Obituaries

Allen A. Goeke, 98, of Waukon died Sunday, September 13, 2026, at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Funeral services were held Friday, September 18 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon, with Pastor Daryl Schultz officiating. Burial followed at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon handled arrangements.

Allen Arthur Goeke was born March 14,1928, the son of George and Gertrude (Shindoll) Goeke of Waukon. He attended Jefferson #3 country school for grades 1-6, and then the Waukon public schools, graduating from Waukon High School in May of 1947.

Lawrence “Larry” J. Blake, age 73, of Dorchester died Sunday, September 13, 2026, at his home in Dorchester, surrounded by his family. Mass of Christian Burial is at 11 a.m. Tuesday, September 22, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Dorchester. Visitation and a meal will be from 4-7 p.m. Monday, September 21 at the Allamakee Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon. Visitation will also be from 9:30-11 a.m. Tuesday before the service at the church. Burial will be at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Dorchester.

Larry was born March 29, 1953, in Charles City, the son of Pat and Margaret (Hammell) Blake. He was raised in Dorchester with seven sisters and five brothers. Larry and Susie Manning were married July 1, 1972 in Wexford.

Thomas K. Buege, 65, of Waverly, formerly of Waukon, passed away peacefully with his family by his side Thursday, September 3, 2026, at University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City. Memorial services will be held Saturday, September 19 at 10 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. Daniel Knipper officiating. The service will also be live streamed on the church’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/waukonareapastorate.

Friends will be able to greet the family and enjoy a meal following the service from 12-3 p.m. Saturday at Empty Nest Winery, 1352 Apple Road, Waukon. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements.

Thomas Kevin Buege was born May 1, 1961, in Waukon to Wilford “Bill” and Dorothy (West) Buege. He was baptized and confirmed at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon, and graduated from Waukon High School in 1979.

Daniel C. Burke, 86, of Lansing passed away Sunday, September 6, 2026, at Thornton Manor in Lansing. He died of natural causes in the presence of family members and very helpful nursing home staff. A private service will be held. Thornburg-Grau Funeral home in Lansing is assisting the family.

Daniel Charles Burke was born July 1, 1940, to Charles and Ruth (Hammel) Burke. He was a lifelong resident of Lansing and graduated with the last class of Immaculate Conception High School in 1958.

Loren H. Beneke, 78, of Cedar Rapids, formerly of Waukon, passed away peacefully with his family by his side Monday, September 7, 2026, at University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City. Funeral services were held Saturday, September 12 at Zion United Church of Christ in Waukon, with Rev. Cathy Jurgens officiating. Burial with military honors was held in Oakland Cemetery, Waukon. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon assisted the family.

Loren Henry Beneke was born August 17, 1948, in Waukon, the son of Henry and Tillie (Schallock) Beneke. He graduated from Waukon High School in 1966. Following graduation, he attended Iowa State University in Ames, he worked for the railroad and road crews, and enlisted in the United States Army, where he served for two years before returning home to help on the family farm.

Monica Kay Smeenk, 64 years old, of Independence died Saturday, August 8, 2026, at the Rehab Center of Independence in Independence, following a long battle with Multiple Sclerosis. Private burial took place at the Postville Cemetery in Postville, with a Celebration of Life held Saturday, September 12 at the Ampersand in Oelwein. Memorials may be directed to the family. Condolences may be placed at www.White-MtHope.com. White Funeral Home, Independence assisted the family.

Monica was born September 12, 1961, in Postville, the daughter of Paul Henry and Beatrice Caryl (Guyer) Benjegerdes. She attended school in Postville and graduated with the high school class of 1980. She was united in marriage to Bernard Daniel Smeenk in 1980, in Postville.

Mary A. Soboleski (nee Curran) of Wauwatosa, WI, passed away August 11, 2026, at the age of 96, surrounded by her loving family. A funeral mass was held September 4 at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Wauwatosa, WI.

Mary was the daughter of William L. and Marguerite Curran of Lafayette Township, IA. She graduated from Immaculate Conception High School in Lansing, and attended Clarke College in Dubuque for two years. In 1952, she graduated from St. Mary’s School of Nursing in Rochester, MN.

Mary moved to Milwaukee, WI, where she worked at Children’s Hospital. There, she met Jerome Soboleski of Ironwood, MI, a friend of her brother, William J. Curran. Mary and Jerome were married June 21, 1958, at Immaculate Conception Church, Wexford.

Dwight “Blackie” Lawson, 84, of Waukon passed away peacefully Sunday, July 19, 2026, in Marshalltown after a long period of declining health. Due to a scheduling conflict his funeral service will now be held graveside at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Waukon at 11 a.m. Saturday, September 12. A celebration of his life will be held at The Old Rossville Store following the funeral. Born March 29, 1942, in Waukon to Howard and Janet “Bub” (Tepesch) Lawson, Dwight was a proud graduate of the Waukon High School Class of 1961. He later attended the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls where he studied Accounting. Throughout his life, Dwight worked mainly as a meatcutter and salesman. After retirement, he spent much of his time helping people fix up their homes, generously putting his skills to work for others. He also gave to his community, volunteering at local food pantries and with the American Red Cross, including hurricane relief efforts in Georgia.

Beth D. Kerndt, 73, of Waukon passed away Saturday, September 5, 2026, at her home in Waukon. She was surrounded by her loving and devoted husband Tom and her children.

Memorial services will be held Saturday, September 12 at 10 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon, with Fr. Philip Agyei officiating. Burial will be at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Waukon. Friends may greet the family from 4-8 p.m. Friday, September 11 at Martin - Grau Funeral Home in Waukon, where there will be a 3:30 p.m. scripture service.

Beth Diane (Lange) Kerndt was born March 10, 1953, at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon, the daughter of Duane and Kathleen (Gordon) Lange. She was raised in the Monona area with her two brothers on her parent’s century farm. Beth graduated from MFL High School in 1971.

April 20, 1996, she married the love of her life, Tom Kerndt, at Giard Methodist Church in Giard. Together they enjoyed many adventures and made many happy memories along the way.

Duane H. J. Martins, 88, of Waukon, formerly of Luana, passed away after a brief illness Sunday, August 30, 2026, at Northgate Care Center in Waukon. Memorial services were held Saturday, September 5 at Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon with Pastor Daryl Schultz officiating. The service was live streamed on the funeral home’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/martinfunerals.