News Center newsletter

The next LifeServe Blood Center blood drive will be held Monday, August 7 from 12-5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church located in south Waukon.  Blood drives are held once a month in Waukon, to allow for more donors to give. The LifeServe Blood Center supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital with its blood and blood products.

Blood centers across the United States see a decrease in blood donations during the busy summer months.  During the summer, people become more active, have busier schedules, spend more time outdoors and take vacations. While donations decline, hospitals see an increase in the need for blood.  More driving can mean more automobile accidents.  A person who has suffered severe injuries from an automobile accident can need up to 50 units of blood.

Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Speech-Language Pathologist Steven Mazzafield offers a Stroke Support Group for individuals who have experienced a stroke, as well as caregivers and family members affected by stroke.

Monthly meetings are held the first Thursday of every month at 2 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. The next Stroke Support Group meeting will be held Thursday, August 3 at 2 p.m. in the Large Conference Room.

The Stroke Support Group provides opportunities to share tips, tricks or trials among participants, offer support for caregivers, and provide an opportunity for socialization.

While strokes can happen at any age, risk of stroke is greatest as individuals get older with the majority of strokes occurring after the age of 70. Risk factors for stroke include obesity, sedentary lifestyle, binge drinking, diabetes, smoking, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Jerry and Marilyn Troendle of Waukon are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. Jerry Troendle and Marilyn Meehan were married August 3, 1963 at St. Joseph’s Paint Rock Catholic Church, Harpers Ferry.

They will be celebrating their anniversary with an open house hosted by their family Sunday, August 13 at the Waukon Banquet Center from 2-4 p.m. There will be live music by the Toe Tappers and everyone is invited to celebrate the occasion with them.

The couple requests no gifts or cards. Prior to the open house, they will be celebrating with their family, including attending Mass and enjoying a family meal.

Their marriage has been blessed with five children: Jeff (Lisa) Troendle of Cedar Falls, Kerry (Tammy) Troendle of Waukon, Lori (Steve) Willemssen of Waverly, Jeremy (Lana) Troendle of Waukon, and Marcy Troendle of Mason City. They also have 12 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

The 63rd annual Bulman reunion was held July 16 in Eitzen, MN. There were about 40 attendees who visited over a potluck meal at the Eitzen Community Center. As in other years, we were blessed to have Jim Bulman of Waukon ride his bike to join us. Jim consistently makes the all-out effort to attend the gathering.

Rev. Paul Burgess of the Mt. Hope Church joined us as our honorary Bulman. Mt. Hope was founded by ancestors of the Bulman family in 1858, and although they weren’t all directly descended from the Bulman family, they all intermarried at some point.

Sally Hagensick of Waukon will be celebrating her 85th birthday August 12. She will be celebrating the occasion with a family dinner.

There will also be an open house hosted by her children Saturday, August 12 from 2-4 p.m. at Walden Pond, located at 1432 130th Avenue near Castalia. For those who can not attend the open house, cards and well wishes may also be sent to her at the following address: 306 4th Avenue NE, Waukon, IA 52172.
 

You Matter!

When I was growing up, I remember the older generation saying, “back in my day… you could get a bottle of pop for a dime and a hamburger for a quarter!” I used to laugh when people would say things like this but now, I find myself saying the same thing! Over the past few years, it’s been astounding seeing how certain items have gone through the roof. A rusty used car goes for the price of a collector’s vehicle. While the item might not change, the price at which it is purchased changes its value. The value of something is dependent on what someone is willing to pay for it.

To the Editor:

Iowans take their responsibility of voting seriously. And, after an election, regardless of whether or not a constituent voted for an elected leader, we expect that the individual listens to all constituents.

Both Rep. Ashley Hinson and Sen. Chuck Grassley claim to hold town halls in each of the counties they represent but the visits are often nothing more than a photo op. Both fail to hold public town halls where their constituents can ask questions and voice their concerns.

To the Editor:

The stench from Washington D.C. is growing every day and the focus of that stench is mainly, but not entirely, on the Biden White House. It is obvious from the testimony of two IRS whistle blowers last week that the Biden family and President Joe Biden are totally compromised and guilty of graft.

That testimony clearly pointed out that Hunter Biden received at least 10 million dollars from Burisma and from other sources in Eastern Europe. It also showed that President Joe Biden was a contributing factor in assuring that the extortion payments were made. It’s clear that at least ten shell companies were created by Hunter Biden and his associates to launder those funds and attempt to hide the true source. More information on this subject will be forthcoming next week.

Evelyn Beardmore, 102, of Ellsworth, KS, formerly of Waukon, died Thursday, June 8, 2023 in Ellsworth, KS. She heard Leonard playing “Fascination” and knew it was time to join him in the dance.

A Service of Witness to the Resurrection will be held Thursday, August 10 at 11 a.m. at Mt. Hope Presbyterian Church. Inurnment will be at the church cemetery, both in rural New Albin. Friends may greet the family from 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, August 9 at Martin - Grau Funeral Home in Waukon. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Mt. Hope Cemetery Fund.

Mary Evelyn was born to Harry and Sarah (Evans) Leas December 22, 1920 in Waterville. She and her three siblings, Dale, Neil and Lucile, were raised on a 160-acre farm, where the family raised chickens and hogs and grew oats and hay. Evelyn walked two miles each way to a country schoolhouse, graduated from Waterville High School in 1939, and moved to Waukon shortly after graduation.

Sue O. Bieber, 80, of Waukon died Friday, July 28, 2023 at her home. Funeral services were held Tuesday, August 1 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon with Pastor Bryan Robertson officiating. Burial followed at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon handled arrangements.

Sue Olivia Bieber was born March 1, 1943 in Hampton at the Lutheran Hospital of Franklin County. She was the daughter of Richard Carlyle Stewart and Mary Jane (Petersen) Stewart, and a big sister to Sally Jo Shelley. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Hampton.

Sue was a 1961 graduate of Hampton High School and went on to attend the Iowa State Teacher’s College in Cedar Falls, where she completed a teaching degree in 1965. She would return later to the University of Northern Iowa to complete her Masters of Education degree.