Fred Elmer, was born on March 12, 1914 near Belmond, to Emil and Tena (Groen) Trager. He was baptized at Immanuel Reformed near Belmond. Fred attended rural schools near Belmond and farmed with his father for several years.

On June 9, 1938, he married Mildred R. Barth at the Marion Center Evangelical Parsonage, with Rev. C. J. Barth, Mildred's father, presiding. They farmed near Alexander for over 57 years.

They were always generous. An example came to light about three years ago when Hans Gaensler, a child in Germany following WW II, located them via the Internet to thank them for their gifts of food and clothing sent during difficult years after the war. They sent cards and food during sad times, fresh garden produce during the summer, and Christmas cookies.

During retirement, Fred and Mildred enjoyed some traveling, often to Phoenix. They were frequently seen at community events, little league games, card parties, celebrations, and visiting the sick, elderly, and shut-ins.

Fred was a member of the Immanuel United Church of Christ, having served as a deacon, elder, and member of the church council. In recent years he took care of his wife prior to her death. He lived at Franklin General the past two years.

Fred was preceded in death by his wife; parents; brothers, August, Henry, Carl and Elmer; sister, Henrietta Kaduce; and one great-grandchild.

Joan June, was born on January 1, 1936 at Latimer, the daughter of Earl and Agnes (Muhlenbruck) Lage. She was confirmed at the Meservey EUB Church and graduated from the Meservey High School.

On September 20, 1953, she married Donald F. Ruiter at the Meservey United Methodist Church. They farmed around Meservey and she worked as a secretary at Fashion Farm north of town. In 1967, they moved to Thornton and purchased the locker. They transferred their membership to the Thornton United Methodist Church. After selling the locker, Joan worked at the Sheffield Care Center for ten years.

Joan is remembered as the rock behind her family. She was always there for her husband and sons. She wrote in her diary every day and read it frequently, as she would remind her sons on the anniversaries of certain events. She loved the outdoors and spent many hours in the garden with her husband. Joan liked to cook and sit on the deck with her husband.

She was preceded in death by her father; brother and his wife, Dale and Gloria Lage; and father-in-law, Bernard Ruiter.

Donna Lee, the daughter of Oral and Gussie (Beverage) Orndorff, was born on January 3, 1927 at Princeton, Missouri. She graduated from the Princeton High School where she excelled in track.

Donna married Donal Sparks on November 26, 1945 at Princeton. They farmed at Chariton and raised turkeys, chickens and other livestock in addition to milking cattle. Donna always had a large garden. Her children and grandchildren always looked forward to her specialties, such as homemade beef and noodles with mashed potatoes, fried chicken, bread pudding, and her delicious pies. Family gatherings and hosting her grandchildren for stays on the farm were special occasions for her.

Donna and Donal enjoyed simple things such as Sunday afternoon excursions around the countryside. Donna liked to play board games and was especially fond of Yahtzee and cards. She loved Hershey bars and ice cream

In addition to being a partner on the farm, Donna spent many years working outside the home, much of the time in the health care profession. Her longest employment was at the Lucas County Home, where she shared her love and compassion assisting residents who had various impairments and disabilities. She also worked at various care centers, doctors offices, at the Chariton Hospital, and at Spurgeon's Department Store.

Donna and Donal moved to the Belmond Health Care Center in October 2004. She was a member of the Belmond Congregational United Church of Christ. Though she was not involved in community organizations or needed to be in the spotlight, she was honored as "Mother of the Year" in Chariton several years ago.

Donna was preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Vivian, Alma Carol and Norma; and brothers, Gene and Buddy.

Bud was born in Sheffield on March 18, 1917, the son of Frank and Theresa Shobe. His family relocated to Waterloo, where he graduated from high school. He moved to Belmond in 1946 following his discharge from the U.S. Navy, after World War II. He was employed by General Mills, Central Soya, and eventually the Belmond School System. Bud and his wife, Ann retired to Plant City, Florida in the early 1980's. In 2005 they moved to Ohio to be closer to family.

An exceptional trapshooter, Bud enjoyed competing in many area trapshooting events, progressing to the state and national levels. He had a life time love of fishing and hunting and could always be counted on "bagging his limit" with squirrel and pheasant. In his later years, golf became his passion and living in Florida meant he could pursue it on a daily basis.

Bud was preceded in death by his parents; and five sisters.

Edna Vilora, daughter of William and Laura (Veitmeier) Koehler, was born on the family farm near Meservey, on October 28, 1911. She graduated from the Meservey High School in 1929. She graduated from the Bethesda School of Nursing in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1932, as a Registered Nurse.

Edna worked in Cincinnati and then at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Later she worked at the Hospital of the Good Samaritan in Los Angeles and the Shriner's Hospital in Honolulu. Edna served in the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps from September 1942 until February 1946, with 10 months of duty in the South Pacific.

On January 28, 1948, Edna married Herman H. Lauen in Los Angeles. They farmed northwest of Meservey and lived there until after retirement.

Edna joined the Evangelical United Brethren Church in 1929. In 1948, she transferred her membership to First Reformed in Meservey. She served as a member of the Reformed Church Women. Edna was a life member of the American Legion Post 171 at Meservey. She was fond of literature, enjoyed reading, travel and music.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband in 1991; brothers, Herbert, Walter, Raymond and Gilbert Koehler; and sister, Mildred Hammond.

Opha Winnora, the daughter of Adolph and Charlotte (Nelson) Thompson, was born on August 29, 1907, on a farm near Belmond. She was baptized at the St. Olaf Lutheran Church near Belmond and reaffirmed her faith at Trinity Lutheran Church in Belmond in 1920. She graduated from the Belmond High School in 1924 and worked at the State Bank of Belmond until 1930.

She furthered her education at the Colburn Business College in Minneapolis and then took a secretarial job for the Superintendent of Schools in Owatonna, Minnesota. In 1937 she moved to Washington, D.C., where she was employed by the U.S. Dept. of Labor. In 1942 she moved to Kansas City for a job with the Dept. of Agriculture.

In 1944, Opha joined the American Red Cross and served in Australia and the Philippines. She was assigned to U.S. Military Hospitals and was one of the first American women to enter Japan after WW II. She worked in the 42nd General Hospital in Yokohama, where 18,000 prisoners of war were treated before being sent home. Following the war she lived in San Francisco, returning to Belmond to care for her parents and sister in 1957. She was employed at the Steele Memorial Clinic until retirement.

Opha was active at Trinity Lutheran and was a member of the Sons of Norway.

She was preceded in death by her father in 1958; mother in 1968; and sister, Shirley Nelson in 1986.

Juanita, the daughter of Wallace Frush and Johanna Catarina (Coobs) Pavey, was born on April 6, 1921 in Klemme. She graduated from the Klemme High School in 1938.

On October 12, 1940, she married John Dwight Clements at the Methodist Church in Estherville. They lived in Klemme where they operated the DX Service Station and repair shop for many years. John died in 1968. She then worked for the Garner School System.

In 1974, she married Howard Meyers and they lived in Clear Lake, where she worked part time at the Surf Ballroom. He died in 1989, and she continued to reside in Clear Lake until December 2005, when she moved to the Cedar Falls Health Care Center.

Juanita enjoyed visits from family and friends and the companionship of her cats, Tina and Millie. She spent hours watching the birds that came to her feeders. Her family treasured her talents of crocheting, cross-stitching, and quilting and her beautiful heirloom afghans and quilts.

Juanita was preceded in death by her parents; husbands; and two infant sisters.

Jessie Eleanor, was born on February 16, 1907 in Eagle Grove, the daughter of Leslie and Lucie Merrington Warnes Archerd. She graduated from the Clarion High School in 1923, attended Cornell College, and graduated from the University of Iowa in 1927. She worked as the Secretary for the Superintendent of Schools at Clarion and taught piano.

She married John Ross Mechem on January 1, 1931. They farmed near Clarion until 1966 when they moved to Emmetsburg. Jessie served with the Iowa Health and Welfare Department until 1979. She moved to Belmond in 1983.

Jessie enjoyed her family, gardening and music. She was a gifted pianist. She was a life long member of the United Methodist Church, a 50-year member of the P.E.O., the Eastern Star, Navy Mothers and the Grandmothers Club.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband in 1974; daughter, Florence Noelck and her husband, William; sister, Elizabeth Woodin and her husband, Dick; and granddaughters, Sarah and Megan Mechem.

Opal "Darlene", the daughter of Eugene Walding and Kittie Laura (Holland) Wilkinson, was born on September 12, 1924 at Mason City. She attended Mason City Schools. She married Paul William Baack on May 28, 1946 at Troy, Missouri and they farmed east of Klemme.

Darlene was a homemaker and partner on the farm. She also worked for many years at the Park Hospital in Mason City and in the food service department at the Oakwood Care Center in Clear Lake.

Her first and foremost love was spending time with family. She was very close to her granddaughters. Darlene enjoyed flowers and liked word search puzzles. She was an excellent cook, and her family will remember the wonderful smells and tastes in her kitchen. A favorite past time for the family was spending Sunday afternoons with each other over one of Darlene's delicious dinners.

In earlier years she did a lot of canning. In recent years, Darlene and her son would often spend time touring the countryside, going out to eat, or driving to see her daughter's family in Mason City. She enjoyed bus excursions to casinos around the region. Darlene will be remembered for her pleasant smile, the twinkle in her eye, and her gentle personality.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband in 1999; brother, Eugene; and sister, Josephine Larsen.

John Parke, was born on May 20, 1929 in Sheffield, to Hugh Parke and Marie (Kleeman) Sheahan. The family lived briefly in North Carolina and Georgia, and Jack spent the rest of his growing years in Sheffield. He graduated from the Sheffield High School in 1947 where he played basketball, baseball, and in the band. He worked summers for the railroad and for the Sheffield Brick and Tile. After high school he worked at the Humburg Clothing Store in Sheffield until he was inducted into the U.S. Army in November 1950. He served in the Korean Conflict with the 24th Division, 11th Field Artillery HQ Battery. He attained the rank of Sergeant First Class and was discharged in July 1952.

After his discharge, he attended the Hamilton Business College and then worked at the Sheffield Co-op and then the Ford Garage. In 1957 he went to work for Southern Motors, the Chevrolet Garage in Sheffield. In 1960 he and Rich Froning bought the business, and in 1964 he became the sole owner of Sheahan Chevrolet. He was a Chevy dealer until June 1999.

Jack married Marilyn Darlene Schultz in Grafton on July 17, 1953. Jack loved his family and enjoyed attending their musical and sporting events. He enjoyed traveling, and the family remembers car trips to 45 of the fifty states. He and Marilyn traveled to St. Lucia, Puerto Vallarta, and Florida on Chevrolet trips. Jack enjoyed golfing, crossword puzzles and was a devoted New York Yankees fan.

Jack was a champion of his hometown and served on many church and civic organizations. He was a life long member of the Zion St. John Lutheran Church, serving on the church council, as congregational president several times, and as treasurer and usher. He was a member of the Harlow Ray Massee American Legion Post 277, serving as post commander and county commander for many years. For 52 years he was a member of the Sheffield Lions Club and received the Warren G. Coleman Award for outstanding service to the community. He was a 50-year member of the Sheffield Community Club, a past president, and was instrumental in Sour Dough Days. Jack served on the Sheffield Care Center Board, was a Boy Scout Leader, was a little league coach for 20 years and helped start the Sheffield Little League in 1955, was a member of the Sheffield Development Corporation, Sheffield Merchants, the Area Community Commonwealth, and the Mason City Red Cross.

Jack was preceded in death by his parents; and brother-in-law, Robert Smith.