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Phyllis A. Drenth, age 83, of Decorah died Monday, July 8, 2019 at Thornton Manor Nursing Home in Lansing. Funeral Services were held Friday, July 12 at First United Methodist Church in Decorah with Rev. Hyeunmee Kang officiating. Burial was at Lowell Cemetery in Clarksville.

Phyllis Ann (Spencer) Drenth was born February 27, 1936 in Austin, MN, the daughter of Herman Cecil and Ella Mary (Anderson) Spencer. She grew up in rural Austin in Mower County, MN and graduated from Austin High School with the Class of 1954.

Phyllis met Lowell James Drenth at a New Year’s Eve dance in Clarksville in 1954. They were married at the United Methodist Church in Austin, MN February 15, 1958. Phyllis and Lowell were living and farming in Clarksville when their first son, Donovan James, was born in Waverly February 10, 1961. They bought a farm in Decorah in 1964 and their second son, Russell James, was born in Decorah December 12, 1967.

James Charles Volk, 83, of Ferryville, WI was called home to our Lord Monday, July 8, 2019 at Northgate Care Center in Waukon after a courageous fight with lung cancer. A Celebraton of Life will be held at a later date.

He was born December 1, 1935 to John and Julia (Mullowney) Volk in Mauston, WI. Jim graduated high school from West Bend, WI. He joined and proudly served in the United States Navy.

Jim was united in marriage to Karen Sadowski December 29, 1980 in Prairie du Chien, WI. He was a self-made man that owned a variety of businesses throughout the years, including Beach Builders, Inc., Club Shi-la-lee tavern in Racine, WI and a tavern in St. Anthony, WI, the Corral.

Adaline Lois Langland, 90, of Waukon died Sunday, June 30, 2019 at Good Samaritan Center in Waukon. Memorial services will be held Saturday, July 20 at 11 a.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon, with Pastor Wayne Ellingson officiating. Burial will take place in Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Spring Grove, MN. Friends may call from 10 a.m. until time of services Saturday at the church. Martin Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements.

Adaline Lois Langland was born August 16, 1928 in Spring Grove, MN, the daughter of Nels and Sarah (Bidne) Nesheim. She was baptized and confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Spring Grove and graduated from Spring Grove High School in 1946.

August 25, 1946, she married Charles Edgar Hille Langland at Trinity Lutheran Church in Spring Grove. Lois was a great seamstress, designing many wedding dresses at Fabric Chalet, and one of the best lefse bakers in the area as her lefse hardly ever had any big brown spots.

Mildred L. Osterholz, 99, of Waukon died Wednesday, July 10, 2019 at Northgate Care Center in Waukon. Funeral services were held Saturday, July 13 at Zalmona Presbyterian Church in Waukon, with Pastor Tim Rupert officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery.

Mildred Louise Osterholz was born January 9, 1920 in Waukon, the daughter of Samuel J. and Mathilda (Nelson) Kaeser. She was baptized and confirmed at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon, graduated from Waukon High School in 1937 and attended Waukon Junior College.

Donald L. Kleinschmidt, 87, of Harpers Ferry died Tuesday, June 18, 2019 at Thornton Manor in Lansing. Memorial services with military honors will be held Saturday, July 20 at 11 a.m. at the Ethel Robinson Meehan Community Center at Harpers Ferry.

A lunch will follow immediately after the service at the community center, where there will be time to greet the family. Martin Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements.
 

Robert C. Rush, 58, of Oelwein, formerly of Waukon, died Saturday, July 13, 2019 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, MN. Arrangements are pending at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital introduced its new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to the local communities April 1, upgrading from an older system, and is now offering 16-channel technology for superior image quality, shorter exam times and increased diagnostic confidence.

The experienced Radiology staff at Veterans Memorial Hospital has been using this new machine for three months and is very happy with its performance.

“We are very excited to be using this updated machine here at Veterans Memorial Hospital,” states Amanda Leiran, Radiology Supervisor at Veterans Memorial Hospital. “With this new machine, we can definitely offer a greater number of exams to our patients in a more spacious scanner, keeping them much more comfortable and close to home.”

Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon will be offering a variety of free health tests and education at the 2019 Allamakee County Fair. Testing and educational materials will change daily and will include the following schedule:

The next Caregiver Support Group meeting will be held Monday, July 15 at 1:30 p.m. in the Meditation Room in the front entrance of Veterans Memorial Hospital.  When a person is diagnosed with a chronic illness, a lot of focus and attention is put on how to keep that person as independent and as healthy as possible.

When a person loses some of their abilities to care for themselves the burden of care is often assumed by the spouse, a child (or children), or sometimes friends and neighbors. While everyone who becomes a caregiver handles the added responsibility with different skill sets, attitudes and understanding levels, there is no question that there is a very real strain associated with care giving.

Recent studies have estimated that the stress caused just by becoming the caregiver of an adult with a chronic illness or disability will take seven years off of a person’s life. With more and more Iowans aging, this is a real concern within the local community.

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital will be holding its monthly Euchre Marathon for all individuals of the community interested Thursday, July 18. Men and women are welcome to attend, even if not an Auxiliary member. The Euchre marathons are held the third Thursday of each month at the Senior Citizens Room at the Waukon Wellness Center.

The Auxiliary’s Euchre Marathons begin at 11:30 a.m. with dinner, if chosen.  Call Northland Agency on Aging at 877-838-8077 if choosing to eat dinner. Card playing will follow at 12:30 p.m. until approximately 2:30 p.m. Anyone wishing to stay and play cards following the Senior Citizens meal is more than welcome to do so. All proceeds go towards the Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital. Prizes will be awarded.

Anyone interested in attending, but preferring to play Bridge is also welcome to join in. It is asked that they come with their own table of four players, however.