News Center newsletter

Waukon High School students under the direction of Industrial Technology instructor Jed Hemann constructed new picnic tables and planter boxes for the Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation (NEICAC) Waukon Headstart classrooms. Pictured below is Mr. Hemann with students from one of his classes that participated in the project, and pictured above are students and staff members of the Waukon Headstart classroom with some of the new picnic tables and planter boxes. Submitted photos.

The Allamakee County Conservation Foundation (ACCF) has announced that 2021 graduates Owen Henkes of Kee High School in Lansing and Charles Waters of Waukon High School are the winners of the 2021 ACCF Scholarship. After high school, Henkes plans to attend the University of Wisconsin-Platteville majoring in Biology and Zoology. Waters plans to attend the Natural Resources Management Program at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo. Pictured in the submitted photo above, left to right, at the scholarship award presentation are Allamakee County Conservation Naturalist Ross Geerdes, Allamakee County Conservation Board members Jeanie Carroll, Gary Krapfl and Marilyn Clark, scholarship recipients Charles Waters and Owen Henkes, and Allamakee County Conservation Board members Jesse Delaney and Steve Weymiller.

The application window remains open for this year’s Master Gardener training offered online in the fall. A total of 17 educational modules will be offered by Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach.

Applicants have through July 1 to apply. Apply and learn more about the program online at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/mastergardener/become-master-gardener.

For more information, Susan DeBlieck, program coordinator can be reached at 515-294-6764, or at deblieck@iastate.edu.
 

The Waukon baseball team played to a nearly undefeated week, winning four of its five games and ending some multi-season losing streaks to a pair of Northeast Iowa Conference (NEIC) teams in the process. The Indians opened the week with their first win over New Hampton since the 2014 season with a 3-2 home triumph Tuesday, June 1 before sweeping a pair non-conference dates, 4-2 at MFL/MarMac Wednesday, June 2 and 11-1 in five innings at home over Sumner-Fredericksburg/Tripoli Thursday, June 3. The baseball Tribe then wrapped up its week with a split of a road NEIC doubleheader at Waverly-Shell Rock Friday, June 4, first recovering from a 7-0 early deficit to hammer out a 25-9 triumph that ended a nine-year losing skid to the Go-Hawks before falling by a 13-3 result in five innings in game two.

The Waukon softball team played to a 2-4 result in six games played this past week, getting its Northeast Iowa Conference (NEIC) season underway. That start to the NEIC campaign came within just a single run of the softball Tribe’s first NEIC wins since the 2019 season, as the Indians fell at New Hampton by just a 15-14 count Tuesday, June 1 before suffering a similar fate in being swept in an NEIC doubleheader at Waverly-Shell Rock by scores of 7-2 and 11-10. The Lady Indians ended the week posting a 7-2 win at South Winneshiek Friday, June 4 before splitting a pair of games at the North Fayette Valley Classic in West Union Saturday, June 5, falling to Union by a 4-3 final result in eight innings before defeating Turkey Valley by an 8-4 count.

The Kee softball team played a brief schedule this past week, putting half of those games in the win column to record its first wins of the 2021 season. Those victories came in convincing, mercy-rule fashion in a home doubleheader sweep of Postville Wednesday, June 2, the Hawks defeating the visiting Pirates by scores of 12-0 in just three innings and 10-0 in five frames. The Lady Hawks were then scheduled to play a couple games at the North Fayette Valley Classic in West Union Friday, June 4, first surrendering a 4-3 loss to AGWSR in an early-morning battle before falling to Osage by a 12-9 final result.

Ione Lenora Rema was born in Albert Lea, MN, the daughter of Andrew Cornelius and Hilma Cornelia (Larson) Christianson. She grew up in Allamakee County, attended rural Fan School, and was confirmed at Old East Paint Creek Lutheran Church, Waterville.

December 3, 1949, she married Norman Rema at Little Brown Church in Nashua. After living six years at Elon, Norman and Ione moved to Center Township where they operated a dairy farm, and raised crops, hogs and chickens. After retiring from farming, Ione worked part-time at Homestead, The Uptown Motel and Waukon Living Center.

Michelle Leslie Lamphier gave up her courageous fight with ovarian cancer one week before her 60th birthday (May 31, 1961-May 24, 2021) at Mercy One Hospice in Mason City. It is her wish for no more grieving, so we would like to invite her family and friends to a “Celebration of Life” in her honor Saturday, July 17 at 2 p.m. at Green Valley Getaway, located at 78 16th Avenue NW, Waukon.

She leaves two sons, Benjamin Timothy and Michael John, both of Omaha, NE; her sister, Jenny (Dennis) Bockhaus of Nora Springs; her brother, Mike Lamphier of Lisbon; her nephew, Tony (Kaitlyn Nelson) Bockhaus of Webster City; and an incredible group of family and friends who shared the journey with her. She was pretty proud of her “village”.

She talked of her reunion with her parents, Harry and LaVonne Lamphier; her grandparents, Joy and Bonnie Lamphier and Lester and Clara Pollow; as well as other family and friends she missed.

Kathryn Stortz, age 88, of Waukon passed away peacefully Friday, June 4, 2021 at Northgate Care Center in Waukon surrounded by her family. Funeral services will be held Saturday, June 12 at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. John Moser officiating. Friends may greet the family prior to the service from 10-11 a.m. at the church. Kathryn’s ashes will be buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, rural Waukon at a later date.

Kathryn Mary (Schulte) Stortz was born November 2, 1932 in La Crosse, WI.  The daughter of Andrew and Catherine (Griffin) Schulte, Kathryn was baptized at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Waukon. She attended country school at the Howard School in Makee Township through the eighth grade. Kathryn went on to attend St. Patrick’s Catholic School in Waukon through her junior year; and graduated from Waukon High School in 1950.

Wilbur LaVerne Wilson, 83, of Waukon died Monday, May 31, 2021 at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics in Iowa City. Gathering of family and friends is scheduled for 4-7 p.m. Thursday, June 10 at Shores Event Center, 700 16th Street NE in Cedar Rapids. Inurnment will take place at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Adel.

Wilbur was born January 6, 1938 in Manchester, the son of LaVerne and Gladys (Fisher) Wilson. He attended Buck Creek School and at the age of 13 moved to Waukon, where he graduated from high school in 1956. Wilbur served in the U.S. Army from 1960 to 1964. He was married to Diane Svec, and they later divorced.

He is survived by his children, William (Cindy) Wilson and Bonnie (Jim Mitchell) Tarker, both of Cedar Rapids; his grandchildren, Halas and Denton Wilson; and his sister, Virginia (Verne) Svec. He was preceded in death by his parents; and his sister, Betty Wilson.