Obituaries

The spirit of Frank William Troendle, 63, of Pigeon Falls, WI joined his family in heaven Tuesday, November 22, 2016. He passed away at Tri-County Memorial Hospital in Whitehall, WI. Following cremation, a private family service was held at Peace Lutheran of Pigeon Falls, WI. He will be buried in the Iowa soil of Faegre Prairie Cemetery near the home farm that he loved.

Frank was born June 23, 1953 in Waukon to Irvin Leo and Carol Louise (Doeppke) Troendle. He married Joyce Albrecht February 13, 1982. He graduated Waukon High School and Truck Driving at Winona Tech.

Shirley Ann Pausch, age 78, of Waukon died Tuesday, November 29, 2016 at the Good Samaritan Center in Waukon. Funeral services were held Monday, December 5 at the Bethlehem Presbyterian Church in the Ludlow area of rural Waukon. Burial will be at a later date.

Shirley was born on her grandparents' farm October 8, 1938. She was the daughter of Elmer and Leota (Phipps) Ehde. She went to country school until fourth grade and then finished school at Waukon.

Shirley was married to Carl Pausch, Jr., and to this union two children were born. They were later divorced.

She is survived by her son, Randy; a daughter-in-law, Nancy (Neuzil); one grandson, Denver; one sister, Lollie (Gary) Hirth; one brother, Ronald (Kathy) Snitker; and numerous nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents; one son, David; and one brother, Alan Snitker.
 

Donald Kay Hudson, age 77, of Munden, KS died Monday, November 28, 2016. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather.

Donald was born March 15, 1939. After many years of being an over-the-road truck driver, he retired and enjoyed watching his grandchildren grow.

He is survived by his wife, Deborah Hudson; a son, Robert Hudson of Ohio; his daughters, Tammy (Mike) Spielbauer of Guttenberg, Donna (Kory) Holthaus of Postville and Sheila Dion of Waukon; six grandchildren, Dakota Holthaus, Tiffany Franzen, Brook Holthaus, Chase Franzen, Brandon Franzen and Kourtney Holthaus; two step-grandchildren, Shyanne McCabe and Chris McCabe; an adopted daughter, Paulette Heying; an adopted granddaughter, Katie Heying; two sisters, Elaine Breault of Kansas and Janet Lunsford of Kansas; and one brother, Jerry Hudson of Iowa. He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Dorothy Hudson; and four brothers, Bill, Larry, Bob and Doug Hudson.
 

Duane B. Bakkum, 66, of Monona died Friday, November 25, 2016 at Good Samaritan Center in Waukon. Funeral services will be held Friday, December 2 at 11 a.m. at Old West Paint Creek Lutheran Church in rural Waukon, with Pastor Ken Kimball officiating and burial at the church cemetery. Friends may call from 4-7 p.m. Thursday, December 1 at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon.

Betty D. Clark, 90, of Waukon died Sunday, November 27, 2016 at Good Samaritan Center in Waukon. Private family graveside services were held at Oak Hill Cemetery in Lansing, with Pastor Grant VanderVelden officiating. Martin Funeral Home in Waukon handled the arrangements.

Betty Darlene Clark was born May 11, 1926 in Chicago, IL, the daughter of Frederick and Alice (Warren) Thornton. She moved with her family to Waukon while still a baby and was baptized and confirmed at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. She spent a lot of the time living with her grandmother, Mary Ann (Sullivan) Warren, in Waukon.

Richard A. Hanson, 73, of Victor, NY passed away November 3, 2016 at United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia, NY. Funeral Services will be held in Waukon at St. John’s Lutheran Church in the spring with full Military Honors.

Richard was born November 27, 1942 to the late Emil and Bernita (Kloke) Hanson in Waukon, where he spent most of his life. Richard served in the United States Army from 1964-1967, and after his father passed suddenly, he took over and worked for the family dairy farm. He loved his old Farmall tractor, his International combine and his John Deere tractors. Richard did custom work for other farmers and was always there to lend a hand to anyone who needed it. He was a lover of animals, especially his bull, “Bully”. The bull would follow him everywhere he went. Richard was also a proud member of the Farm Bureau in Waukon. He was a sweet man and his smile will be truly missed.

James D. Bristol, 97, who lived and practiced law in Waukon for more than 60 years, died Sunday, November 13, 2016 at his retirement home in Burbank, CA. A remembrance gathering will be held for Jim at the Martin Funeral Home in Waukon in the coming months so that his friends, relatives and colleagues have a farewell to share with him. Online condolences may be left at www.martinfunerals.com.

Jim was born in Onslow January 4, 1919 but grew up in the 1920s and 1930s in Clinton. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Iowa, Iowa City in 1941. At the University he was a member of a fraternity, a writer and the assistant sports editor of The Daily Iowan newspaper. He also met his wife of 53 years, Jeanne (Kelly) Kellogg. They were married at the Kellogg farm in Percival August 21, 1941.

Virgil Martins, 84, of Postville died Wednesday, November 16, 2016 at the Good Samaritan Society, Waukon. Funeral services were held Tuesday, November 22 at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Postville, with Rev. Lynn J. Noel as the Officiant. Burial followed at Postville Cemetery, Postville with Military Rites.

Virgil was born December 31, 1931 to John and Hilda (Meyer) Martins in Postville. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Postville. Virgil graduated from Postville High School in 1950. Virgil enlisted in the United States Army; he proudly served three years and was a Korean War Veteran.

Virgil was united in marriage with Lavon Ewing February 13, 1955 in Postville. He farmed his entire life and was a salesman for Funk G Seed Corn. Virgil enjoyed dancing, trail rides with his horses, and attending auctions and horse sales. He loved visiting with family, friends and strangers.

Marjorie Charlotte Miller, 92, of Postville died November 15, 2016. Funeral Services were held Saturday, November 19 at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Postville with Rev. Lynn Noel as the Officiant. Burial followed at the Postville Cemetery, Postville.

Marjorie Charlotte was born April 12, 1924 to William and Mary (Klein) Stock in rural Waukon. She was baptized May 11, 1924 and confirmed April 10, 1938 at Bethlehem Presbyterian Church, rural Postville. Marjorie attended rural school and graduated from Waukon High School in 1942.

Marjorie was united in marriage with Roland Miller April 12, 1944 at Bethlehem Presbyterian Church, rural Postville. Two children were born to this union. Together they lived on a farm in rural Waukon until moving to Postville in 1989. She was a homemaker and farm wife.  Marjorie worked at the Good Samaritan Society in Postville for a few years.

Gordon “Gordy” Smerud, 63, of rural New Albin passed away peacefully Saturday, November 12, 2016 at Caledonia Care and Rehab in Caledonia, MN after a long battle with cancer. Burial of Gordy’s cremains took place Saturday, November 19 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery, New Albin. Jandt-Fredrickson Funeral Homes and Crematory, Caledonia Chapel in Caledonia, MN assisted the family with arrangements.

Gordon Dale Smerud was born April 8, 1953 to George and Betty (Weymiller) Smerud. He grew up and worked on the family farm. Gordy attended St. George High School in Lansing, where he met Mary Ellen Curran. They were married in 1975. Gordy and Mary Ellen were blessed with the birth of two children, a son, Jim, and a daughter, Cindi. They lived in New Albin with their children until they later divorced.

Gordy remained in New Albin and worked most of his life as a carpenter with his brother, Ron. He enjoyed being outdoors, playing cards and visiting with friends.