Sharon K. Ryan, 77, of Tiffin, formerly of Waukon, passed away unexpectedly Thursday, June 1, 2023 at her home. Graveside services will be held Sunday, August 6 at 12 p.m. at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Waukon, with Fr. John Moser officiating.
Sharon Ryan was born January 13, 1946 in Waukon, the daughter of Forrest James and Gladys Joann (Woolstrum) Ryan. She graduated from St. Patrick High School in Waukon in 1964. She married Bill Wright at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon in 1966. They had two children together and were later divorced.
Nancy E. Wonderlich, 72, of Waterville died June 28, 2023 with her family by her side after a courageous fight against pancreatic cancer. Memorial services will be held Saturday, July 15 at 11 a.m. at Zalmona Presbyterian Church in rural Waukon with Pastor Sue Klimstra officiating. Friends may greet the family from 4-7 p.m. Friday, July 14 at Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon.
Her family requests that those in attendance wear bright colors so the church and funeral home resemble her flower gardens. The family wishes to start a scholarship in Nancy’s name; memorials may be made to the Allamakee Scholarship Fund Inc., P.O. Box 144, Waukon, IA 52172.
Bernard “Junior/JR” Kolsrud, 93, of Waukon died Tuesday, June 27, 2023 at Northgate Care Center in Waukon. Graveside services were held Saturday, July 1 at Oakland Cemetery in Waukon with Pastor Bryan Robertson officiating.
Bernard Hunstad Kolsrud was born November 28, 1929 in rural Waterville, the son of Ben and Hulda (Hunstad) Kolsrud. He was baptized and confirmed at Old East Paint Creek Lutheran Church in rural Waterville and graduated from Waterville High School. Bernard was born on a farm near Waterville before moving to the family farm in the Cherry Mound area when he was young. He farmed with his parents for several years before taking over the farm and running it on his own.
A first-ever PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) Awareness Walk was held in Waukon Saturday, June 24, as nearly three dozen individuals made the trek from an initial gathering location of the Allamakee County Freedom Rock in Waukon City Park (top photo) down through Waukon via Rossville Road (lower two photos) to the lawn of the Allamakee County Courthouse (pictured in second photo from top) and the Allamakee County Veterans Museum, where information and resources were available for individuals, or their family and friends, whose lives have been impacted by PTSD. The event was part of the Veterans Administration’s National Center for PTSD program observing June as PTSD Awareness Month, with June 27 being designated as National PTSD Awareness Day.
June is PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) Awareness Month. PTSD is a mental health condition that develops in some people who have experienced shocking, scary or dangerous events at some point in their lives. PTSD can originate from any form of trauma, be it assault, rape, abuse, personal experience and countless other life events. It is normal for all individuals to be alarmed or scared when these events occur, but those feelings normally diminish quickly in most individuals.
According to the National Mental Health Institute, “Symptoms of PTSD usually begin within three months of the traumatic event, but they sometimes emerge later. To meet the criteria for PTSD, a person must have symptoms for longer than one month, and the symptoms must be severe enough to interfere with aspects of daily life, such as relationships or work. The symptoms also must be unrelated to medication, substance use, or other illness.
U.S. Army Major John Walleser was promoted from Captain to Major during a ceremony held May 5 of this year at the Lock and Dam 9 embankment of the Mississippi River next to the spillway. Colonel Eric Swenson (St. Paul District Commander), Lieutenant Colonel Robert Wilkins (St. Paul District Deputy Commander), and John Walleser’s family and friends were in attendance at the promotion ceremony. John Walleser is an active-duty U.S. Army Engineer since 2012 and is currently assigned to the United States Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District where he works with the Levee Safety Program.
As a part of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Major Walleser inspects infrastructure critical to flood protection and assists in emergency response to natural disasters. Immediately following his promotion ceremony, Major Walleser hosted a reception with those in attendance at the American Legion in Harpers Ferry.
City of Waukon Voting Wards ... Map above shows the three voting wards for the City of Waukon, with Ward 3 being the darkest area pictured above in the northwest area of Waukon. Residents of Ward 3 interested in being appointed to the Waukon City Council seat now vacant due to the recent appointment of previous Ward 3 Councilman Arvid Hatlan to the office of Waukon Mayor are invited to contact Waukon City Hall or fill out the Expression of Interest form on the City of Waukon website at www.cityofwaukon.com. Submitted image.
by Joe Moses
Prior to the printing of the Wednesday, June 28, 2023 edition of The Standard, updates were provided by Waukon City Clerk Sarah Snitker and Allamakee County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections Denise Beyer relating to Waukon’s mayoral and city council appointments and the November 7 City election.
Following the resignation of Mayor Pat Stone at the May 1, 2023 Waukon City Council meeting, the City began the process of seeking an individual to fill that mayoral vacancy. At the June 19 Waukon City Council meeting last week, Ward 3 City Council member Arvid Hatlan was appointed to fill that mayoral seat, with his appointment filling the remainder of that current office term, which expires at the end of this 2023 calendar year.
The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, June 26 to address a short agenda of matters including the liquor license renewal for the Allamakee County Conservation Foundation, three plat approvals and the consideration of a Roadway Maintenance Agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the City of Waukon. The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Dan Byrnes with Supervisors Mark Reiser and Dennis Keatley present.
258 Main Street, Lansing ... Before (left photo) and after (right photo) the Paint Iowa Beautiful upgrade. Submitted photos.
288 Main Street, Lansing ... Before (left photo) and after (right photo) the Paint Iowa Beautiful upgrade. Submitted photos.
274 Main Street, Lansing ... Before (left photo) and after (right photo) the Paint Iowa Beautiful upgrade. Submitted photos.
The 2023 Paint Iowa Beautiful program made possible through the partnership between Diamond Vogel Paints and Keep Iowa Beautiful has recently provided some upgrades to three Main Street commercial buildings in Lansing. Main Street Lansing was awarded a paint grant through the Paint Iowa Beautiful program that provides free paint/stain products to a wide variety of public service projects throughout Iowa through a grant application process.
“Diamond Vogel is thrilled to work with many local volunteers that help build communities and enhance their communities’ economic vitality. Passionate volunteers like those engaged in Paint Iowa Beautiful make Iowa a great place to live,” said Doug Vogel, Vice-President, Marketing, of the Iowa-based company.
Person of interest in vehicle thefts in rural Waterville area June 19 ... The image at right was taken from surveillance camera footage inside the recently opened Waterville Bar and Grill on Main Street in Waterville Sunday, June 18. The man shown in the image is a person of interest in a pair of vehicle thefts that occurred in the early morning hours of Monday, June 19 in the rural Waterville area and the crashing of one of those vehicles, along with the crashing of another vehicle in rural Waterville that was reported stolen from the La Crosse, WI area, with all of those incidents being investigated in relationship to one another. Anyone who may recognize this individual or know his whereabouts or any additional information regarding the vehicle thefts is asked to contact the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office by calling 563-568-4521 or by dialing 9-1-1. Submitted image.
The Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation into the theft and wrecking of several vehicles that is reported to have taken place in the rural Waterville area in the early morning hours of Monday, June 19. Through the ongoing investigation into the matter, the incidents are all believed to involve a person of interest who local law enforcement authorities have an image of (see accompanying photo at right) from surveillance camera footage taken from inside the recently opened Waterville Bar & Grill on Main Street in Waterville.
Allamakee County Sheriff Clark Mellick says that the accompanying image of the suspected person of interest was from Sunday, June 18. Early the very next morning, at approximately 5 a.m., the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a crashed vehicle off of Buckskin Road, a gravel dead end road off of State Highway 76, south of Waterville.
