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The True Meaning of Easter

Several years ago, I had a conversation with an inmate at the prison in Prairie du Chien, WI concerning Easter. It was amazing to me to find out that he had no idea what Palm Sunday and Easter were all about! He was sixty-five years old, grew up in the United States and no one had ever told him. 

This whole exchange made me wonder just how many people don’t know the significance of these two holidays.  For many, it just means that they get a long weekend.  What a tragedy.

Joyce A. Anderson, 84, of Waukon passed away peacefully Monday, March 18, 2024, at Northgate Care Center in Waukon. Funeral Service was held Saturday, March 23 at 11:30 a.m. at Old West Paint Creek Lutheran Church in rural Waukon with Pastor Ken Kimball officiating. Burial was at the church cemetery.

Please send memorials to Veterans Memorial Hospital or Old West Paint Creek Lutheran Church, both in Waukon. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon handled the arrangements.

Joyce Ann Anderson was born in Sumner September 12, 1939, to Earl and La Vera (Buhr) Gitch. She was raised on the family farm near Fredericksburg. Joyce attended country school and graduated from Fredericksburg High School in 1955.

October 25, 1958, she married Curtis Anderson and they made their home near Fredericksburg. Joyce worked at the local nursing home and cleaned houses, while Curtis held different jobs in the dairy industry.

Michael Joseph Dagnon, 80, of Ferryville, WI died unexpectedly in the Florida Keys March 10, 2024. He and his life partner, Elizabeth (Betsy) Shew, had migrated to the Keys to spend winters for many years, where they made lots of new friends. A memorial gathering for Mike will be held later in the year.

Mike was born in Shorewood, WI and grew up in Pewaukee, WI. After a stint in the Army, he got a job at Pabst brewery in Milwaukee, WI where he set his sights on saving money for a move. He had come to the Ferryville, WI area on fishing trips with his father, who was born on Rush Creek. In 1970, he and his parents bought a couple cabins south of De Soto, WI on the Winneshiek Slough of the Mississippi River and moved in. Mike quickly realized he was home.

Francis L. Stortz, 92, of Waukon passed away Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at Northgate Care Center in Waukon with his family by his side. Funeral services will be held Saturday, May 11 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon. Fr. John Moser will be officiating, and visitation will begin at 9 a.m. He will be buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery.

Francis Leo Stortz was born May 13, 1931, to Leonard and Vera (Stoskopf) Stortz at the family farmhouse north of Decorah. He was baptized at St. Benedict’s Catholic Church in Decorah. His family relocated to rural Waukon in 1939 where he was confirmed at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church and attended country school through middle school.

Sally A. Muller, 68, of West Union, formerly of Waukon, died Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at her home in West Union. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, March 22 at Oakland Cemetery in Waukon with Pastor Duane Smith officiating. Friends may greet the family from 10-11 a.m. Friday, prior to the graveside service, at Martin - Grau Funeral Home in Waukon.

Sally Ann (Kugel) Muller was born August 2, 1955, in Waukon to Roger and Mary Ann (Muchow) Kugel. She graduated from Waukon High School in 1973, received a degree in dairy herd management from NICC in Calmar in 1983, and then received a degree in computer technology in 1995, also from NICC. Sally worked many jobs over the years, most recently as an administrative assistant at Upper Iowa University in Fayette.

David J. Kupka, 80, of Waukon passed away Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at Northgate Care Center in Waukon. Visitation was held Friday, March 15 at Martin - Grau Funeral Home in Waukon, and a scripture service followed. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon handled arrangements.

David Joseph Kupka was born January 23, 1944, in Cresco, the son of Ervin and Lavonne Mae (Frey) Kupka. After graduating from Crestwood High School, Dave farmed and drove truck for Balk’s Construction in Cresco and the State Department of Transportation (DOT). He loved driving big machines and continued truck driving even after “retiring”. Dave married Dorothy White and they had two daughters before divorcing.

The 2024 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Waukon will be held the actual day of the celebrated holiday, this Sunday, March 17, beginning at 1 p.m. All are invited to participate in this year’s parade with an Irish-themed entry at no cost.

Any businesses, organizations, families or individuals wishing to have an entry are asked to be lined up by 12 noon Sunday, with float entries lining up in the parking lot of WW Homestead Dairy and the former Northern Engraving plant, tractors unloading and lining up at the Sweeney Auction Service parking lot and horse units gathering at the Croell Redi-Mix plant on the southeast edge of Waukon.

Repair work is underway on the existing Black Hawk Bridge at Lansing, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s (DOT) District 2 Office. The bridge was closed February 25 after it was discovered that two of the east-end bridge piers shifted, along with a portion of the bridge deck, making the bridge unsafe for traffic.

During the repair process, portions of the bridge deck will be removed while the repair work is being done, leaving large gaps in the bridge surface that will render the bridge impassable for any type of traffic until repair work is completed. DOT officials warn that the bridge is not safe even for pedestrian use and will be closed to all traffic during repairs. An announcement made by City of Lansing officials last week warns that anyone caught walking or riding any type of vehicle over the bridge while it is closed will be issued a citation for trespassing by law enforcement.

The Northeast Iowa Regional Housing Trust Fund (NEIRHTF) program is designed to provide financial assistance to income-qualifying individuals, families, and senior citizens who live in Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek Counties. This program aims to help them with necessary home repairs so that they can continue living in a safe and affordable environment. Additionally, this fund offers support to first-time home buyers to help them with their down payment.

The Iowa Democratic Party has released its results from its 2024 Democratic Caucus held January 15 and utilizing a month-long Presidential Preference Cards process as a candidate selection tool this year. Those overall results for the state of Iowa were closely mirrored by Allamakee County selection for Democratic front-runner Joe Biden, both of those results hovering around 90% of selections made.

In the state of Iowa, Biden received 11,083 of the 12,207 preference card choices, a 90.79% selection out of state of Iowa Democrats casting a preference card. Among the 55 preference cards cast in Allamakee County, Biden was selected on 49 of them for an 89.09% selection result.