Woods Funeral Home

Loren William Niebuhr age 85 passed away Sunday, Dec 16, 2018 at Cedar Valley Hospice Home in Waterloo, Iowa following an 18-month heroic battle with Glioblastoma (brain cancer).

Loren was born January 31, 1933 in a chicken house in rural Fairbank.  He grew up in the rural Fairbank and Waterloo areas, (briefly in San Jose, CA) attended Fairbank country school and graduated from Waterloo East High School in 1950. He served in the U.S. Army from 1953 to1955.  He married Mary Braun on July 25,1953 at St. John Lutheran Church in Fairbank. Mary Niebuhr passed away September 4, 1990.

Loren farmed his entire adult life and worked 30 years at John Deere Waterloo PEC from 1955 to 1985.  He founded, built, and helped operate Wapsie Ridge Golf Course over the last 25 years of his life.  Loren was a master of many trades.  He retired in October of 2018 after well over 100 equivalent years of work.

Loren dedicated himself to anything he did and encouraged others to strive for perfection on any task, large or small. His hobbies included fishing in Canada, golfing, reading, crossword and picture puzzles, watching FOX News, and scrapping metal. His biggest joy was helping anyone in need.  Loren was a fixer; if it was broke, you fix it.  And what he fixed was often better and stronger than it was before.  This carried over to the people he touched, as he was always there to help and maybe unknown to him, fixed part of them as well.

Loren is survived by his life partner of 26 years, Shirley Riggle of Fairbank, his sons Michael (Lori) of Olathe, KS, Kevin (Annette) of Dunkerton, Daniel (Anne) of Fairbank, sister-in-law Bonnie Niebuhr of Grundy Center, sister-in-law Delores Orcutt of Spring Green, WI, 7 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren, and numerous step-children and step-grandchildren.

Loren was preceded in death by his parents Harold & Edith (Bradley) Niebuhr, his wife Mary (Braun) Niebuhr, his son Daryl, three brothers; Max, Gene (Evonda), and Gail, brothers and sisters-in-law; Melvin Braun, Laverne (Buck) Braun, Ray and Francis (Braun) Buckner, Glenn and Mildred (Braun) Larson, and Jim Orcutt.

Funeral Services: No formal services per Loren’s request.

Celebration of Life: Cancelled

Memorials or Cards: may be directed to the family, c/o Loren Niebuhr, 203 N. Washington, Fairbank, Iowa, 50629

 Patricia Stirm age 77 of Waterloo passed away December 1, 2018 at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics from complications during open heart surgery. She was born March 16, 1941 in Waterloo the daughter of William and Evelyn (Heinen) Schmit. Pat graduated from Don Bosco High School in 1960. She was a bartender at Hillcrest, Red Cedar, Jim’s Lounge and Park Road. She married Kenneth Stirm Jr. on July 26, 1983. Pat was a very energetic individual, she enjoyed working with crafts and working outside in the yard. Most of all she loved being a mother and grandmother and spending time with her family. Pat is survived by her four children; Vicki (Dan) Rigdon and Brigette (Dustin Tippett) Mangrich of Fairbank, Mark (Kandis) Ciesielski and  Doug (Tracy) Ciesielski of Jesup, two step-children; Ken (Tricia) Stirm and Karla (Kevin) Klein, 11 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren and four step-grandchildren. Two brothers; William (Bert) Schmit of Colorado and Jerry (Cindy) Wagner of Brooklyn, four sisters; Jean (Mark) Hayden of Colorado, Lynette (Gary) Frost of La Porte City, Tina (Dave) Morales of Cedar Falls and Kim (Brent) Cantrel of Waterloo. Pat was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Ken Stirm, two sisters; Carol Lutgen and Donna Monat and one brother Richard Schmit along with her beloved pets Annie and Andy.

Visitation: 3:00- 5:00 pm Thursday December 6, 2018 at Woods Funeral Home, Fairbank.

Memorial Service: Following the visitation at Woods Funeral Home.

Inurnment: at a later date.

Memorials: to be directed to the family.

Mary Elizabeth LaRue died Tuesday, October 2, 2018 at the Denver Sunset Home at the age of 96.  She was born July 20, 1922 the daughter of Joseph and Hazel Furino. She attended grade school at St Patrick Catholic School and graduated from Cedar Falls High School in 1940.  After graduation, Mary worked in a chocolate shop in Cedar Falls where she met her future husband George LaRue. They were married December 5, 1942 in St. Paul, Minnesota while George was on leave from the U.S. Army before serving in Germany and France during WWII. After George came home in 1945 they lived in California for a short time after their son was born. They then returned back to Iowa and settled in Raymond.

Mary worked as a secretary at the American Can Company, Fagen Electric and the Waterloo Savings Bank. She was awarded Secretary of the Year by the National Secretarial Association in 1960. George and Mary then owned and operated LaRue’s Muffler and Brake Shop for many years prior to their retirement.Mary and George were married 38 years before George passed away in 1980. Mary continued to live in Raymond until age 91 when she moved to Parkview Assisted Living in Fairbank, IA. She enjoyed working in her yard, reading, embroidering, working crossword or jigsaw puzzles and was very active in her church. Her greatest joys in life were her family and her religion.

Mary will be deeply missed by her son Craig (Dianne) LaRue of Denver, 3 grandchildren; Lisa (Mark) Sage of Cedar Falls, Scott (Susi) LaRue of Readlyn, Melanie (Shawn) Mastin of Waterloo, 3 great grandchildren; Vince(Emily) LaRue, Julia LaRue and Isabel LaRue all of Readlyn, 2 step grandchildren; Brad Mastin and Luke Mastin of Waterloo,  a sister Antoinette DeGear of Springfield MO, sisters-in-law, Byrdena Furino of Anamosa and Jean Furino of Santa Barbara, CA, along with several nieces and nephews and a close friend Diane (Del) Drilling of Raymond.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, her husband George, two brothers, Henry and Joe, two sisters Caroline and Camilla, and nephew Eddie McDonald.

Funeral Services: 10:30 am Tuesday, October 9, 2018 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Raymond.

Visitation: 9:00-10:30 am Tuesday at St. Joseph Catholic Church.

Interment: St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, Raymond.

Memorials: may be directed to the family.

Carson McGrane, age 12, passed away Saturday, September 15, 2018 in Fairbank. He was born on December 5, 2005 in Waterloo, the son of James and Jodi (Lindstrom) McGrane. Carson recently began a new school year as a seventh grader at Wapsie Valley Community Schools. He was a very loyal friend and role model to kids of all ages. He was an active member of the youth wrestling club at Wapsie Valley. Carson also enjoyed playing football, hunting and riding snowmobiles. Most of all, he was a hard worker on and off the wrestling mat and football field. He was always looking for something to do, but his true passion was mowing lawns for family and friends. Aside from sports and mowing, Carson enjoyed fishing and riding jet skis on the Mississippi River. In his spare time, he loved riding his bike and hanging out with his friends. There was nothing Carson didn’t like or didn’t want to try. He touched the lives of so many people, young and old.

Carson is survived by his parents James and Jodi, one brother Devin Ledesma of Ankeny, maternal grandparents; Jim and Annie Lindstrom of Oelwein, paternal grandparents; LuAnne and Lonnie Bibler of Waverly, Dan (Luan) McGrane of Cedar Falls, great-grandparents; Max McGrane of Fairbank, Duane (Suzanne) Lewis of Waterloo, many aunts, uncles and cousins as well as his dog, Gizmo.

He is preceded in death by his great-grandparents, Don and Anne Coselman, Jack and Marcelline Lindstrom and  Charlotte McGrane.

Funeral Services: 10:30 am Saturday September 22, 2018 at Wapsie Valley High School, 2535 Viking Avenue, Fairbank.

Visitation: 2:00 – 8:00 pm Friday, September 21, 2018 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 106 Iowa Street South, Fairbank.

Interment: Fairbank Cemetery.

Memorials: In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be directed to the Carson McGrane Scholarship fund. Deposits may be mailed or dropped off at Northeast Security Bank 120 East Main St. PO Box 466, Fairbank, IA 50629.

Zelma Fink age 75 passed away September 6, 2018 at her home in rural Fairbank. She was born December 14, 1942 in Waterloo the daughter of Raymond and Emma (Jefferson) Miller. Zelma attended and graduated from Dunkerton Community School. Zelma and Gary met when Gary came over to bale hay at her parents farm. They were married on June 9, 1963 at the United Methodist Church in Dunkerton. After they were married they lived in Waterloo and near Dewar and in 1973 they moved out to the farm between Oran and Fairbank. Zelma’s greatest joy was her children and her grandchildren and their activities. She also kept busy with St. John’s Lutheran Church, the Fairbank American Legion Ladies Auxiliary and helping Gary at Legion events. She was involved in many different activities throughout her life. She loved to sew, especially the quilts for her grandchildren. She enjoyed trying new things, like taking classes for macrame’ and computers or becoming a 4-H leader. Even with busy schedules Zelma and Gary still found time to travel all over the U.S. and Canada. She was always interested in what was in the news and what was going on in the world. Zelma is survived by her husband Gary, one son, Kevin (Darice) Fink of Center Point, two daughters; Connie (Tim) Westpfahl of Center Point and Rhonda (Ross) Erickson of St. Louis, MO, eight grandchildren; Zachary Westpfahl of Hamburg, Germany, Jakob Westpahl of Mankato, MN, Taegan and Terra Fink of Center Point, Hannah (Sam) Lackner, Elijah, Abby and Grace Erickson all of St. Louis, MO. She is also survived by one brother-in-law, Larry Lundry, two sisters-in-law ; Linda Miller and Bess Spicknall as well as her dog Buster. Zelma was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers Don and Dick Miller and one sister, Kay Lundry.

Services: 10:30 am Monday, September 10, 2018 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Fairbank.

Visitation: 3:00-6:00 pm Sunday, September 9, 2018 at Woods Funeral Home, Fairbank and for one hour before services at the church on Monday.

Interment: Fairbank Cemetery, Fairbank.

Memorials: may be directed to the family.

Fairbank: Clair Levendusky age 83 passed away Monday August 13, 2018 at his home in Dubuque, Iowa. He was born November 17, 1934 on the family farm in rural Fairbank the son of Anton and Elsie (Necker) Levendusky. Clair attended and graduated from Fairbank High School. After high school Clair served his country in the U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserve as well as the Naval Reserve. He married Carole Kemp November 14, 1959 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Fairbank. Clair was employed at John Deere in Waterloo for 23 years. He served on the Fairbank Fire Department for 15 years. Clair loved fishing, watching the Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Chiefs and the Iowa Hawkeyes. He loved spending time with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He is survived by his wife, three daughters; Laura (Barney) Niner, Barb (Mark) Babiak and Jodi (Rich) Brunning, two sons; Charlie (Janell) Levendusky and Jeff (Terri) Levendusky, 8 grandchildren; Kayla (Nathan) Scheer, William (Fiona)  & Alex (Mallory) Niner, Joshua (Lauren) , Brian (Taylor), Troy, Jake & Jordyn Levendusky, two great-grandchildren; Palmer & Henry Scheer. One brother; Lawrence Levendusky, six sisters-in-law; Mary Jo (Dean) Hartley, Kathy (Don) Corcoran, Pat Kayser (Jack), Roberta (Dick) Mason, Annette Kemp (Larry), Lee Ann Kemp and two brothers-in-law; Ed Kemp and Peter Kemp (Jan) as well as many nieces and nephews. Clair was preceded in death by his parents, four brothers; Willis (Pat) Necker, Venice (Mildred) Levendusky, George (Grace) Levendusky and Louie Levendusky, one sister; Mary Levendusky, his mother and father-in-law; Joe and Sue Kemp, three brothers-in-law; Mike Kemp, Tom Kayser and Don King along with three sisters-in-law; Liz Kemp, Nancy Kemp and Nancy Levendusky.

Funeral Services: 10:30 am Saturday, August 18, 2018 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Fairbank.

Visitation: 4:00-7:00 pm Friday, August 17 with a 7:00 pm Scripture Service at Woods Funeral Home, Fairbank.

Interment: Immaculate Conception Catholic Cemetery, Fairbank.

Military Rites: Fairbank American Legion Fortsch-Duffy Post 552.

Fire Service Rites: Buchanan County Honor Guard

Procession and Flag Line: Patriot Guard Riders

Memorials: may be directed to the family for later designation.

Kevin Arnold Coffin age 62 of Fairbank passed away August 10, 2018 at the Cedar Valley Hospice Home in Waterloo from complications of diabetes. Kevin was born September 14, 1955 in Waterloo the son of Arnold and Mary Jo (Bentley) Coffin. He attended Wapsie Valley Community Schools and graduated with the class of 1973. Kevin married Karen Kaufman May 7, 1977 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Fairbank. He worked for the Chicago Northwestern Railroad and then the Iowa Northern Railroad until his health forced him to retire after 27 years of service. After retiring from the railroad and bypass surgery in 2010 he worked at the Cattle Congress in Waterloo mowing lawns part-time. Kevin was a longtime member of Immaculate Conception Church, he was a member of the Knights of Columbus and a volunteer fireman for 12 years with the Fairbank Fire Department. He was an avid fan of Wapsie Valley athletics, if there was a game he would be there. Kevin also volunteer coached Wapsie Valley football for 2 years he truly enjoyed being involved and working with the kids. He is survived by his wife Karen of 41 years, three sons; Matthew (Brenda) Coffin, Mitchell (Tiffany) Coffin and Michael Coffin. Four grandchildren; Jake, Silas, Jett and Ivy and his sister, Mary (Ronnie) Jans along with many nieces and nephews. Kevin was preceded in death by his parents, a daughter; Marie Katherine in 1979, his father and mother-in-law; Wallace and Mildred Kaufman and a brother-in-law; Michael Costello.

Funeral Mass: 10:30 am Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Fairbank.

Visitation: 3:00-7:00 pm Monday, August 13, 2018 at Woods Funeral Home, Fairbank.

Interment: Immaculate Conception Catholic Cemetery, Fairbank.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to the family for later designation.

 Ronald Salisbury age 80 of Dunkerton died Thursday, June 14, 2018 at his home. He was born in Waterloo on January 8, 1938, the son of Leonard and Evelyn (Kerns) Salisbury. He attended schools in Waterloo and Dunkerton. In May of 1956 he joined the United States Army Reserve where he served until his honorable discharge on December 31, 1963. Ron married Betty Kibbee on December 26, 1959 at Immaculate Conception Church in Fairbank. He worked at Rath for 11 years and John Deere for 29 years as well as farming the family farm. He was also a member of the UAW local 838. Ron was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He volunteered his time working with the local Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Webelos when his boys were that age. Since 2004, Ron volunteered with Goodwill Special Olympics of Waterloo, where he was called dad or grandpa by many. He did this until his health declined to the point where he was unable to. He loved being with his family; whether it was camping, fishing, hunting or just having them come visit.

Ron is survived by his wife; Betty, all eight of their children; Todd of Heddrick, Patsy (Phillip) Waniorek of Decorah, Rodney (Pamela) of Florida, Kent (Angie) of Cedar Falls, Kevin (Barbara) of Waterloo, Rhonda (Jerry) Engleman of Waterloo, Tony and Jeffrey of Dunkerton. He is also survived by  18 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren, his sister, Darlene (Rick Milks) and his sister in law, Jean Salisbury. Ron is preceded in death by his parents, Leonard and Evelyn, his brother, Donald Salisbury and both sets of grandparents.

Services: 10:30 am  Tuesday, June 19, 2018 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Fairbank.

Visitation: Monday, June 18 4:00 – 7:00 PM and Tuesday, June 19 9:00 – 10:00 AM at the funeral home.

Parish Rosary: Monday June 18 at 3:45 pm at the funeral home.

Military Rites:  Fairbank American Legion Fortsch-Duffy Post 552.

Interment: Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Fairbank.

Memorials to: Goodwill Special Olympics or Unity Point Hospice.

Fairbank: Betty Chase age 79 passed away Sunday May 13, 2018. She was born September 17, 1938 in Waterloo the daughter of Halley and Hazel (Fransham) Steggall. Betty attended and graduated from the Fairbank High School in 1957. She married Ray Chase on May 9, 1970 at the Schuyler County Court House in Missouri. Betty and Ray lived in Fairbank  until 2002 when they moved to Prairie du Chien to enjoy retirement. Before moving Betty worked in the repair department as an operator for Northwestern Bell for 20 years. She loved spending time with Ray, going fishing, going on long drives to see the country, listening to country music, going to antique stores and spending time with family and friends.

Survived by: her sister, Pat Weyer of Missouri, a sister-in-law, Marilyn Steggall of Fairbank, a step-daughter, Judy (Mike) Duffy of Fairbank, three step-sons; Brian (Barb) Chase of Oelwein, Don (Michele) Chase of Des Moines and Eric (Aimee) of Spokane. WA, 14 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren along with several nieces and nephews.

Preceded in death by: her parents, her husband, her brother; Ronnie Steggall, her brother-in-law; James Weyer and a grandson; Joshua Menuey.

Visitation: 1:00-3:00 pm Saturday June 16 at Woods Funeral Home, Fairbank.

Inurnment: Fairbank Cemetery.

Memorials: to the family.