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Steven John Thorsten of Lansing passed away peacefully at home Sunday, April 5, 2020 at the age of 68.  Services and burial will be held Saturday, July 24 at 11 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Church in Lansing with Rev. Sean Smith officiating.

Steven was born in Waukon December 12, 1951, the oldest child of John and Elinor (Luth) Thorsten. He grew up on the family farm just down the road from Churchtown and graduated from Kee High School in 1970. Steve was on the wrestling team and chosen for the All-State wrestling team in his junior year.

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1972, serving three deployments on the USS Enterprise. While serving, he transferred from the Enterprise (CVN65) to the Naval Reactor Facility A1W Prototype in Idaho Falls, ID, receiving training as a nuclear propulsion plant operator. This training offered him the opportunity to work in the nuclear power field after being discharged from the Navy in 1978.

Katherine “Kathie” L. Plein, 43, of Waukon died Wednesday, July 7, 2021 at Gundersen Health Care System in La Crosse, WI. Funeral services were held Monday, July 12 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. John Moser officiating. Burial was at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Waukon. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon handled the arrangements.

Katherine Louise Plein was born March 4, 1978 in La Crosse, WI, the daughter of Francis “Frank” and Helen (Van Note) Plein. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon. Kathie attended St. Patrick Catholic School through the sixth grade and graduated from Waukon High School in 1996. She worked as a CNA at Northgate Care Center in Waukon.

Kathie was a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church and was involved with activities at TASC. She enjoyed doing crafts, decorating her home during the holidays, and spending time with her family. Kathie was an avid Chicago Cubs and Green Bay Packers fan.

Drew C. Gaunitz, 22, of Lansing died Sunday, July 4, 2021 in rural Lansing as a result of injuries sustained in a UTV accident. Funeral services were held Tuesday, July 13 at United Methodist Church in Lansing with Pastor Sedar Shako officiating.

Drew Cody Gaunitz was born February 25, 1999 in Waukon, the son of Randy James and Kristy Lea (Koenig) Gaunitz. He was baptized and confirmed at United Methodist Church in Lansing, attended Waterville Elementary School through sixth grade and graduated from Waukon High School in 2017. Drew helped on the family farm in Lafayette Township, rural Lansing, raising beef cows and growing crops; he also worked for Nathan Welch Excavating in Monona.

Dorothy A. Ryan, 90, of Lansing, formerly of Chicago, IL, died Tuesday, July 6, 2021 at Thornton Manor in Lansing. There are no services planned at this time. Burial of ashes will be in Gethsemane Cemetery in Lansing. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is assisting the family.

Memorials may be directed to Thornton Manor in Lansing. Condolences may be sent to Rita Pfiffner at 2024 Silver Creek Road, Waukon, IA 52172.

Dorothy Ann Ryan was born April 24, 1931 in Lansing, the daughter of Frank and Marie (Murphy) Ryan. She attended Immaculate Conception School and graduated from St. George High School in 1949, both in Lansing. After graduation, Dorothy worked at the Lansing button factory before moving to the Chicago, IL, area, where she was a bookkeeper for the Chicagoland Motel for 22 years.

Lois Ann Duffy, age 88, of Spring Grove, MN passed away peacefully at Gundersen Tweeten Nursing Home June 23, 2021. In accordance with Lois’s wishes, the family will hold a private memorial at a future date.

Born January 6, 1933 in New Albin to Edwin and Mary “Colletta” Meyer, Lois was the oldest of four children. She married John “Jack” Duffy, and the couple had 12 children. Lois was a devoted mother, and nothing was more important to her than family.

Lois was preceded in death by her parents; her sister and brother-in-law, Lorraine (Meyer) and Bill Davis; her brother-in-law, Ernie Loomis; and four of her children: John Duffy, Diane (Duffy) Brazel, Francis Duffy and Carol Duffy.

Joanne Heffern, 86, of Cedar Rapids passed away Thursday, July 8, 2021 at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids. Funeral Mass was held Tuesday, July 13 at St. Matthew Catholic Church, Cedar Rapids with Father Douglas Loecke officiating. Burial followed at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Waukon.

Please find the funeral service livestream link on Joan’s Tribute Wall and share your support and memories with her family at www.stewartbaxter.com under Obituaries.

Survivors include her children, Michael (Allison) Heffern, Debbie Ernst (Tom Heifner) and Denise (Lee) Votroubek, all of Cedar Rapids, and Kelly (Matthew) Peters of Plano, TX; seven grandchildren, Stacy Ernst, Lance (Maggie) Votroubek, Sarah (James) Ernst Ware, Kyle (Laura) Votroubek, Graham (Soumya) Heffern, Nathan (Beth) Votroubek and Anna Heffern; and nine great-grandchildren.

by Lissa Blake

Many visitors to Yellow River State Forest are less than happy about the recent reassignment of longtime Park Ranger Rylan Retallick to the Volga River Recreation Area. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently announced Retallick’s time would be redistributed, with him spending 75 percent of his time at Volga and only 25 percent at Yellow River. Local residents, including members of the Friends of Yellow River State Forest (YRSF), have expressed concerns about the future safety of Yellow River State Forest users in light of the reassignment. The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors and Allamakee County Sheriff Clark Mellick also penned separate letters to the Iowa DNR, questioning the decision to cut Retallick’s hours at Yellow River State Forest.

SAFETY FIRST

Martin Hess, 94, of Peru, IL passed away July 5, 2021 at Heritage Health in Mendota, IL. Mass of Christian Burial was held Monday, July 12 at Immaculate Conception Church in Lansing with Rev. Sean Smith officiating. Burial was in the Gethsemane Cemetery in Lansing. Thornburg Grau Funeral Home in Lansing assisted the family with arrangements in Iowa.

Martin was born October 24, 1926 in Waukon to Pius and Elsie (Doehler) Hess. He helped his father on the family farm in his early years. He served in the U.S. Army Air Force and then U.S. Army from 1945-1946. During his time in the service, he supported the Occupation of Japan after the end of WWII.

He married Mary Wadznack November 30, 1968. She passed away in 1969. He had a special friend, Marie Coulter, for over 50 years.

According to information provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), if you’ve been fully vaccinated, you can enjoy the following freedoms:

The staff of Elliott Jewelers in Waukon chose to support the Waukon Clinic project by making a $400 contribution. Each employee has the option to wear jeans one Monday per month and pay $5 on that day, the sum of which is later donated to a community need. Money from the ring cleaning donations the business receives was also used to make this donation from the staff.

Pictured above, left to right, is the entire Elliott Jewelers full-time staff. Left to right - Front row: John Elliott, Maranda Elliott, Mara Dickens, Chelsea Rodas and Shelly Elliott; Back row: Pat Hart, Kari Gibbs and Ashley Scherf. Donations are still being accepted for the clinic by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation. All gifts to the Foundation are tax deductible. To make an appointment at the new Waukon Medical Clinic, call 563-568-5530. Submitted photo.