Obituaries

Donald W. Johnson, 90, of Lansing died Tuesday, December 19, 2023 at Thornton Manor in Lansing. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, December 27 at 2 p.m. at Thornburg - Grau Funeral Home in Lansing with Pastor Laura Gentry officiating. Burial with military honors will be at Oak Hill Cemetery, Lansing. Friends may greet the family from 1 p.m. until time of services Wednesday at the funeral home.

Donald William Johnson was born July 29, 1933 in Lansing, the son of Hjalmer and Irene (Slindee) Johnson. He attended Eastern Allamakee Schools in Lansing and served in the U.S. Army from 1953-1955. March 21, 1956, he married Marie Lou Ellefson at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Lansing.

He worked as a gas station attendant, at the John Deere Shop, and for Eastern Allamakee Schools, where he was a janitor, bus driver and a bus mechanic. Don and Marie moved to Oelwein in 2007, before moving to Waukon in 2011. In 2018, he moved back to Lansing to Thornton Manor.

Ruth Louise Quandahl, age 97, of Mineola, TX passed away Tuesday, December 12, 2023 in Plano, TX. Services were held December 18 at Beatty Funeral Home in Mineola, TX and gravesite services at Salem United Church of Christ in Waukon were held December 21.

Ruth was born December 4, 1926 in Waukon to Fred and Bertha Becker and raised on the family farm. July 26, 1948, she married Marcellus Quandahl. Beginning their life together in Spring Grove, MN, they later moved to Quincy, IL where they raised their sons while they had a used car lot and a cafe. The family then moved to Mineola, TX.

Ruth enjoyed cooking for her family and growing flowers in her yard including her favorite Hollyhocks. She was an active member in her church and her faith was very dear to her. She enjoyed exchanging letters with friends and family back home in Waukon.

MaryEllen Politowitz, age 83, of Waukon, formerly of Gays Mills, WI, died in her home December 7, 2023. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

MaryEllen was born August 21, 1940 to William and Eleanor Pettit. She attended school in Gays Mills, WI. October 1959, she married Marlin White, Sr. of Winterset and they had four children: Marlin Jr., Victor, Karen and Linda. Marlin Sr. died in 1966.

Later, MaryEllen married Edward Politowitz, Sr. of St. Joseph, MO. They had Edward Jr. and Sharon. Edward Sr. died in 1980. MaryEllen raised her children in the Gays Mills, WI area. In 1988 MaryEllen’s granddaughter, Tammy, came to live with her. Shortly after, they moved to Waukon.

MaryEllen is survived by her children: Victor White (Christine) of Rossville, Karen White of Kittredge, CO, Linda Paradine (Ronald) of McGregor and Edward Politowitz, Jr. (DeDe) of Cresco; 11 grandchildren; and 24 great-grandchildren.

Mackay David Mathis, 32, of Harpers Ferry died Friday, December 15, 2023 from injuries sustained in a UTV accident in rural Harpers Ferry. Funeral services were held Tuesday, December 19 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. John Moser and Fr. Joseph Sevcik officiating. Burial followed at St. Joseph’s Paint Rock Cemetery, Harpers Ferry.

Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon handled arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials will be used to set up a scholarship in Mackay’s name.

Mackay David Mathis was born September 22, 1991 in La Crosse, WI, the son of David and Karen (Caballero) Mathis. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Ann’s-St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Harpers Ferry. Mackay graduated from Waukon High School in 2010.

Peggy Ann (Walters) Pugmire, 74, passed away December 11, 2023. A funeral service was held Saturday, December 16 at Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories in Cedar Rapids. Entombment followed at Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery in Cedar Rapids.

Peggy was born February 26, 1949 at the Waukon hospital to Leon W. and Dorothy (Lloyd) Walters. Peggy graduated from Regis High School in Cedar Rapids in 1967. She began her employment with Collins Radio Company.

She married James W. Pugmire at St. Matthews in Cedar Rapids. They started a general contracting company (Pugmire Quality Homes), where they sold and built prebuilt and conventional built homes, of which she was a partner while also retaining her employment with Rockwell Collins. She gave birth to Lisa M. Pugmire (Sherman). Peggy divorced in 1976.

Bernadette A. (Bernie) Halvorson of East Dubuque, IL passed away at home surrounded by her family December 9, 2023, at the age of 82. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Friday, December 15 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church with the Rev. Richard Halvorson presiding. Burial followed at East Dubuque Cemetery. The Miller Funeral Home of East Dubuque assisted the family.

Bernadette was born June 5, 1941 in Lansing. She was the daughter of Stanley and Velma (Knickerbocker) Walleser, who preceded her in death. She grew up on a farm in a family of five brothers and nine sisters. She attended St. George Catholic High School in Lansing, graduating in 1959.

Weston Dean Jones, aka “Wessy Boy”, 21 months old, of Waterloo peacefully passed away Thursday, December 7, 2023 at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics in Iowa City. Private memorial services will be held at Old West Paint Creek Lutheran Church, with Pastor Ken Kimball officiating, followed by inurnment in the church cemetery, both in rural Waukon.

A celebration of life will be held from 4-7 p.m. Friday, December 15 at Pinter’s Event Center in rural Decorah. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred in memory of Weston. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is assisting the family with arrangements.

Weston Dean Jones was born March 4, 2022, the son of Anna (Sweeney) and Kyler Jones of Waterloo. Wessy Boy was the light of many people’s lives, making a big impact on everyone he met. With a smile or a high five, Weston was always ready to make a new friend. He was known for his cool style, a mischievous personality, and his love for his puppies.

Ileta M. Oakland, 86, of Waukon died Thursday, December 7, 2023 at Northgate Care Center in Waukon. Funeral services will be held Friday, December 15 at 11 a.m. at Zion United Church of Christ in Waukon, with Pastor Cathy Jurgens officiating. Burial will be at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon.

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

Ileta May Oakland was born May 14, 1937, in Waukon, the daughter of Carl and Esther (Hermier) Kugel. She was baptized and confirmed at Zion United Church of Christ in Waukon. Ileta attended Ludlow #1 country school in rural Waukon through eighth grade and graduated from Waukon High School in 1955.

Mikayla M. (Holly) Archuleta, 29, of Waterloo, formerly of Farmington, NM and Waukon, passed away unexpectedly at her home Saturday, December 2, 2023. Funeral services were held Saturday, December 9 at Martin - Grau Funeral Home in Waukon with Pastor Steve Oden officiating. Burial will be held at a later date in Frankville Cemetery.

Mikayla Marie (Holly) Archuleta was born to Crystal (Fowler) Hughes of Waterloo and Kevin Holly of Cresco July 26, 1994 in Waukon. Mikayla married her husband, Adam Archuleta, May 16, 2019 in Farmington, NM. Together they had two children, Aria Lynn Marie and Robert John. Mikayla and Adam moved to Waterloo in 2021 to be closer to her family and friends.

Vicki M. Gluck, 66, of Waukon passed away peacefully at home with her niece, Candy Mannette, Friday, December 1, 2023. Graveside services will be held Tuesday, December 12 at 11 a.m. at Oakland Cemetery in Waukon, with Pastor Grant VanderVelden officiating. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is handling the arrangements.

Vicki Marie Gluck was born in Waukon March 20, 1957. She was diagnosed at birth with mild Down Syndrome. Her parents, Edward “Eddie” Gluck and Marie Louise (Ludeking) Gluck, had been married since December 21, 1935, and had Vicki many years later in life. She was raised alone by her mother after her father sadly passed away in 1960, when Vicki was only three years old.