News Center newsletter

The Waukon Park & Recreation Department is preparing for its summer baseball and softball programs. Registration forms are being made available early this year for fourth through seventh grade participants just to get a better idea of how many kids are planning to play through the Park & Recreation system this summer since participation numbers in these grades have been declining.

As in previous years, fourth and fifth grades will practice and play in town, with hopes of having practice during the day for this age group. It is desired to have three practices a week with Wednesday night games and all of that taking place at the softball complex. Practices will tentatively start the week of May 29 and games would start the week of June 5 and run five weeks, into mid-July, with parents helping coach during the games.

Mary A. Ward, 83, of Waukon died Saturday, February 25, 2023 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, March 1 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. John Moser officiating. Burial will be at St. Mary’s Hanover Cemetery in rural Waukon.

Friends may greet the family from 4-8 p.m. Tuesday, February 28 at Martin - Grau Funeral Home in Waukon, where there will be a 3:30 p.m. scripture service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the American Lung Association (https://www.lung.org/get-involved/ways-to-give).

Mary Ann Ward was born July 4, 1939 at home in Dorchester, one of 12 children to Emmett and Lillian (Doubek) Schwartzhoff. In 1957, she graduated from high school in Spring Grove, MN and then moved to Rochester, MN with her sister-in-law, Shirley Schwartzhoff, to work as a nursing assistant at the hospital.

Rev. Sue Moline Larson died February 23, 2023 at University Hospital, Madison, WI. Her funeral service will be at Holy Wisdom Monastery, 4200 Hwy. M, Middleton, WI Saturday, March 4 at 1 p.m. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to the time of service. Interment will be Monday, March 6 at 1 p.m. at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon. In lieu of flowers, memorials will be directed to a scholarship fund to support students studying environmental justice and advocacy.

Sue was born February 20, 1947 in Waukon in the beautiful rolling hills of northeast Iowa near the Mississippi River Valley. She was baptized June 9, 1947 at Grace Evangelical United Brethren Church in Lansing. She attended the Ferring country school through fifth grade and then went to school in Waukon when her family moved due to father’s ill health.

Susan Stanton O’Connor, 83, of Bellevue, WA passed away peacefully in her sleep February 8, 2023 after battling lymphoma and dementia. A small private service will be held for the family. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Old Friends Club (welcome@oldfriendsclub.org), a dementia support group.

Susan was born June 14, 1939 in Chicago, IL to Erma Beryl Jones and James J. Stanton. The family moved to Waukon, where Susan attended school through grade 11. She moved to California and graduated from Tustin High School in 1957. Susan went on to graduate from Bellevue College as a Registered Nurse. She also spent over 20 years working for Sno-Isle Libraries as a library assistant at Mukilteo, WA.

by Amy Rolfs, RN, VMH Cardiac Rehab Supervisor

If you have a heart attack or other heart problem, cardiac rehabilitation is an important part of your recovery. Cardiac rehabilitation can help prevent another, perhaps more serious, heart attack and can help you build heart-healthy habits. About 800,000 people in the United States have a heart attack every year. About one in four of those people already had a heart attack. Cardiac rehabilitation not only can help a person recover from a heart problem but can also prevent future heart problems.

The mural in the photo at right was recently donated and installed at the Veterans Memorial Hospital Clinic-Waukon by Steel Cow Gallery in Waukon, thanks to owners Val and Josh Miller. This mural now decorates the children’s corner of the clinic and highlights a large section of the “Sweet 16” canvas print sold by Steel Cow Gallery which includes almost 100 of Val’s paintings of local farm animals. Pictured in the photo, left to right, with the mural are Waukon Clinic Director Laura Baxter and Josh Miller of Steel Cow Gallery. Submitted photo.
 

How many people know that one pint of whole blood can save up to three lives? The next local LifeServe Blood Center blood drive will be held Thursday, March 2 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in south Waukon. Blood drives are held every month in Waukon, allowing for more donors to give. LifeServe Blood Center supplies Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon with its blood and blood products.

Anyone who lives to the age of 72 will have a 95% probability of needing blood or blood products at sometime in their life, so blood donors are greatly needed to meet that need.

The local Grief Support Group will be holding its monthly meeting at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon Tuesday, March 14 at 5 p.m. in the Meditation Healing Center, located just inside the main entrance of the hospital.

This informal meeting is open to anyone suffering from any type of loss, whether it be death, divorce, illness or some other grief.

Feel free to attend and bring a friend. This grief support group meets the second Tuesday of each month at Veterans Memorial Hospital.
 

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Darrel Koozer by Chuck and Lois Votsmier, the Herman Family, Jim and Jill Kiesau, Mark Klingeman, Mike and Sue McMillan, Ron and Kim Winters and Waukon Feed Ranch.

Additionally, memorials were also received in memory of Esther Walleser by John and Lorna Kerndt, Betty Troendle, Maury Mooney and Brad and Erin Berns.

Memorials were also received in memory of Juanita Engan, Bruce Thorsten, Larry Magner and Leone McKee, all by Chuck and Lois Votsmier.

Memorials and donations are greatly appreciated by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation.  The Foundation is a 501C3 organization. All donations to the Foundation are tax deductible. Memorials and donations can be sent to the Health Care Foundation at 40 First Street SE, Waukon, IA  52172.

Ashley and Darin Valley of Marion announce the birth of their daughter, Jenna Christine Valley, born January 26, 2023 at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. She weighed 7 lbs. and measured 18-1/2 inches in length at the time of her birth.

Grandparents are Jerry and Mari Beth Valley of Harpers Ferry, Brian and Shelly Borota of DeWitt and Dave and Patty Schwarz of Guttenberg.