D. Laurayne Beisker
D. Laurayne Beisker, 84, of Waukon died Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Funeral services were held Friday, March 2 at Iron Ridge Church in Waukon with Pastor Bryan Mincks officiating. Laurayne has donated her body to Des Moines University following the service. Inurnment will be at a later date at Maple Hill “Bigfoot” Cemetery, rural Rossville.
Darlene Laurayne Beisker was born January 2, 1934 on her parents’ farm in Linton Township, Allamakee County, rural Monona; she was the daughter of Wesley and Greta (Palmer) Thias. Laurayne was baptized and confirmed at Rossville Presbyterian Church. She attended the “Bigfoot” rural school through fourth grade and in 1951 graduated from Waterville High School; she then attended NITI (now NICC) in Calmar.
June 5, 1953, Laurayne married Roger Beisker; they divorced in 1971. Throughout her life, Laurayne worked at a number of jobs. As a waitress, she worked for the S&D Café, Cynda’s West Side Café and the Landmark Inn, all in Waukon, The Spillway and Harbor House in Harpers Ferry, and Beisker’s Lounge in Rossville. She also was a convenience store clerk at IOCO in Waukon, and worked for PMC in Prairie du Chien, WI and at CAPCO in Volney.
She was a longtime member of Rossville Presbyterian Church and, more recently, of Iron Ridge Church in Waukon. A social butterfly, Laurayne loved being around and meeting new people and listening to their stories, especially if they were about the old days or included local history. She was a “puzzle master” and could fly through piecing together jigsaw puzzles, some of which she glued together to keep. Some of her other favorite pastimes included fishing, dancing, playing cards, crocheting and embroidery.
Laurayne is survived by six children: Danny Beisker of Leola, PA, Julie (Tim Gehrmann) Hitchcock of Bagley, WI, Cindy Topel of Waukon, Jacky (Lee) Bresnahan of Waterville, Lorie Felton of Dubuque and Wesley Beisker of Waukon; 16 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; two infant sons; a grandson, Jese Lewey; her brother, Gene (Janet) Thias; and two sons-in-law, Steve Felton and Steve Topel.
Casketbearers were Joshua, Nick and Alex Beisker, Christopher Hitchcock, Shonda Hale, Randall Steele Jr., Dustin Lewey, Laura Winzlar, Craig and Keith Bresnahan, Amber Ferguson, Austin Mathis, Ian and Sean Felton, and Seth and Cody Beisker. Online condolences may be left at www.martinfunerals.com.
