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Robert F. Heimer, age 87, passed peacefully into the arms of Jesus January 19, 2023 at Northgate Care Center in Waukon. A celebration of life will be planned at a later date.

Robert was born July 13, 1935 in Stacyville, the son of Marvin and Agatha Heimer. He attended St. Augustine High School in Austin, MN, where he met Shirley A. Hobbs. They wed June 5, 1954. Through this union, he was blessed with having seven children: Cheryl (Steve) Kiesau of Champaign, IL, Scott Heimer of Gillette, WY, Lynette Corkery of Muscatine, Susan (Dean) Burroughs of Waukon, Mary (Joel) Anderson of Waukon, the late Martin (Dawn) Heimer of LaCrescent, MN and Catherine (Jim) Gelo of Postville.

Ronald Wayne Ashbacher, age 76, formerly of Waukon, went home to be with the Lord Monday, December 5, 2022. Interment service will be in Waukon at a later date.

Ron was born May 15, 1946 in the French Creek area of rural Waukon, the son of Harold and Louise (Scharping) Ashbacher. He attended elementary school and graduated from Waukon High School in 1964.

He farmed with his father, Harold, until attending college at University of Iowa. He was drafted and served in the U.S. Army in Viet Nam. He graduated from Washburn University in Topeka while working  for  Goodyear Tire company in Topeka, KS.

In retirement, Ron lived in northwest Arkansas and later in St. Louis, MO. Ron loved fishing and water skiing, and was a nationally ranked Bridge card player.

Sylvia Mae Huffman, 89, of Denver, formerly of Waterloo, went to be with the Lord the morning of Tuesday, January 17, 2023. Funeral services were held Saturday, January 21 at Waterloo First United Methodist Church with Rev. Hojin Shin officiating. Sylvia was laid to rest at the Waterloo Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be directed in Sylvia’s name to her family which will be later designated to the church or Unity Point Hospice Care of Waterloo. For further information or to leave an online condolence, please visit www.hagartywaychoffgrarup.com. Hagarty-Waychoff-Grarup Funeral Service West Ridgeway location in Waterloo is caring for Sylvia and her family.

As an Iowa high school football official for the past 35 years, Ron Herman of Waukon has made a number of calls impacting a number of youth on playing fields across northeast Iowa. With one final call he made this past fall he wanted to make an even bigger impact off the field in honor of his final year of officiating high school football.

December 28 of this past year, Herman, his wife, Susanne, and his three children, Jonathan, Sydney and Samantha, all made the trip to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital in Iowa City, where he presented a check in the amount of $930 to the hospital. That dollar amount represented the total pay he collected officiating high school football games this past fall, which marked his 35th and final year of working as an Iowa high school football official.

“I saved up all of my pay stubs from the games I officiated this past fall, totaled them up and wrote a check to the children’s hospital,” Herman explained.

Brent Parker, pictured above, was sworn in by Waukon Mayor Pat Stone as an officer for the Waukon Police Department at the Monday, January 9 meeting of the Waukon City Council. Parker is a certified officer and comes to the Waukon Police Department from the Decorah Police Department, where he has been an officer since 2015 and has served as assistant police chief since October 2019. Parker was scheduled to start his duties in Waukon Monday, January 16.

The Allamakee County Veterans Museum will continue its program series for 2023 with a program about Allamakee County on the Home Front during World War II. The program is scheduled for Thursday, January 26 at 6:30 p.m. in the meeting room of the new Veterans Museum in the former Vet’s Club building at 105 Allamakee Street in Waukon.

There is no admission charge, and the facility is wheelchair accessible. The program will be repeated Saturday, January 28 at 10 a.m.

Scrap drives were held in Allamakee County to support the production of war materials and equipment during the war. In 1942, Cote’s Town Theatre put on a free movie for those who donated scrap items. The accompanying photo shows the pile of scrap in front of the theatre. Rationing of food, fuel, rubber, metal, clothing and other vital materials was required.

With its headquarters in Waukon, Mosaic in Northern Iowa has promoted Crystal Kurth as its new Program Manager. Kurth has worked for Mosaic for a total of 15 years, starting back in 2002 when the entity was called Martin Luther Homes and was a part of the merger with Mosaic.

She left Mosaic in 2008 and came back in 2014, remaining there ever since. Prior to her promotion to Program Manager, she has held many positions in her time with Mosaic, including Direct Support Associate, Associate Direct Support Manager, and Program Coordinator/Support Service Specialist.

She has certification in Autism from the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards. She also holds a strong interest in learning more about Dementia, especially Dementia in those with Intellectual Disabilities. She has attended many classes, training and conferences regarding her qualifications for this role.

The City of Waukon is updating its Parks and Recreation Master Plan. This plan serves to guide the continual improvement of the community’s parks, open space, facilities, and bicycle and pedestrian areas.

As part of that update, the Waukon Park, Recreation and Wellness Department is offering a Parks Master Plan Survey so members of the general public can provide their input into the future of the City of Waukon Parks and Recreation facilities and amenities. The survey takes just a few minutes to complete and asks questions regarding park usage, thoughts on current facilities and programs available, and suggestions for improvements or additions to current facilities or programs, among other items.

Robey Memorial Library in Waukon will celebrate World Read Aloud Day Wednesday, February 1 with events from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. During World Read Aloud Day, people from all around the world read aloud together to celebrate and advocate literacy.

Reading aloud is beneficial to all - from children to adults. “Reading aloud to children every day puts them almost a year ahead of children who do not receive daily read alouds, regardless of parental income, education level or cultural background.” (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research)

Celebrate World Read Aloud Day Wednesday, February 1 with Robey Memorial Library in the following ways:
• Sign up to read aloud during a 15-minute session - participants can choose their own book or select a title from the library’s special display;
• Listen to read alouds throughout the day.

The Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa’s (CFNEIA) 2023 scholarship application process is now open, and students may apply for scholarships available through CFNEIA at www.cfneia.org/scholarships. The deadline to apply for 2023 scholarships is 8 p.m. March 8.

CFNEIA will host a Scholarships 101 webinar January 31 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Students seeking scholarships as well as parents, school personnel or others interested in learning more about the 2023 scholarships process are encouraged to attend. Learn more and RSVP at www.cfneia.org/scholarships101 to obtain the virtual meeting link.

CFNEIA awarded $635,781 in scholarships to high school, college and adult students in 2022. A total of 277 scholarships were awarded to students pursuing higher education opportunities and the average amount awarded was $2,295.