's Catholic Church and attended Bergen Country School in rural Dorchester. Joe worked for area farmers before he started farming with his brother, Tom.

December 28, 2016, Ben Richardson died unexpectedly in his home in Iowa City. He was 31 years old and formerly of Harpers Ferry. A visitation will be held Saturday, January 7 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at St. Ann's - St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Harpers Ferry. A scripture service will follow at 2 p.m. with Fr. John Moser officiating. Martin Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements.

Ben was born April 30, 1985 in Monticello, MN to Nancy and Jim Richardson. He was Nancy’s first son and Jim’s second. He joined his sisters, Sasha and Kelly, and his brother, Chris, upon his arrival into this world.

Harlan Trytten Bakken, age 78, of Waukon passed away Tuesday, December 27, 2016 at Thornton Manor Nursing Center in Lansing. Memorial services will be held at a later date, scheduled for Spring 2017 at Decorah Lutheran Church.

Harlan’s wish was to donate his body to the Mayo Clinic Department of Anatomy in Rochester, MN for medical education and research.

Harlan is survived by his long-term partner, Dana Waters of Waukon; his daughter, Michelle Bakken of Denver, CO; his son, Michael Bakken of Denver, CO and his son, Christian Bakken; and his sisters, Leanne (Gerald) Upward of Rockton, IL and Andrea (Wendell) James of Colorado Springs, CO.

Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah is serving the family. Online condolences may be made at www.fjelstul.com.

Patricia Joan Thornton, age 52, of Columbia, TN passed away December 27, 2016. A memorial service was held Sunday, January 1 at Chapel Hill United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill, TN.

She was born in Cedar Rapids and grew up in Waukon. She was the cafeteria manager at Chapman’s Retreat Elementary School in Spring Hill, TN. Patty will be remembered for her generous, caring heart which knew no bounds. Patty’s love for her kids and grandkids was immeasurable.

Survivors include her husband of 35 years, Jeffrey Thornton; her sons, Daniel (Elizabeth) Thornton and Michael Thornton; her daughter, Michelle (Chad) Dyer; her grandchildren, Brooke, Holly and Jake Dyer, and Max, Ella and Zoe Thornton; her parents, Walter and Betty Engrav; her parents-in-law, Carl and Joyce Thornton; her brothers, Steve (Mary) Engrav and Robert (Micky) Engrav; and her sisters, Rhonda (Dave) Bahr and Colleen Wicks.
 

Herman Bunge, 100, of Eitzen, MN passed away Friday, December 30, 2016 at Gundersen Tweeten Care Center in Spring Grove, MN. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, January 4 at St. Luke’s United Church of Christ, Eitzen, MN. Pastor Michael McCann will officiate. Burial with military honors will follow in the church cemetery. A visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until the time of service Wednesday at the church. Memorials are preferred in Herman's memory and can be sent to P.O. Box 503, Eitzen, MN 55931.

Herman was born December 7, 1916 to Edward and Rosalie (Muenkel) Bunge. He very much enjoyed the celebration of his 100th birthday with family and friends.