Obituaries

Rose Ella Valley, 89, of Waukon died Monday, July 27, 2026, at Methodist Hospital in Rochester, MN. Funeral services will be held Saturday, August 1 at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. Ben Valentine officiating. Burial will be in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Waukon. Friends may greet the family from 4-7 p.m. Friday, July 31 at Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon where there will be a 3:30 p.m. scripture service.

A full obituary will appear in the August 5 edition of The Standard. You can subscribe to The Standard's print edition or e-edition by clicking here.

Joanne P. Kehr, 96, of Lansing died peacefully Thursday, July 23, 2026, at Thornton Manor in Lansing, surrounded by her family. Funeral services will be held Saturday, August 1 at 11 a.m. at United Methodist Church, with Pastor James “Buck” Buckhahn officiating. Burial will be at Oak Hill Cemetery, both in Lansing. Friends may greet the family from 9:30 a.m. until time of services at the church Saturday. The service will be live streamed on the website of the church, lansingiowaumc.org, under the Worship Live Stream tab.

Thornburg-Grau Funeral Home in Lansing is handling the arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Mt. Hosmer Park, Gustave F. Kerndt VFW, or Auxiliary Post 5981, c/o Don Peters, 664 Center Street, Lansing, IA 52151; or Thornton Manor - patient recreation department, 1329 Main Street, Lansing, IA, 52151.

Bonnie L. Sanderman, 93, of Cedar Falls, formerly of Waukon, died Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at NewAldaya Lifescapes in Cedar Falls, surrounded by the love of her family. Funeral services were held Sunday, July 26 at Martin - Grau Funeral Home in Waukon with Pastor Cathy Jurgens officiating. Burial was at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon. Memorials can be made to Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon.

Bonna Lee “Bonnie” Sanderman was born August 13, 1932, at her grandmother’s home in Ludlow Township, in rural Waukon, the daughter of Walter and Evangeline (Stock) Grotegut. Bonnie graduated from Waukon High School in 1950. July 10, 1951, she married the love of her life, Neil Sanderman, and together they raised three children. She enjoyed farm life, but she also possessed a quiet determination to continue learning.

Marlys Ann (Hackbarth) Smith, 87, of Monona died Monday, July 20, 2026 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. A Private Graveside Service was held at Monona Cemetery, Monona. Memorials in her honor may be directed to Little Bulldog Preschool and MFL Ambulance Service. Leonard-Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service of Monona assisted the family with services.

Marlys was born March 27, 1939 at home in Morgan Township in Franklin County, Iowa, the oldest daughter of Verlynn and Leona (Gorder) Hackbarth. She was baptized and confirmed in the Morgan Methodist Church, which was a quarter mile from her home.

Marlys attended school in Dows and graduated in 1957. She was active in band, chorus, and class plays. She went to Ellsworth Jr. College and received her two-year degree to teach. She worked for a principal, took care of four young children, and cooked and cleaned for a family to pay for her education.

Harold Francis Nelson of Marysville, WA passed away April 12, 2026 at home, surrounded by loved ones. Harold was laid to rest in the Arlington, WA cemetery.

He was born in Iowa September 17, 1931 in the farmhouse of his maternal grandparents. He is the son of Albert Oke Nelson and Leona Marie Mettille.

Harold was raised on his parents’ farm in Houston County, MN. He attended school in a one-room schoolhouse from grades 1-8. The school was almost two miles from his home.  His only method of transportation to and from school was by walking those miles over hills and fields in all kinds of weather.

At the age of 20, Harold joined the United States Air Force. He completed his basic training in Texas at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX and Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, TX. He was then assigned to the 83rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Paine Field, Everett, WA where he served as a jet mechanic and was quickly promoted to Crew Chief.

Robert L. Livingston, 86, of Harpers Ferry died Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at Good Samaritan Center in Waukon. Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, August 8, 2026, at St. Ann’s-St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Harpers Ferry with Fr. Joseph Sevcik officiating. Burial will follow at St. Joseph’s Paint Rock Cemetery, Harpers Ferry.

Friends may greet the family from 9:30 a.m. until the time of services Saturday, August 8 at the church. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements.

Robert “Bob” Livingston was born November 9, 1939, in La Crosse, WI, the oldest child of Leo and Ruth (Ferring) Livingston of Harpers Ferry. Bob began school at St. Joseph’s one-room country school (located next to Paint Rock Cemetery) and graduated in 1957 from Waterville High School. At 17 years old, he joined the U.S. Army for two years - one year in the States and one year near Paris, France.

Debra Joan Taylor, 68, passed peacefully July 14, 2026, surrounded by her family after a courageous battle with glioblastoma. A Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, July 26 from 3-6:30 p.m. at Coffee On The River, located at 61 South Front Street, Lansing. All friends and family are welcome to attend.

Debra was born July 2, 1958, at Gundersen Lutheran Hospital in La Crosse, WI to Alfred and Jean (Swancutt) Miller. She is survived by her loving husband and best friend, Richard C. Taylor; her children, Melissa (Nick) Hammell, Justin (Carly) Taylor, and Amanda Taylor (Nick Zabeli); her cherished grandchildren, Isabelle Hammell, Leona Hammell, and Remi Zabeli; her sister Cheryl Ganske; along with many nieces, nephews, extended family members, dear friends, and countless lives she touched throughout the years.

She will be missed beyond words and remembered with endless smiles.
 

Chrystal “Chris” Ellefson, 69, of Waukon passed away at her home in Waukon Thursday, July 9, 2026. No services are planned at this time, but a celebration of life will be held at a later date. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is assisting the family.

Chrystal “Chris” Ellefson was born January 6, 1957, in Brooklyn, NY, to Robert and Nancy (Burr) Bertrand. The family moved to Wausau, WI, in 1959, and she attended St. Michael’s Elementary School and graduated from Newman High School.

Later on, Chris found her way to northeast Iowa, where she resided in McGregor; there she found lots of friends, including Betty Breitspecher, who became one of her best friends. She managed the Marathon station in Prairie Du Chein, WI, before relocating to Green Bay, WI, to manage the Marathon there. She also cleaned the Wells Fargo Bank branch in Green Bay. While there, she made many friends again, all the while riling up the Packer fans, being a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan.

Kathleen Jo Fossum, 75, of Waukon passed away Saturday, May 23, 2026. Services will be held Friday, July 10 at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon. Family and friends will be able to visit with the family prior to the service from 9-11 a.m. at the church. After the service, family and friends will be welcomed to gather at The Empty Nest Winery in rural Waukon for visitation and a lunch.

A private graveside service will be at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to St. Patrick’s Schools, Veterans Memorial Hospital, or Good Samaritan Center, all in Waukon. Online condolences may be directed to the family at www.iowacremation.com under Obituaries.
 

Darrell S. Rogness, 85, of Waukon passed away peacefully at his home Thursday, July 2, 2026, surrounded by his four daughters. Funeral services will be held Thursday, July 9 at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church, with Fr. Philip Agyei officiating. Burial will be at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, both in Waukon.

Friends may greet the family from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, July 8 at Martin - Grau Funeral Home in Waukon where there will be a 3:45 p.m. Scripture Service.

Darrell Sanford Rogness was born October 8, 1940, to Sanford and Evelyn (Erickson) Rogness in Wabasha, MN. The family lived in Kellogg, MN, until Darrell was nine years old, at which point they relocated to Monona. Darrell was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran Church, and later joined the Catholic Church.