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Roger C. Hilleshiem, 79, of Waterville, passed away Thursday, January 2, 2020, at  his home. Funeral services were held Monday, January 6, at Waterville Lutheran Church with Pastor Ken Kimball officiating and burial at Waterville Cemetery. Martin Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements.

Wayne A. Thorstenson, 82, of Waukon, died Wednesday, January 1, 2020, at Good Samaritan Center in Waukon. Memorial services were held Sunday, January 5, at Old West Paint Creek Lutheran Church in rural Waukon, with Pastor Ken Kimball officiating. Burial took place in the church cemetery. Martin Funeral Home in Waukon handled the arrangements.

Chad V. Johnson, 47, of Waukon died Tuesday, December 31, 2019, at Northgate Care Center in Waukon. Funeral services were held Saturday, January 4, at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon with Pastor Grant VanderVelden officiating. A private burial was held at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon.

Chad Victor Johnson was born May 8, 1972, to Larry and Sharon (Marti) Johnson. As a young boy, Chad was blonde haired, brown faced, spirited, and reckless. Chad was intelligent, quick-witted, and his laugh was infectious. He also had a great sense of humor and was not afraid to share it.

Wayne A. Ruroden, 73, of Waukon, died Friday, December 27, 2019, in rural Waukon. A private family gathering will be held at a later date to celebrate Wayne’s life. Martin Funeral Home in Waukon is assisting the family with arrangements.

Wayne Allen Ruroden was born November 2, 1946, in West Union, the son of Emory and Ula (Howard) Ruroden. He was baptized and confirmed at Bethel Presbyterian Church in West Union and attended West Union country schools and West Union High School. Wayne worked for George Schatz, traveling the horse racing circuit and living in various places throughout the United States including Boston, upstate New York, Nashville, and Louisville. He trained and groomed horses until 1985 when he returned to Clermont, where he worked for area farmers. In 1989, he moved to Waukon, and worked for Reel Core as a machine operator, worked as a night watchman for Northern Engraving, and also worked for several area farmers.

Randall G. Huffey, 65, of Waterville, died Tuesday, December 31, 2019, at his home. A visitation time to greet the family was held Sunday, January 5, 2020, at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon. A memorial celebration of his life was held following the visitation time with Pastor Laura Gentry officiating.

Mary Lou Poli passed away December 29, 2019.  Mary was born February 28, 1936 to Patricia (Blake) Brynes and Francis Byrnes in Waukon, Iowa.  She graduated from Saint Patrick High School in Waukon, Iowa and completed her college associates degree from Normandale College in Bloomington, MN. 

Mary and her four siblings were raised by their loving parents on a farm in beautiful Hanover, Iowa. Mary is survived by her children: Richard, Michael, Donna (David), Linda (Peter), David (Stacy), Darin (Jayne), 10 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren, brother William (Fran), brother Charles (Ann), brother Francis (Mary), sister Jeanne (Don), and other family, and friends. Mary is preceded in death by her parents, and her husband, Armand Poli.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Laboratory has the ability to draw and locally run many of the lab tests regularly ordered by physicians.  INR testing to test the thinkness of the blood is a very routine test that can easily be satisfied at the local Lab.

“It is important to work together with your healthcare provider to come up with the best plan for monitoring your INR and adjusting your dose,” states Beth Fitzpatrick, M.T., Laboratory Supervisor at Veterans Memorial Hospital. “To schedule an INR at Veterans Memorial Hospital, first have your physician complete a written referral. Your physician’s office will give you a copy of the referral to bring into us or they can fax it to our lab. It is important to schedule your INR for testing according to your healthcare provider’s instructions.”

Urgent Care will be available over the New Year’s holiday, Tuesday, December 31 and Wednesday, January 1, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. both days at Veterans Memorial Hospital. The hospital offers Urgent Care in addition to 24-hour a day emergency room (ER) services each and every day. Twenty-four hours a day, the hospital’s ER is staffed with an emergency provider to see ER patients with little waiting. Urgent Care is offered every day as well including every week night, on the weekends and on holidays when the local clinic is closed. Urgent Care is designed for treating injuries or illnesses requiring immediate care, but not serious enough to require an emergency department visit.

The next LifeServe Blood Center blood drive will be held Thursday, January 2, from 12-5 p.m., at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon. Blood drives are held every month in Waukon. The LifeServe Blood Center of Iowa supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital with their blood and blood products.

The LifeServe Blood Center of Iowa is seeking donors to ensure a safe and plentiful blood supply in Iowa. Because there is no substitute for human blood, the need for donors is continuous. Many Iowans are encouraged to make donating blood on a regular basis their New Year’s resolution this year.

by the American Institute for Cancer Research

Quick to prepare and warmly satisfying, soups are an ideal way to eat well in the winter. When you stoke soup with vegetables, whole grains and beans, you’re adding foods that brim with phytochemicals. The beauty of phytochemicals is that they are naturally occurring compounds that, along with vitamins and minerals, help boost immunity and fend off disease.

Favorite vegetable soups like tomato, lentil and onion are teeming with valuable nutrients. Vitamin C-rich tomato soup provides a serving of vegetables in the liquid itself, and more can come from added vegetables. Carrots, cauliflower, peppers, cabbage and broccoli are just a few more great soup veggies that provide natural compounds that may protect our cells from damage that can lead to cancer. Soups made with vegetables, beans and whole grains have many phytochemicals, which seem to work together with vitamins, fiber and minerals to protect our health.