Obituaries

Mark “Bob” Wagner  was born February 13, 1947 in Waukon to Mark and Mary Dougherty Wagner. He passed December 19, 2025 from a long illness.

A memorial will be held at a later date. Memorials can be made to: Wexford Foundation, c/o Mary Egan, 1296 Great River Road, Harper’s Ferry, IA 52146.

Bob was raised on a farm in Lansing and attended St. George High School, Lansing and Rock Valley College, Rockford, IL. He served in the U.S. Army and deployed to Vietnam.  He worked for what originally was Barber Colman Company in Loves Park and their subsidiaries for over 52 years. He and his wife of 55 years, Karen Schott Wagner, moved to Virginia with the company for 13 years and returned to work back in Rockford for a few more years before he retired.

Dolores Marie (Delphey) Schmitt, age 87, died January 2, 2026, at her home in Madison, WI. She was born March 2, 1938, to Edward A. and Mildred M. (Hogan) Delphey in Dubuque.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, January 16 at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 401 South Owen Drive, Madison, WI. Visitation will take place from 9:30 a.m. until the time of service. Interment of ashes will be at a later date at St. Joseph’s Paint Rock Cemetery, Harpers Ferry.

Dolores grew up in Harpers Ferry on the bank of the Mississippi River where her father, grandfather and uncles worked together as commercial fishermen. Many of her fondest childhood memories were of helping them and spending time on the riverbank with her sister, cousins, and her dear friend, Judy (Wiedner) Indihar.

Harold N. Meyer, 94, of Eitzen, MN, passed away peacefully December 30, 2025, at Claddagh Senior Living & Memory Care in Caledonia, MN. A funeral service was held Tuesday, January 6 at St. John’s United Church of Christ (UCC), Wheatland in rural New Albin with Pastor Allen Hanson officiating. Burial with military honors followed at the church cemetery.

Harold was born July 5, 1931, in New Albin to George H. and Ella (Reinke) Meyer. He attended rural country schools and served in the U.S. Army several years.

John E. Wood, 83, of Waukon passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by family Christmas Eve, December 24, 2025. Memorial services were held Friday, January 2 at Old West Paint Creek Lutheran Church in Waukon with Pastor Marshall Hahn officiating. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon assisted the family.

John Earl Wood was born September 18, 1942, in Waukon, the son of Eugene and Martina (Peterson) Wood. He was baptized and confirmed at Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Lansing. He attended country school through 8th grade and graduated from Lansing High School May 25, 1960.

July 12, 1964, he married Juliet Meyer. They were blessed with three children from this union. They later divorced. May 28, 2004, he married Sharon (Walters) Bohland.

Roger Allen Asleson, 81, of Princeton passed away Friday, December 26, 2025, at The Vistas in Bettendorf.  Services will be Saturday, January 3 at 10 a.m. at the Runge Mortuary in Davenport. Visitation is Friday, January 2 from 4-7 p.m. at the funeral home.

His final resting place will be in Oakridge Cemetery, Princeton. Memorials may go to the family.

Roger was born February 6, 1944, in Waukon, the son of Albert and Marion (Dargis) Asleson. He grew up on a farm in Waterville. He served in the U.S. Army with the 313th Signal Corps in Bussac, France.

He was united in marriage to Romona “Mona” Gross April 24, 1970, in Sterling, IL. She preceded him in death July 17, 2023.

Jason L. Thorsten, 47, of Waukon died Thursday, December 25, 2025, at Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, WI. Private family burial will be held at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Waukon. Martin – Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is handling the arrangements.

Brian Dale Carstens, 67, of Waterville passed away peacefully at home December 18, 2025. A memorial service will be held Saturday, January 10 at 11 a.m. at Old East Paint Creek Church, in rural Waterville. Brian was laid to rest at Old East Paint Creek Church Cemetery December 22, 2025.

Memorials can be sent to: Winneshiek Medical Center Hospice (Decorah), Gundersen Medical Foundation (La Crosse, WI), and/or Al-anon Family Groups (Virginia Beach, VA). Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements.

Born June 18, 1958, in St. Paul, MN, Brian Dale Carstens was the son of Orma and Bernard Carstens.  He was baptized at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in St. Paul, MN and confirmed at a Lutheran church in Circle Pines, MN.

Colin C. Ahlstrom, 56, of Decorah, formerly of Waukon, died Saturday, December 20, 2025, at the Mayo Clinic Health System Hospital in La Crosse, WI, surrounded by his family. Private family burial was held in Oakland Cemetery in Waukon with Fr. Philip Agyei officiating.

Colin Clark Ahlstrom was born October 26, 1969, in Cedar Rapids, the son of Douglas Ahlstrom and Deborah (Whalen) Peterson. He was baptized at St. Ludmila Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids and was later confirmed at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon. He attended school in Waukon as well.

Always a dedicated man, Colin worked since his early life, beginning with bailing hay for farmers. Most notably, he worked at Iowa Rotocast Plastics, Advanced Engineering Technology, and was a well-loved store manager for Rockweiler Appliance.

Elizabeth A. “Beth” McCormick, age 72, of Harpers Ferry passed away Sunday, December 21, 2025, peacefully at home, surrounded by her family. Beth was born March 1, 1953, in Caledonia, MN, to John and Melba (Meyer) Beneke.

Mass of Christian Burial was Saturday, December 27 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in McGregor with Father Martin Coolidge officiating and Deacon Pat Malanaphy assisting. Those wishing to honor Beth’s memory, may do so with a memorial contribution to St. Croix Hospice, The Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center in Lansing or Harpers Ferry Fire & Rescue.

Beth will be laid to rest in a private family burial in the Spaulding Cemetery, a quiet cemetery on the McCormick Family Farm. A place where she will keep watch over her husband as he tends the fields, and over her children and grandchildren as they grow, play, and build their own memories on the land she loved.

Brian D. Carstens, 67, of Waterville died Thursday, December 18, 2025, at his home in rural Waterville. A celebration of life will be held Saturday, January 10 at Old East Paint Creek Lutheran Church in rural Waterville.

A full obituary will be printed in a future edition of The Standard with the time of the celebration. Martin -Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is assisting the family with arrangements.