Obituaries

Erik W. Nykkanen, 69, of Waukon died Friday, September 2, 2016 at the VA Hospital in Madison, WI. Memorial services and military honors were held Friday, September 9 at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon with Pastor Steve Oden officiating. Burial will be held at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA. Martin Funeral Home in Waukon handled arrangements.

Erik Walter Nykkanen was born December 1, 1946 in Pontiac, MI, the son of Bernard Arthur and Margorie Winifred (Mann) Nykanen. He was baptized and confirmed at Assembly of God Church in Troy, MI, graduated from Seaholm High School, and served in the United States Marine Corps during Vietnam from 1964 to 1968.

In 1981, Erik married Loma in California. He worked in heating and cooling for many years and was a disabled American veteran. Erik and Loma moved to the Waukon area in 1996.

Edward “Eddie” C. Knuppe, 72, of Waukon died Friday, September 9, 2016 at his home in rural Waukon. Funeral services were held Monday, September 12 at Old West Paint Creek Lutheran Church in rural Waukon with Pastor Ken Kimball officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery.

Edward Charles Knuppe was born February 1, 1944 in Manitowoc, WI, the son of Emil and Catherine (Johnson) Knuppe. He was confirmed at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon and attended Waukon High School. January 9, 1965, he married Elaine Hanson at St. John's Lutheran Church. They farmed together in Paint Creek Township, rural Waukon milking dairy cows and raising beef cows. Eddie also did custom chopping, and he worked for the Waukon Feed Ranch and Tim’s Trimming. In 1972 he received the Outstanding Young Farmer award from the Waukon Jaycees.

Donald Albert Hostert, 87, of Lansing died Monday, September 5, 2016 at his home in Lansing. Funeral Services were held Thursday, September 8 at Thornburg-Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Lansing. Burial followed at Oak Hill Cemetery, Lansing.

Donald was born August 18, 1929 to Herman and Annette (Buckley) Hostert in Dubuque. He graduated from Dubuque Senior High School and attended Barber School in Waterloo.

Donald was united in marriage with Patricia Ann Kies February 3, 1951 at the Nativity Church in Dubuque. During his career, Donald worked as a barber, drove semi for Ryan Trucking and was a power plant operator at Alliant Energy in Lansing. After his retirement in 1993, Don enjoyed doing crossword puzzles, afternoon martinis, building model boats and airplanes, watching NASCAR and football, scratching lottery tickets and spending time with his family.

Allen Kubitz, 82, of Sparks, NV, formerly of Iowa, died Sunday, July 17, 2016 at home with family members present. Gravesite services will be held Friday, September 23 at 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Cemetery, located at 401 South 18th Street in Clinton. A luncheon will follow at The Church of the Visitation, located at 1028 Middle Road, Camanche.

Allen (Bud) Kubitz was born May 9, 1934 in Minnesota to Edward and Jane Kubitz. He worked at DuPont and Alcoa in the Quad Cities area and then was self employed as a carpenter building homes in Camanche.

He and his wife, Helen, were married for 63 years, retired to Sparks, NV, and were members of Holy Cross Catholic Church, where Fr. Jose Isaac said a memorial mass.

George N. Herman, 85, of Waukon died Friday, September 2, 2016 at his home. Private funeral services were held Thursday, September 8 at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon, with Rev. Lynn G. Groe officiating. Burial was at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon.

George Nelson Herman was born April 14, 1931 in Waukon, the son of Charles August and Marie Althea (Nelson) Herman. He was baptized June 26, 1931 and confirmed April 14, 1946, both at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon, and he graduated from Waukon High School. He was drafted into the U.S. Army and served from 1954-56.

October 2, 1958, George married Mildred Lavonne Bruns at Decorah Lutheran Church in Decorah. George farmed all his life and also owned a small motor repair business, which he operated in Waukon before moving it out to his family farm. He was a private man who valued his family and found fulfillment pursuing his interests and living his life on the farm.

Ruth Elaine Sunkle, 66, of Marshalltown passed away Monday, September 5, 2016 at her home. Funeral services for Ruth were held Monday, September 12 at New Hope Christian Church in Marshalltown.

Memorials may be directed to the family. For more information or to send a condolence, visit www.mitchellfh.com or call 641-844-1234. Mitchell Family Funeral Home cared for Ruth and her family.

Ruth Sickels was born November 23, 1949 in Waukon to Arthur and Alvina Nelson Sickels. Ruth graduated from Waukon High School in 1968. In 1971, she was united in marriage to Richard Coughenour and they divorced in 1975. Ruth later married Phil Sunkle in Missouri. They made their home in Marshalltown.

Karilyn Shirley Lenth, 63, passed away peacefully August 31, 2016 at the Good Samaritan Center in Waukon. Her wishes were to be cremated. A private family service will be held later. Memorials in Karilyn's honor may be donated to diabetes research.

Karilyn was born April 10, 1953, the daughter of Ethel (Weller) Lenth and Edwin Lenth of Luana. She graduated from Postville High School in 1971 and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Northern Iowa in 1975.

She moved to Florida, where she worked for a couple of hotel chains near Disneyland for 32 years. She also received her paralegal degree in Florida. When her health started failing, she moved back to Waukon in 2008 to be close to her family.

Calvin Eugene Hook, 86, of Manchester passed away Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids, surrounded by his family. Funeral services were held Friday, August 26 at the United Methodist Church in Manchester, with Rev. Phil Rogers officiating. Interment was at Grant View Cemetery, Greeley.

Calvin was born April 29, 1930 in Greeley, the son of Russell and Elsie (Brady) Hook. He was raised and educated in the Greeley area and graduated from Colesburg High School in 1948.
August 6, 1949, Cal was united in marriage to Garneth Ridenour at the Methodist parsonage in Manchester. Four daughters were born to this union. After their marriage, Cal worked as a farm hand and then moved to St. Louis, where he worked at Grant Farm for Anheuser-Busch.

Thomas Andrew Howe, 21, of Waukon died Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at Franklin General Hospital in Hampton. Funeral services were held Tuesday, August 30 at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon, with Rev. Msgr. Ed Lechtenberg officiating. Memorials can be sent to the Allamakee Scholarship Fund in the name of Thomas A. Howe.

Tommy would like everyone to know, his work here is done. He has received sort of a job offer from a higher power that he simply couldn't refuse. This new assignment comes with a huge sign-on bonus, excellent wages, fantastic benefits and plenty of time off to visit friends and family, some of which he has never met. His new mission takes him to a wonderful place where he will be socializing, attending bonfires, drinking his favorite Smirnoff, off-roading, playing his X-Box, frolfing, watching his favorite movies and rebuilding Chevy (not Ford) cars and trucks.

Arleen A. Ahlstrom, 90, of Waukon died Friday, August 26, 2016 at Northgate Care Center in Waukon. Funeral services were held Tuesday, August 30 at First Baptist Church in Waukon, with Rev. Duane Smith officiating. Burial was at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon.

Arleen Ardys Ahlstrom was born November 6, 1925 in rural Lansing, the daughter of Edwin and Mabel (Sandry) Shogren. She graduated from Waukon High School and studied music and Bible at Bethel College in St. Paul, MN. October 18, 1949, she married John Andrew Ahlstrom at First Baptist Church in Waukon.