Clarke Pollock, 1915-2009

May 13, 2009

Clarke Pollock, 94, of Garner, died on Monday, May 4, 2009, at the Concord Care Center in Garner.

Graveside services were held at 11:00 a.m., on Friday, May 8, in the Concord Township Cemetery in Garner, with military rites conducted by the Garner Veterans Ceremonial Unit. The Cataldo Funeral Home of Garner was charge of the arrangements.

Clarke Pollock, the son of Scott and Cora (Badker) Pollock, was born on April 25, 1915 at Garner. He graduated from the Garner High School in 1933. From 1935 to 1965, he was employed by Garner Motor Sales where, as parts manager he was known as "Polly". On June l, 1938, Clarke married Edith Quackenbush at the United Presbyterian Church in Garner. Clarke served his country during WW II in the U.S. Army on the European front. Following his honorable discharge in November of 1945, he returned home to Garner. When the Prairie View Apartments were completed in 1966, he became the first maintenance manager of the facility, a position he held for 16 years. He continued to live at Prairie View until his health necessitated a move to the Concord Care Center.

A life-long member of the United Presbyterian Church of Garner, he is remembered for his faith, his service, his sense of humor and his caring spirit. He loved airplanes and music, expressing himself through singing in the church choir, in local quartets and as a soloist, as well as playing trombone in the Old Timers' Band. One could always locate him by listening for his whistling.

Clarke is survived by his daughter, Carolyn (Bill) Weinheimer of Hollister, California; his son, Scott (Carol) Pollock of Wesley Chapel, Florida; four grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and a sister-in-law.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Edith on December 2, 1998; his parents; a sister, Bethel and her husband; as well as two brothers-in-law.

He was loved by his family and all who knew him.
©The Garner Leader & Signal 2009

Gerald L. Vander Wolde, 1936-2009

May 13, 2009

Gerald "Gerry" L. Vander Wolde, 72, of New Braunfels, Texas, died on Monday, May 4, 2009, in New Braunfels following a lengthy, courageous and valiant battle with declining health issues.

Funeral services were held on Monday, May 11, at the First Reformed Church, Buffalo Center. The Rev. Bill Peake officiated. Burial was in the Ell Township Cemetery in Klemme. The Andrews Funeral Home of Klemme was in charge of the arrangements.

Gerald L. Vander Wolde, was born on May 24, 1936 in Martin, South Dakota, along with his twin sister, Gladys. During childbirth his mother, Gladys Allison died, leaving his father, Lee Allison to care for the newborn twins and seven other children. Following the passing of his mother, the twins were adopted by the Rev. Gerrit and Johanna Vander Wolde. The other family members were cared for in different homes. As the twins matured they were united with all of their brothers and sisters and have celebrated biannual family reunions with their siblings through the years.

Gerry was united in marriage with his wife, Joanne Trampel on October 26, 1966, at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. Their union was blessed with two children, a son, Jeffrey of Glendale, Arizona and daughter, Misty of Ironwood, Michigan. The couple made their home and raised their children in the Klemme area. Gerald worked for Iowa State University and for the town of Klemme, but spent most of his life as a pipeline inspector traveling throughout the United States.

His favorite past times included special times with family and friends, fishing, riding horses, his greyhounds, golfing and playing pool and cards. Gerald will long be remembered for his jokes and pranks. He was a member of the Grace Memorial Church of New Braunfels, Texas, Fraternal Order of the Eagles and the Elk's Lodge.

Those left to cherish the memory of Gerry's life included his wife, Joanne of New Braunfels; his son, Jeffrey of Glendale, Arizona, and his daughter, Misty of Ironwood, Michigan; his mother-in-law, Ruth Trampel of Klemme; his twin sister, Gladys Van Drie of Estes Park, Colorado; sister, Mitzi Mills and her husband, Harold of Fairfield Glade, Tennessee; brother, Bill Allison and wife, Marlene of Wheatland, Wyoming; and sisters-in-law, Anna Allison of Gordon, Nebraska and Mabel Allison of Hot Springs, South Dakota.

Gerry is also survived by brothers-in-law, Richard and wife, Diane Trampel and Terry and wife, Tracy Trampel, all of Klemme; sister-in-law, Dixie and husband, Larry Treinen of Klemme; and numerous nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews and countless friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Lee and Gladys Allison; his adopted parents, Rev. and Johanna Vander Wolde; an older sister, Delores Allison; sister, Shirley Ringo and her husband, Bing Ringo; three brothers, Andrew Allison, John and his wives, Velma June and Dorothy Allison, Jim Allison and Ken Allison; and brother-in-law, Rudy Van Drie.
©The Garner Leader & Signal 2009

Benjamin A. Klinge, 1929-2009

May 13, 2009

Benjamin Albert Klinge, died at the Belmond Medical Center, after a brief illness with cancer, on Wednesday, May 6, 2009.

Funeral services were held on Saturday, May 9, at the Peace Reformed Church in rural Garner, with Pastor Harvey Opp officiating. Burial was in the Peace Reformed Church Cemetery, with full military services being provided by the Britt Ceremonial Unit.

Ben the son of Otto and Hattie (Kahlstorf) Klinge, was born on October 5, 1929, on the family farm located four and one half miles south of Duncan. Ben grew up on the family farm and graduated from the Garner High School. He was a talented football player and is remembered by his teammates and competitors as a "tough" player. You wanted Ben on your side when it came to football. After a partial year of college, Ben entered the United States Marine Corps on February 13, 1952. Ben was a Corporal at the 9th MCRRD, Chicago, Illinois, as an aircraft mechanic. He received Airman Class "P" training in Jacksonville, Florida and Avn Structure Mechanic "A" training in Memphis, Tennessee. He received the National Defense Service Medal. He separated from the service in Santa Anna, California in 1954. Ben returned to the family farm to assist his father and continued to work the family farm when Otto retired in 1966.

Ben enjoyed his nieces and nephew as they grew up. He taught them fishing - his favorite, bowling, roller-skating and even how to milk the cows. They loved coming to the farm and spending time with him. Ben lived farming. He loved the hard work. His United States Marine Corps mechanic background served him well on the farm. He enjoyed repairing any and all kinds of farm equipment. Ben was baptized, confirmed and was a lifetime member of the Peace Reformed Church of rural Garner.

Ben is survived by two sisters, Mabel, Mrs. Ben Barkema of Clarion and Dorothy, Mrs. Richard Legge of Newton, Kansas; four nieces, great-nieces and nephews; and great-great-nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Hattie in 1968 and Otto in 1979; and three brothers, Elmer Klinge in 1920, Paul Klinge in 1935 and John Klinge in 1941.
©The Garner Leader & Signal 2009

Kenneth D. Rasmus, 1948-2009

May 13, 2009

Kenneth Dean Rasmus, 61, of Clear Lake, died on Wednesday, May 6, 2009, at the VA Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa.

Memorial services were held on Tuesday, May 12, at Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake. The Rev. Frank Beaty of the Zion Evangelical and Reformed Church, Garner, officiated. Inurnment was in the Memorial Park Cemetery, Mason City. Full military rites were provided by the Clear Lake V.F.W.

Kenny was born on February 27, 1948, to Irwin "Dean" and Arlene (Schmidt) Rasmus in the Franklin County Hospital, Hampton. Kenny was confirmed at the Zion E&R Church in Garner, in the spring of 1964. Kenny graduated from the Garner-Hayfield High School in 1966. Kenneth was active in sports. He attended NIACC for one year majoring in business courses. Kenny enlisted in the Marines on June 17, 1968 and served with the Service Company, 11th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Marine Division. Kenny served one tour in Viet Nam of 11 months and 25 days. He received the following commendations; National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device, Vietnam Service Medal w/ I*, Combat Action Ribbon and Rifle Sharpshooter Badge. Kenny was honorably discharged from the Marine Corp on February 27, 1970. He was an active member of the Garner VFW.

Kenny was employed at Iowa Mold Tooling until he took the position of Business Agent for the Teamsters Union, Local 828. Kenneth then took a position selling life insurance and also selling mortgages. Because of health reasons, Kenneth retired. Kenny married Lizz Danzow in the summer of 1971. Kenny and Liz had a son, Shad, born on May 6, 1973. Kenny's greatest interests in life were family, friends and of course riding "sweetheart" his 1971 Shovelhead, as well as playing with Gunther. Another passion of Kenny's was being a prankster, playing jokes on anyone he felt deserved to be played upon. Telling jokes from the beginning to the end, one after another.

Kenny was preceded in death by his father, Irwin Dean Rasmus; his ex-wife, Lizz and ex-wife, Vicky.

Kenneth is survived by his son, Shad Rasmus of Clear Lake; his mother, Arlene Rasmus of Garner; his sister, Judy Schroeder (Dick) of Grand Blanc, Michigan; brother, Glenn (Mary) Rasmus of Klemme; nephews, John (Kendra) Schroeder of Flushing, Michigan, Ryan (Kate) Rasmus of Waubay, South Dakota and Marcus Rasmus of Klemme; and nieces, Kate Schroeder of Grand Blanc, Michigan and Angie (Matt) Greiman of Goodell.
©The Garner Leader & Signal 2009

Khalon R. Drabek, 2008-2009

May 13, 2009

Khalon R. Drabek, 10 month old son of Rick and Sheree (Pedersen) Drabek, died on Thursday, May 7, 2009, at his home in Des Moines from Menkes disease.

Funeral services were held at 6:00 p.m., on Monday, at the Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines. Burial was in the Highland Memory Gardens in Des Moines. The Cataldo Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements.

He is survived by his parents, Rick and Sheree Drabek of Des Moines; sister, Kiana; brothers, Tanner and Declan; maternal grandparents, Gerald and Karen Pedersen of Garner; paternal grandmother, Sandy Drabek of Windsor Heights; aunts and uncles, Bree (Kasey) Harken of Ankeny, Kirk (Liz) Pedersen of West Des Moines, Ken (Rachelle) Drabek of Altoona and Pam Last of Altoona; and many other relatives.

He was preceded in death by his paternal grandfather, Kenneth Drabek.
©The Garner Leader & Signal 2009

Norma M. Rockow, 1914-2009

May 20, 2009

Norma M. Rockow, 94, of Garner, died on Monday, May 11, 2009, at the Hancock County Memorial Hospital in Britt.

Funeral services were held at 10:30 a.m., on Friday, at the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Garner, with Rev. Dale Glawatz officiating. Burial was in the Concord Township Cemetery. The Cataldo Funeral Chapel in Garner was in charge of the arrangements.

Norma Marie Rockow, the daughter of Cornelius and Marie (Thiemann) Wille, was born on October 4, 1914, on a farm northwest of Klemme. She attended Ell Township No. 8 and graduated from the Klemme High School in 1933. Norma received her normal training teaching certificate at Iowa State Teacher's College in Cedar Falls and then taught at a country school for a year. On February 10, 1937, she was married to Harold W. Rockow at her parent's home east of Klemme. They lived on the Rockow family farm northwest of Garner all of their married life. After Harold passed away in 1979, Norma continued to live on the farm. She later moved into Garner and in November of 2000 became a resident of the Concord Care Center. She enjoyed her family, quilting, embroidery, crafts and playing cards.

She was a member of the St. Paul Lutheran Church, LWML, Madison Progressive Club, Madison Birthday Club and Farm Bureau Women.

Norma is survived by her children, Ilene (James) Johnson of Spring, Texas, Merlin (Judy) Rockow of Prior Lake, Minnesota, Daryl (Mary Jane) Rockow of Mankato, Minnesota and Elwyn (Barbara) Rockow of Forest City; nine grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; three sisters, Ruby Blanchet of Garner, Ada Rockow of McMinnville, Oregon and Adala Bailey of Britt; three brothers, Raymond (Alice) Wille of Hampton, Glenn (Anna Lou) Wille of Garner and Darwin (Opal) Wille of Golden, Colorado; three sisters-in-law, Mary Wille of Corpus Christi, Texas, Mildred Kreitlow of Kanawha and Fannie Rockow of Belmond; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Harold; son, Ardell; an infant brother; and brother, Aaron Wille.
©The Garner Leader & Signal 2009

Susan Beth Pringle, 1945-2009

June 17, 2009

Susan Beth Pringle, 64, of De Soto, Wisconsin, died on Saturday, May 16, 2009, at the Gundersen-Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

She was surrounded by her family and cared for by a special group of people in the Hospice Unit. A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Frank Cadwell/Palliative Care and Hospice RN Stephanie Lee, your kindness will never be forgotten. Susan donated her body to the University of Iowa and there will be no services at this time.

Susan Beth was born on April 25, 1945, to Donald and Florence (Jennings) Palmer in Fairmont, Minnesota. She was the second youngest of nine children. She met Joe Pringle while peeling potatoes at Denny's Cafe in Garner. They were married on March 8, 1963 in Klemme. They were married 46 years. They lived for a time in Charles City and later moved to an acreage in Floyd, where they lived for 15 years.

Susan was a beautiful, giving and selfless lady, always working while taking care of her family. Her greatest accomplishment was returning to school and becoming a Group Home Supervisor for the Comprehensive Systems 9th Street Group Home in Charles City. She enjoyed fishing, gardening, reading, watching birds and being with her cat Sophie. She was the best wife, mother and grandmother a family could ask for. Even through the last few days of her life, she showed us strength and wisdom.

She is survived by her husband, Joe Pringle of De Soto, Wisconsin; children, David Pringle of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Daniel Pringle of Waterloo and Darcey (Derek) Beuge of Lansing; five grandchildren, Nathan (Kristine) Pringle, Niki Pringle, Whitney (Jon Thompson) Hubert, Maxine Hubert and Nicholas Beuge; one brother, Jimmy (Vallie) Palmer; sisters, Charis (Emmett) Brown, Carolyn Palmer, Elsie Niemeyer, Trella (Duane) Walker, Donna (Dick) Firgard, Pat (Harold) Hammond; and nieces and nephews. She would have also been a great-grandmother this year to a baby girl, daughter of Nathan and Kristine Pringle.

She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, Carlton and Wallace Palmer; brother-in-law, Bob Niemeyer; and a nephew, Bobby Palmer.
©The Garner Leader & Signal 2009

Paul E. Sperrazza, 1938-2009

June 17, 2009

Paul Sperrazza, 71, of Oceanside, California, passed away on Wednesday, May 20, 2009, following complications from surgery.

A memorial service to honor his memory will be held in the summer. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to the Brother Benno's Oceanside, a shelter where Paul volunteered his time by serving meals.

Paul was born in Pittston, Pennsylvania on January 10, 1938. He graduated from the Pittston High School and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1964, where he attended UNLV. While in Las Vegas, his daughter, Tina was born in 1968. Paul relocated to Los Angeles, California, in 1972 and began working in post-production for the entertainment industry. In 1973, he joined Paramount Pictures and served as director for their International TV Operations. He married Cindy Taylor on May 5, 1984 and they had just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.

In 1993, he retired from Paramount Pictures and since that time enjoyed traveling as well as his hobbies of stained glass ceramics, photography and cooking. Paul was active at the San Luis Rey Valley United Methodist Church in Oceanside, where he enjoyed volunteering.

He is survived by his wife, Cindy Taylor of Oceanside; his daughter, Tina (Benson) and her husband, Travis of Provo, Utah; six grandchildren; his mother-in-law, Ruby Taylor of Garner, sisters-in-law, Pat (Bill) Haes of Garner, Kathy (Joe) Yager of Woodward, Iowa; and brother-in-law, Howard (Marcia) Taylor of Armstrong; and several nieces and nephews.
©The Garner Leader & Signal 2009

Dennis Hoeft, 1935-2009

June 10, 2009

FOREST CITY-Dennis Hoeft, age 73, of Forest City, died on Sunday, May 31, 2009, at his home in Forest City.

Funeral services were held on Wednesday, June 3, at the United Methodist Church in Forest City, with Pastor Ed Bard officiating. Burial was in the Madison Township Cemetery in Forest City.

Dennis H. Hoeft, was born in Forest City, Iowa on November 25, 1935, the son of Harold and Izora (Schultz) Hoeft. He received his education in the Forest City Schools. On February 23, 1954, he was united in marriage to Bonnie Weaver in Garner, Iowa. The couple made their home in Forest City for most of their married lives. Dennis worked for Harms Construction for 27 years. He worked another 20 years for the Hancock County Secondary Roads before retiring.

Dennis loved the outdoors and spent many hours hunting, fishing and trapping. In later years he enjoyed watching NASCAR racing on television.

Dennis is survived by Bonnie, his wife of 55 years; three sons, Steven, Michael and Kevin; 12 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren; two sisters, Beverly Mayland of Britt and Delores Cook of Mason City; two brothers, Randy and Mark Hoeft, both of Forest City; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, James; and a grandson, Brandon Brock.
©The Garner Leader & Signal 2009