Wilma Lee Johnson, known to all as Willie, peacefully passed away on February 11, 2026, at the age of 87. Born on April 1, 1938, she was the daughter of the late Herbert and Esther Gast where she was raised on a farm in Earlville, Illinois, as one of nine children. Willie’s journey began in a small one-room schoolhouse and continued with her graduation from Earlville High School. She furthered her education at Wartburg College and Washington University in St. Louis, where she earned her degree in Physical Therapy. In 1962, she married David E Johnson and together they started…

At 12:20 AM Tuesday February 10th, 2026, we lost an angel. Carol Rae Hein of Coralville, aged 89, passed away with her family by her side. She was born in Chicago in 1936. She met her husband Herman while attending Wartburg College, married in 1958 and settled in the Iowa City area for the majority of their adult lives. She was a very devoted Wife and Mother. She was devoted to her church for which she served in many capacities and truly enjoyed volunteering her time. She received the Governor’s award for 30 years of service volunteering for Meals on…

Myron, age 94 of Otsego, MN, passed away February 27, 2026. Preceded in death by his parents and sister Myrna. Myron served in the Korean war from 1952-1954 and then farmed with his dad. After marrying Florence M. Bakker, he decided to pursue ministry and became an ELCA Lutheran pastor. Myron was a pastor for the ELCA Lutheran Church for more than 32 years serving parishes in Nebraska, Colorado, and Minnesota. Myron is survived by his wife Florence; daughters Sharon (Ron) Meyer, Louann, Linda (Jim) Henderson, and Kayla; grandchildren Ian and McKenzie Henderson. All obituary information has been taken from…

Delbert Adams, 96, of Marinette, passed away at home on Wednesday, February 4, 2026 in the caring presence of his loved ones. He was born June 16, 1929 to Gust and Minnie Adams in Clintonville, WI where he spent his early life, graduating from Clintonville High School in 1947. Del went on to serve four years in the United States Air Force. He later graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1958 with a degree in Electrical Engineering and had a 33-year career working for Wisconsin Public Service. Del and his wife Betty resided in Marinette for many years and…

William R. Striepe, 91 of Waverly, Iowa, passed away on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at the Bartels Lutheran Retirement Community. Bill was born on January 21, 1935, in Madison, Minnesota, the eldest son of William G. and Lorraine B. (Kienitz) Striepe. Bill was baptized in February of 1935 in Marrieta, Minnesota and confirmed in 1948 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, rural Boyden, Iowa. Bill graduated from Holstein High School in 1953. He furthered his education at Wartburg College, graduating in 1957 and in 1959 he received his master’s degree in social work from the University of Iowa. Bill was united…

Hey all, you’re reading this because I, Kathie Schindel Hicok, born January 18, 1970, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, finally beat my battle with pancreatic cancer. It can no longer live in my body. Over the years, I spent my time as a DC-G band mom and school board member, independent travel agent, Mentor Iowa board member, Kids Campus board member, Des Moines Metro Opera volunteer, Farrell’s instructor and coach, and avid Green Bay Packers fan. I have been so very blessed with a social work career spanning 35 years, including Child Protection in Polk County, Iowa, and school social work…

Todd Amani, cherished father, grandfather, uncle, brother, friend, colleague, and beloved soulmate of Mary Jo, passed from this life to the next on January 26th, his 71st birthday. His kindness, good humor, generosity, love of play, camaraderie, perseverance in all adversity, creativity, gentle nature, steadfastness, calm wisdom, and courage, especially in this final passage, touched so many. He faced Alzheimer’s with quiet grace. He was a natural teacher, listening closely with curiosity. Friends and family enjoyed his guitar playing, sing-alongs, chocolate chip cookies, sourdough bread, and kombucha. Todd graduated from Wartburg College (1978) and Johns Hopkins School of International Studies…

Marilyn Kay Krauss, 83, of Webster City died January 24, 2026. She was born to George and Edith (Hersbergen) Krauss on January 25, 1942. She graduated form Corwith-Wesley High School. After graduating from Wartburg College, she taught fourth grade for forty years in Webster City. She is survived by her sister Ilene (Jim), her brother Mervin (Debra), and her nephew Christopher. All obituary information has been taken from the funeral home, newspaper or other online resource.

Mary Schrandt, 71, of Charles City, Iowa, passed away January 23, 2026. Mary Jean Schrandt was born on April 12, 1954, to Raymond and Cleo (Rieken) Gesell. She grew up on a farm outside of Alta Vista, Iowa with her two sisters, Judy, and Sandy. Mary graduated from New Hampton High School in 1972. She attended Wartburg College in Waverly where she received her bachelor’s degree in political science in 1977. In that timeframe, she was able to go to Germany with her mother and sister Judy to visit family for three weeks. While there, she was able to experience…

Frederick Grawe Jr., age 77, of Waverly, Iowa, died Thursday, January 22, 2026, at New Aldaya Lifescapes in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Fred was born on November 4, 1948, in Waverly, Iowa, the son of Frederick Sr. and Ruth (Burhow) Grawe. He was raised in Waverly and graduated from Waverly Shell Rock High School in 1967. He attended University of New Mexico for a year then transferred to Wartburg where he graduated with his bachelor’s degree in 1971. In 1968, Fred was united in marriage to Cathy Berry at St. Mary Catholic Church in Waverly, the couple would later divorce. Fred…

June 12, 1946  –  January 22, 2026 Dr. Daniel B. Nelson was born in Urbana ,IL on June 12, 1946 as the youngest of five children to Rev. Elmer A. Nelson and Mabel Mae (Jones) Nelson in Rantoul, IL. When in high school, he and his family moved from Rantoul to Park Ridge, IL where he graduated from Maine East High School. He later attended Wartburg College, a small Lutheran school in Waverly, IA where his parents and all of his older siblings had also attended. Although his two brothers and one brother-in-law followed Elmer’s footsteps into the ministry, Dan was instead…

Cleo Ann Eliason, age 90, passed away peacefully on January 20, 2026 in Green Bay Wisconsin. She was born December 1, 1935, in Green Bay, to Edwin and Helen (Klug) Eliason. Cleo was proud to be a lifelong Lutheran. She graduated with High Honors from Green Bay East High School in 1954. She worked as a secretary at Morning Glory Dairy for 8 years, then as a Parish Secretary at Trinity Lutheran Church. She later worked at Curative Workshop. Cleo attended Wartburg College in Waverly Iowa, where she earned her Dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Religion and Psychology in…

Burdette passed away on Monday, January 19, 2026 at the Grundy County Memorial Hospital. Burdette Elgin Walters was born on Saturday December 2, 1950, at 10:40 P.M. at Allen Memorial Hospital, Black Hawk Co. Waterloo, Iowa, the only son of Mary (Maria Kaiser) and Eilert Walters Jr. He was baptized in the Lutheran faith December 28, 1950, at the home of his parents, 2 ½ miles South of Buck Grove, as a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church, with his parents as sponsors, and he was held during the ceremony by his maternal grandmother, Bertha Christine (Olthoff) Kaiser. Burdette was…

Betty Lou Bergman, 86, of rural Hudson, passed away at home on Wednesday, January 14, 2026. She was born October 4, 1939, in Hudson, daughter of Leo and Alma (Engel) Waltmann. Betty graduated from Hudson High School in 1957, then earned her B.A. in Home Economics from Wartburg College followed by a Master’s Degree in Library Science from UNI. She married Ernest W. Simon on June 4, 1960, at Zion Lutheran in Hudson. He passed away in November 1966. Betty married Harley Bergman on December 21, 1968, at Zion Lutheran Church in Waterloo. He preceded her in death in November…

Wendy Meyer, 64, of Oskaloosa, passed away on the evening of January 14, 2026, at MercyOne Hospital in Des Moines. Wendy Lee Meyer, daughter of Wendell Elmer Erwin and Ethel Joy (Nielsen) Dietrich, was born on August 31, 1961, in Price, Utah. When Wendy was young, her family lived in various cities. She graduated from L.D. Bell High School in Hurst, Texas, in 1980. After graduation, Wendy attended Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, and earned a bachelor’s degree in business in 1985. She met Greg Arthur Meyer during her sophomore year at Wartburg while he was a freshman. The two…

Gary Lynn Zittergruen, 67, of Waverly, formerly of Van Horne, Iowa, died Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at Mayo Clinic Methodist Campus in Rochester, Minnesota. Gary was born July 29, 1958, in Prairie Du Chien, WI, the son of Harlan and Dorothy (Mueller) Zittergruen. He grew up in Garnavillo, graduating high school in 1976. He then attended Wartburg College where he received his bachelor’s degree in 1980. Later, he received his master’s degree from the University of Iowa. On June 18, 1983, he was united in marriage to Jenny Barron in Guttenberg. He began his teaching career at Shellsburg Community School…

Christopher Karl Schmidt, 82, of Waverly, Iowa, passed away on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at Bartels Lutheran Retirement Community. Chris was born on June 1, 1943, in Ohio, the son of Karl and Viola (Grambau) Schmidt. He grew up in Waverly and graduated from Wartburg College in 1966. Chris and Mary Hjermstad were married in 1966, and he began his graduate studies at Iowa State University, earning his doctorate in Physics in 1971. Chris taught Physics at Hope College, the University of Pittsburgh and returned to Waverly to teach at Wartburg College. Chris taught at Wartburg until his retirement in…

Obituary for Richard “Dick” Koehler Departed on: January 12, 2026. Richard (Dick) Koehler, age 82, of Tama, Iowa, was born April 10, 1943, in New Hampton, son of Waldon and Arlene (Slack) Koehler. He graduated from Fredericksburg High School and earned a degree in music education from Wartburg College. He taught instrumental music for 19 years. He owned and operated a sporting goods store in Toledo before joining Horace Mann Insurance Company. He served as president of the Central Life Underwriters Association. He retired from Horace Mann after 22 years. He also worked for Tama County as a driving examiner for…

Logan Martin Ruffridge, August 29, 1991 — January 8, 2026. Logan Martin Ruffridge, 34, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, passed away peacefully after a courageous battle with cancer, surrounded by the love of his family and friends. Born on August 29, 1991, in Cedar Rapids, Logan brought joy and energy to everyone he met from the very beginning. As the beloved son of Torry and Anne Ruffridge, he grew up in the heart of his hometown, embracing life with a spirit that was as vibrant as it was kind. Logan was a proud graduate of Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids,…

Barbara Henry, 53, died Thursday, January 1, 2026 at her apartment in Cedar Rapids. The only child of Dennis and Shirley (Schatzke) Henry, Barbara Kay Henry was born on July 21, 1972. After completing high school in Urbana, she attended Wartburg College. She was an avid sports fan and was an assistant student coach for girls’ softball and both boys’ and girls’ basketball. She was employed in various fields, such as a clerk for a marine dealership, a photographer, a clerk and receptionist at a law firm, and a document translator. She was most recently working as an administrative assistant…