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Margaret “Maggie” E. Welch, 86, of rural Lansing died Friday, June 2, 2023 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Funeral services were held Tuesday, June 6 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. John Moser officiating. Burial was at St. Mary’s Lycurgus Cemetery, rural Waukon.

Memorials may be directed to Veterans Memorial Hospital in memory of Maggie. Cards/condolences may be mailed to Suzy Leiran at 2054 Lycurgus Road, Lansing, IA 52151.

Margaret Elizabeth Welch was born May 12, 1937 in La Crosse, WI, the daughter of Arthur and Margaret (O’Neill) Bakewell. She grew up in Lansing and attended Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, where she was baptized, confirmed and married. In 1955, Maggie graduated from Immaculate Conception High School as the president of her class.

Arthur “Art” G. Berns, 84, of Waukon died Sunday, May 28, 2023 at his home in rural Waukon. Funeral services were held Friday, June 2 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. John Moser officiating. Burial was held Saturday, June 3 at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Waukon.

Arthur Gordon Berns was born February 1, 1939 in Union Prairie Township, rural Waukon, the son of Bernard “Verni” and Eleanora (Taake) Berns. He was baptized and confirmed at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church-West Ridge. Art attended Union Prairie country school, a one room schoolhouse where his mother taught, and he graduated from St. Patrick Catholic School in Waukon where he met his future wife.

Timothy J. Thesing, age 62, passed away Monday, May 22, 2023 surrounded by his family. A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, August 12 at 18 and 8th Event Center, located at 1802 8th Street in Monroe, WI. Visitation will take place from 11 a.m. until the time of service. Bishop Luis Rivera will officiate. Inurnment will be at Calvary Cemetery, Argyle, WI, where military graveside rites will be accorded.

He was born May 21, 1961, the son of James and Colette (Kaczorowski) Thesing in Lanesboro, MN. Tim and his family later moved to Waukon, where he graduated in 1980 from  Waukon High School.

Allamakee County Sheriff Deputy John Grampovnik was among the 550 peacekeeping authorities from across the nation who had their ultimate sacrifices honored this year with the engraving of their names on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. The unveiling of those names, which include six law enforcement authorities from the state of Iowa, took place as part of the events of National Police Week observed May 14-20 this year.

Deputy Grampovnik died January 27, 2022 while serving in his 24th year as a Deputy of the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial website states that Grampovnik “died from complications as a result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty.”

The City of Lansing and the Lansing Park and Recreation Board announce the completion of a mapping and trail signage placement project for the trails that emanate from the Mt. Hosmer Park. The project was made possible by a 2021 grant from the Wellmark Foundation. An unveiling event was held Tuesday, May 23 at Mt. Hosmer Park to share the installation with the public.

“We are excited to share all the great work that went into this partnership to bring this new benefit to Lansing residents and visitors who enjoy the beauty of Mt. Hosmer and its trails,” said Maryann Baldwin, Lansing Parks Board Chair. “Most importantly, our community volunteers who have created these trails and collaborated with the City and Northeast Iowa RC&D (Resource Conservation & Development) to bring this project to life.”

Friday evening, May 12, 11 original members of four local bands reunited at Goodfella’s in Waukon to benefit the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation.   The crowd was estimated at around 300 or more who attended the event to witness this reunion and enjoy the wide variety of music played from the 1960s, ‘70s and 80s.

Many of the returning musicians were originally from Waukon, including brothers Bill Withers, Jim Withers and John Withers, along with Gary Hesla, Bob Bechtel, Dave Dougherty, Brad Prestemon, Todd Pickett and Joel Anderson.  They were joined by Keel Clemmens and Jamey Lideen, longtime band members over the years.

The 12th original band member, the late Pat Dougherty, was remembered during the event, with his brother, Dave, joining the band at times throughout the evening. His original guitar and one other were on display during the evening with many purchasing a button to wear that night with his photo of him and his guitar.

by Dwight Jones

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Discussing mental health and/or acknowledging you or someone you know may have a problem can be a difficult subject to talk about and even harder to understand. In order to try to better recognize mental health issues, The Standard has been running a five-part series throughout the month of May to look at how mental illness affects the local community and the resources available should you or someone you love be looking for help or information.

Parts One through Three told stories of local individuals that have dealt with mental illness either themselves or within their families. Part Four detailed a local group that is working hard to provide resources to help individuals and families affected by this disease.

The 70th Jubilee Mass of Father Donald Hawes has been scheduled for Sunday, June 4 at 11 a.m. in Immaculate Conception Church, Wexford. In addition to celebrating 70 years as a priest, Father Donald is also celebrating his 95th birthday.
Donald John Hawes was born December 22, 1928 to John and Ellen (Conway) Hawes of Wexford (rural Lansing). He was baptized December 24, 1928 in Immaculate Conception Church, Wexford. Following the tragedy of his father’s sudden death May 9, 1935, his mother raised Donald and his siblings on the family farm.

Donald Hawes graduated from Loras College in Dubuque in 1949 and from St. Mary Seminary in Baltimore, MD in 1953. He received his sub-diaconate at St. Mary’s Seminary June 6, 1952. Father Donald Hawes was ordained a priest May 16, 1953 in Christ the King Chapel at Loras College, Dubuque.

Robey Memorial Library will be sponsoring Main Street Story Walk in Waukon during the month of June, with this month’s walk featuring the children’s story, “Farmer Duck” by Martin Waddell. During the month, families are encouraged to read this story as they stroll the downtown area. Seven selected businesses have a portion of the story posted in the front window of their establishment for viewing from the sidewalk in numerical order. Each stop along the story walk will direct readers to the next location. Selected businesses for the month of June are located on the north side of West Main Street at the following locations pictured and labeled accordingly above in the submitted image: 1. Blake Electric; 2. Hello Sunshine; 3. Aztec Parlor; 4. Rockweiler’s Appliance; 5. Hartig Drug; 6. Uptown Grill; 7. Cunningham Hardware. Submitted image.
 

Emma Palmer (pictured in center of photo at right), a graduated senior of Waukon High School’s Class of 2023, was recognized by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (right) and Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg (left) for outstanding academic achievement at the 21st Annual Governor’s Scholar Recognition Ceremony held April 30 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. The statewide program, sponsored by the Iowa Governor’s Office, Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) and its title sponsor, the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF), honored 422 high school seniors from across Iowa at the ceremony.