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Brad Krambeer, ATC (Certified Athletic Trainer) of Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) in Waukon has been providing the athletic training coverage for the Waukon Indian football team for nearly 30 years. This season, he is turning over the team’s care to his co-worker, Austin Troendle, ATC and DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy).

Krambeer was Troendle’s athletic trainer when he was playing for the Indians in high school, before continuing his football career at Coe College. Now, the two of them work closely together in the Rehabilitation Department of the hospital, sharing insight and coordinating care for many young athletes throughout the area.

“It was a tough decision to leave the Indian sidelines, but with my son now playing college football (at Coe) and my daughter in all her sports, I need to be more free to watch them grow up,” states Krambeer. “The team will be in great hands with Austin. He is very knowledgeable and dedicated, and will do a super job.”

For the second time in program history - and in just the past four years - the Waukon football team will return to the field as the defending Class 2A State Champions, the grid Tribe having played to supremacy over all of Class 2A last fall. Also for the second time, however, defense of that crown will be left to a small handful of experienced veterans and a larger group of those waiting in the wings to carry on the football Indians’ recent trend of State Play-Off success.

The 2021 Kee football team will benefit from half of this season’s squad returning as varsity letterwinners, many of them earning that distinction for multiple seasons. A total of 12 experienced veterans will return from last fall’s 5-4 squad that posted the program’s first winning record in six seasons and its first State Play-Off victory since Kee joined the ranks of Eight-Player football, all of that success happening despite the season taking place in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A majority of this season’s 12 returning veterans come from a senior class that has been the foundation of success for the Kee boys athletic program over the past couple years, including the Hawks’ most recent accolades of a Class 1A State Tournament Runner-Up finish in baseball just over one month ago.

Mary E. Zoll, 94, formerly of Cedar Rapids and Dubuque, died Saturday, August 21, 2021 at Stonehill Communities in Dubuque. A visitation will be held from 10-11 a.m. Tuesday, August 31 at St. Columbkille Catholic Church in Dubuque followed by a Mass of Celebration at 11 a.m. Burial will be at a later date at Hanover in rural Allamakee County.

Mary was born May 22, 1927 in Hanover as the second eldest child of Joseph and Loreta O’Malley. She was formerly married to James Zoll of Waukon.

Mary worked cleaning St. Pat’s School and used her talents as a seamstress to make ends meet while raising her four children by herself in Waukon. She moved to Cedar Rapids, bought a house and worked for Rockwell Collins until her retirement. She had fond memories of her time with members of the Rockwell Collins Craft Club through the years. Upon her retirement, she became part owner of Poor Sports Bar and Grill in Hiawatha.

Dorothy Ann Thompson, 82, was born March 4, 1939 in Waukon, the daughter of Henry and Edna (Brink) Thornton. She passed away unexpectedly at her home in Johnston Friday, August 13, 2021. A Celebration of Life service was held Wednesday, August 18 at Hamilton’s Funeral Home in Des Moines with cremation following.

Dorothy loved to travel with her former husband, Al Thompson. They lived in Minnesota for 20 years, before she moved to California and lived there for another 20 years. Dorothy also lived in Arizona and Johnston most recently, and jokingly referred to herself as a “snowbird” as she wintered in Arizona, even when traveling there just from California.

Marjorie M. Held, 97, of Waukon died Sunday, August 15, 2021 at Good Samaritan Society in Waukon. Graveside services will be held Thursday, August 26 at 11 a.m. at Bethlehem Presbyterian Cemetery in rural Postville with Karla Johnson officiating. A celebration of Marjorie’s life will be held at a later date.

Condolences can be sent to Linda Sweeney at 3612 W. 3rd Street, Anacortes, WA, 98221. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Good Samaritan Society in Waukon or Bethlehem Presbyterian Church. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is handling the arrangements.

Mac Ellis Greentree, 77, of rural Postville lost his battle with cancer Sunday, August 15, 2021 at home with his loved ones by his side. Memorial services were held Sunday, August 22 at Salem United Church of Christ in rural Waukon with Pastor Sue Klimstra officiating, and burial was in the church cemetery.

Mac Ellis Greentree was born April 30, 1944 in Kenton, OH to Carl and Mary Bell (Ellis) Greentree. When Mac was 14, he and his family moved to Iowa; he loved to tell the story about how his dad answered an ad in the Hoard’s Dairyman magazine for a herdsman job in Oelwein. So, he loaded the whole family into a ’57 Chevy, including Mac’s two brothers, his grandmother, and the family dog. They drove all the way to Iowa in February during the middle of a snow storm.

John Costello, known to his friends as “Coz” and to many of his family as “Twinney,” passed away, at the age of 79, August 18, 2021, surrounded by his family, who he loved dearly. A Celebration of John’s life was held Sunday, August 22 at TJ Hunter’s Banquet Hall in Lansing.

John and his identical twin brother, Tom, were adopted by Irene and John Costello in 1942 where they lived in Chicago, IL with their parents and sister, Patricia. John endured his share of tragedy as a child, losing his father at the age of 11 and his twin brother at 14.

John enlisted in the Army after high school. After serving his country, John married his soulmate, Sharon Zeimet, November 21, 1964. John and Sharon lived in Chicago, IL for five years before moving to Lansing in 1969. John worked at a local gas station fixing cars, pumping gas, and yes, washing windows; something he didn’t do around the house.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
September 17: Pandemic Livestock Indemnity Program (PLIP)
October 15: Pandemic Assistance for Timber Harvesters and Haulers

USDA Announces Pandemic Assistance for Timber Harvesters, Haulers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing up to $200 million to provide relief to timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses that have experienced losses due to COVID-19 as part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative. Loggers and truckers can apply for assistance through USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) July 22 through Oct. 15, 2021. The Pandemic Assistance for Timber Harvesters and Haulers program (PATHH) is administered by FSA in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service.

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