Harold "Hi" Lack

July 10, 2007

Harold Lack, 86, of Orchard, died on Friday July 6, 2007, at the Osage Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Osage.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held at 10:00 a.m., on Tuesday, July 10, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Osage, with Msgr. Stanley Hayek officiating. Burial was in the Orchard Cemetery in Orchard.

Harold was born on November 12, 1920 at Orchard, the son of Horatio and Grace (Squier) Lack. He graduated from the Orchard High School in 1938, he then attended Upper Iowa University. Harold was united in marriage to Mildred Kinney on February 21, 1941 in Stacyville. They lived on the the Lack family farm 1 1/2 miles east of Orchard their entire married life. Harold farmed from 1941 to 1960, then he worked for Tri County FS until his retirement in 1985.

He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and Farm Bureau. He had been a 4-H Leader for several years and was an avid Iowa Hawkeye fan. The family requests that memorials be given to the American Cancer Society or the Mitchell County Relay for Life.

He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Mildred; son, Gary; three sisters; and four brothers.

Harold is survived by a daughter, Margaret Lack and husband, Stewart Levine of Hood, Virginia; a son, Jim Lack and wife, Helen of Orchard; a sister, Marilyn Larson and husband, Phillip of Osage; 10 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and a daughter-in-law, Veronica Lack of Nora Springs.

The funeral arrangements were made by the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, Osage.
© 2007 Mitchell County Press

Bernice Pauline Helfter

July 10, 2007

Bernice Pauline Helfter, age 102, of New Haven, died on Sunday, July 8, 2007, at the Faith Home in Osage.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m., on Wednesday, July 11, at the St. Peter's Catholic Church in New Haven, with Rev. Ray E. Atwood officiating. Burial will be in the St. Peter's Catholic Cemetery in New Haven. Visitation is from 4:30-8:00 p.m., on Tuesday, at the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage, where there will be a scripture wake service at 5:00 p.m. and a rosary at 7:00 p.m. There will be a time for sharing of memories after the rosary. Visitation will continue one hour before services at the church.

Bernice was born on November 30, 1904 at New Haven, Iowa, the daughter of Mease and Anna (Kleckner) Gilles. She attended and graduated from the St. Mary's Academy at New Haven and then attended the Cedar Valley Seminary in Osage.

Bernice was united in marriage to Lorenz P. Helfter in 1924, at the St. Peter's Catholic Church in New Haven. They lived in Ogden, Utah for four years. They then moved back to New Haven, where she resided for the remainder of her life. Bernice worked at Pohle's Drug Store in Osage, and at the Helfter and Carroll Grocery Store in New Haven. She was a member of the St. Peter's Catholic Church and the St. Peter's Altar Society.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Lorenz P. Helfter; a stillborn son, Edward Helfter; a son, Larry Helfter; a grandson, Kenneth Helfter; a great-granddaughter; and a great-great-grandson.

Bernice is survived by four children, Donald (Marilyn) Helfter of New Haven, Joan (Jim) Yarwood of Rockford, Illinois, Marilyn (Herb) Johanns of New Haven and Robert (Miranda) Helfter of Oak Island, North Carolina; 18 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; and six great-great-grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements were made by the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, Osage.
© 2007 Mitchell County Press

Loras A. Troge

July 10, 2007

Loras A. Troge, age 77, of Osage, died on Tuesday, July 10, 2007, at the Osage Rehabilitation and Health Care Center.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., on Saturday, July 14, at the St. John's Lutheran Church, south of Osage, with Rev. Bruce Kaltwasser and Rev. Clarke Frederich officiating. Burial will be in the Calvary Cemetery. Visitation is from 5-7:00 p.m., on Friday, at the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage. The family requests no flowers.

Loras was born on July 23, 1929 near Rudd, Iowa, the daughter of John and Emma (Dieterich) Morische. She was baptized in 1929 and confirmed in 1943 at the St. John's Lutheran Church, south of Osage. Loras graduated from the Rudd High School in 1947. She earned her teaching certificate from Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls in 1949. Loras taught third grade in Greene, Iowa, from 1949 to 1951. On July 26, 1951, she married William Troge at the St. John's Lutheran Church.

Loras sold Aid Association for Lutherans Insurance from 1978-1992, and was an AAL-SMART Facilitator from 1977-1989. She was a life long member of the St. John's Lutheran Church. She was a member of Lutheran Women's Missionary League since 1951, and served in many capacities including local, zone, and district president, district mission service chairman, international by-law committee member and co-chair of the 1996 district convention. Loras taught Sunday School and sang in the choir for many years at St. John's Lutheran Church. She served on synodical district committees, social ministry and nominating committee, and chaired the AIDS Task Force in 1998. Loras served as a delegate for Lutheran Family Service. She served as a board member of the Faith Lutheran Home in Osage from 1991-1997, and was instrumental in getting Evergreen Assisted Living started. Loras was a member of the Mitchell County Concert Series Board, and of the Citadel Club. She sewed and designed clothing all of her life, including her daughters' wedding dresses. Loras enjoyed serving her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and enjoyed spending time with family and friends, especially at the cabin in the woods.

She was preceded in death by her parents; and her husband, William Troge.

Survivors include her loving family, Marcia Frank of Mason City, Jean Ihns of Cedar Falls and Bruce (Leanna) Troge of Osage; grandchildren, Lindsey Ihns of Traer, Robin (Laramie) Heuser of Stillwater, Oklahoma, Michele Ihns of Winter Park, Florida, Jason Ihns of Ankeny, Jessica, Kelci and Paul Troge, all of Osage; a brother, Vern (Eilene) Morische of Rudd; two sisters-in-law, Kathryn (Charles) Christianson of Cresco and Margaret (Leslie) Miller of Elma.

Funeral arrangements were made by the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage.
© 2007 Mitchell County Press

Howard R. Krause

July17, 2007

Howard R. Krause, age 78, of Orchard, passed away on Thursday, July 12, 2007 at home, surrounded by family and friends.

Funeral services were held at 10:30 a.m., on Monday, July 16, 2007, at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Osage, with Rev. Bruce Kaltwasser officiating. Burial was in the Orchard Cemetery, with graveside military honors by the Osage V.F.W. Post 7920 and the Orchard American Legion Post 641. Visitation was from 3-7:00 p.m., on Sunday, at the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage and one hour before the services at the church.

Memorials may be given to the Trinity Lutheran Church in Osage or to the Hospice of North Iowa, in his loving memory.

Howard was born on June 16, 1929 in Algona, Iowa, the son of Clarence and Sarah Viola (Lamb) Krause of Luverne, Iowa. He attended school in Luverne, graduating in 1947. Howard enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1950, serving in the Korean Conflict until his discharge in 1953. Howard worked most of his life as a farmer. In later years, he worked at the NRCS offices in Sibley and Osage, until his retirement.

Howard married June Dencklau in November of 1954. From that union, seven children were born. June preceded him in death in November of 1986. Howard married Sandy Evans in July of 1988. He was active on the Faith Home Board, and was a trustee at Trinity Lutheran Church, both in Osage. Howard was a member of the Osage V.F.W. and the Orchard American Legion.

He enjoyed woodworking, golfing and playing cards. He also enjoyed spending time with family and being a mentor to Cory Morrison of Osage. Howard will be missed by many family and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and his wife, June.

Howard is survived by his wife, Sandy Krause of Orchard; seven children, Jeff (Kelly) Krause of Mason City, John (Liz) Krause of Manly, Jim (Judy) Krause of Latimer, Jeanna (Scott) Marshall of Rochester, Minnesota, Michael (Traci) Krause of Bridgeport, West Virginia, Sheila (Jason) Nord of Coon Rapids, Minnesota and Susan (Steven) Phillips of St. Charles; four step-children, Mike (Robin) Evans of Mason City, Mark (Tricia) Evans of Osage, Tim (Stacy) Evans of Osage and Terry (Dawn) Evans of Forest City; an enormous number of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and nieces and nephews; a brother, Richard (Leslie) Krause of Milford; a cousin, Glen (Faye) Jones of Algona; a niece, Melanie Muth of Orchard; a sister-in-law, Karen (Bob) Johnson of Osage; two brothers-in-law, Bernard (Violet) Dencklau of Vincent and Richard (Betty) Dutton of Onamia, Minnesota.

Funeral arrangements were made by the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage.
© 2007 Mitchell County Press

August Boerjan

July 17, 2007

August Boerjan, age 74, of Osage, died on Tuesday, July 17, 2007, at the Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa in Mason City, after a short illness.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 9:30 a.m., on Saturday, July 21, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Osage, with Rev. John Moser officiating. Burial will be in the Sacred Heart Cemetery in Osage. Visitation is from 4-7:30 p.m., on Friday, at the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage, with a rosary at 4:30 p.m. and a scripture wake service at 7:30 p.m.

August was born on October 16, 1932 at Mitchell, Iowa, the son of Frank and Suzanna (Arickx) Boerjan. August was a dedicated life-long farmer with special interest in raising Haflinger horses, attending farm sales, and collecting miniature agricultural toys. He worked for White Farm for several years and for McIntire Fabricators.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Survivors include his wife, Ginny Boerjan of Osage; two sons, Tom (Robbin) Boerjan of Rock Falls, Illinois and Edd (Shauna) Boerjan of Roanoke, Indiana; three daughters, Deb (Dennis) Smith of Paton, Beck Boerjan and friend, Debbie Mabon of Colorado Springs, Colorado and Dee Ann (Frank) Gamel of Hamburg, New York; 17 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; two brothers, Charlie (Connie) Boerjan of Marengo and Jim (Jo Ann) Boerjan of Osage; one sister, Pat Schlindwein of Waterloo; and nieces and nephews.

Funeral arrangements were made by the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, Osage.
© 2007 Mitchell County Press

Irma K. Eubanks

September 18, 2007

Irma K. Eubanks, age 81, of Chicago, passed away on Tuesday, July 17, 2007, following a short bout of pneumonia, at the St. Francis Hospital & Health Center in Blue Island, Illinois.

A memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 9:00 a.m., on Saturday, October 6, 2007, at the Old St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Chicago, with Fr. John Cusick officiating. Inurnment of her ashes will be private in the Evergreen Cemetery in Evergreen Park, Illinois and in the St. Peter's Cemetery in New Haven, Iowa.

Irma Kathryn Schoenborn, was born on April 18, 1926, daughter of Edward and Opal (Oakes) Schoenborn in New Haven, Iowa. Irma was the younger sister of the late Donald Schoenborn of Osage, sister-in-law to Claire Schoenborn (Rosenquist), and aunt to their four surviving children, Carol, Geri, Mary Kay, and Edward. She graduated from the Osage High School in 1944 and attended the College of Saint Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota, which she followed by work as a hematologist in California, Texas, and Illinois.

On October 12, 1957, Irma was united in marriage to Lionel Eubanks at the St. Peter's Catholic Church in New Haven, and settled in the southwest region of the Chicago area, where she assisted her husband's business in the marine industry.

Survivors include her husband, Lionel now a resident of an assisted living facility in Crestwood, Illinois; daughters, Leslie Eubanks and Paula (Eubanks) Brien along with Paula's husband, John and daughter, Kathryn, all of Chicago; sister-in-law, Claire Schoenborn of Osage; and an aunt, Dolores Gray of Kenora, Ontario, Canada.
© 2007 Mitchell County Press

Barbara Buhrman

August 7, 2007

Barbara Jean Buhrman, 66, of Cedar Rapids, died on Wednesday, July 25, 2007, in her home after a long illness.

Barbara was born on April 26 1941 in Osage, to Eugene and Barbara Gilchrist Krebsbach. She married John P. Buhrman on September 30, 1961 in Stacyville.

Survivors include her husband, John; two sons, Anthony (Deanna) Buhrman of Cedar Rapids and Brian (Lynnette) Buhrman of Marion; a daughter, Ann Buhrman of Cedar Rapids; her parents, Eugene & Barbara Krebsbach of Stacyville; two brothers, Gary (Diane) Krebsbach of Osage and Larry (Judy) Krebsbach of Traer; a sister, Debbie (Ken) Kozak of Stacyville; and six grandchildren.
© 2007 Mitchell County Press

Merle D. Holm

August 7, 2007

Merle D. Holm, 74, of rural Mason City, went home to be with the Lord on Monday, July 30, 2007, while at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit, after a brief battle with cancer.

Funeral services were held at 10:00 a.m., on Friday, August 3, 2007, at the Plymouth Bible Baptist Church, in Plymouth. Officiating was Pastor Paul Schaefer. Interment was in the Memorial Park Cemetery, with a flag folding ceremony by the Mason City Memorial Association.

Merle Dean Holm, was born at home in rural Osage, on March 5, 1933, to Arthur O. and Adina (Brandt) Holm. He graduated from the Rudd High School in 1950. He honorably served his country in the Army during the Korean Conflict from 1954 until 1956.

Following his discharge, he attended the Hamilton Business College and received his Executive Accounting degree. He was engaged professionally as an accountant by various firms and businesses in the Mason City, Hampton, and Osage area. In the late 1970's he established his own business, Merle Holm Accounting. He was currently semi-retired, still enjoying his accounting work until the time of his death.

On March 6, 1953, he was united in marriage to Mary Naber in St. Ansgar. To this union was born two children, David and Dianna. The couple divorced in 1977. On July 21, 1984, Merle married Barb Sheridan at the Little Brown Church in Nashua.

Merle received the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal savior in 1957. He was an avid reader enjoying Christian literature, history and current world events. He enjoyed people with many of his clients becoming lifelong friends. He also liked to travel, listen to Polka music and meet friends and family for breakfast. Auto repair was a hobby he enjoyed all of his life.

Survivors include his wife, Barb; son, David (Donna) Holm of Illiopolis, Illinois; daughter, Dianna (Luke) Mostek of Columbus, Nebraska; two grandchildren, Joshua and Heather Holm; one sister, Joyce (Bill) Squier of St. Ansgar; two brothers, Gene (LaVonne Wheeler) Holm and Darrell (Georgia) Holm, all of Mason City; and two nieces and two nephews.

Preceding him in death were his parents; one infant brother, Dale; and one infant sister.

Funeral arrangements were made by the Fullerton Funeral Home, Mason City.
© 2007 Mitchell County Press