Woods Funeral Home

Mary Lou Weepie, 87 of Fairbank passed away Thursday June 13th at Lexington Estates in Independence. She was born August 20, 1936 in Independence, the daughter of Frank and Irene (Carson) Sweeney. She was a graduate of St John’s Catholic School and was the Valedictorian of her class. As a teen she showed cattle at Waterloo Cattle Congress and won numerous awards.

Mary Lou was united in marriage to William A Weepie on September 18, 1954 at St John’s Catholic Church, Independence, Iowa. The couple raised their family and farmed south of Fairbank.

She kept herself busy with many groups; Red Hat Ladies, 4-H Leader of the Atom Bombers, Tourist Club, Election Board and other various volunteer opportunities. She had a strong Catholic faith and was involved with many areas of Immaculate Conception Church; Choir member for 50 years, accompanist, Ladies Guild, Rosary Society and CCD Teacher. Her love of the nature prompted her to be a Master Gardner. She enjoyed volunteering to spruce up gardens around the community as well as her own. Mary Lou enjoyed visiting with family and friends, going for drives, playing the piano and rescuing cats. But most of all she loved spending time with her family and grandchildren. She could be found teaching piano lessons, reading books, going for nature walks and making sure there were cookies in the jar just in case.

Mary Lou is survived by her children Will (Sherry), Mike (Michelle), Jean (Cal) Kuker, Dorothy (Brian) Ott, Pat (Sally), Jim (Glenda), Steve, Mark (Donna), Brian (Beth), Carol (Randy) Klever 26 grandchildren and 37 great-grandchildren. One sister, Karen (Roxie) Mulnix and one brother John (Becky) Sweeney she was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, William and a brother Jim Sweeney.

Rosary at 3:00 PM Visitation: 3:30-7:00 PM Sunday, June 16th at Woods Funeral Home.

Funeral Mass: 10:30 AM Monday, June 17th at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Fairbank.

Interment: Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Fairbank.

Lunch will be served at the Parish Center following the service.

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

Ferdinand Richard (Dick) Klenzman age 86 of Fairbank passed away, Wednesday June 5th, 2024 at Unity Point Allen Memorial Hospital as a result of a sudden heart attack with his family by his side.

He was born February 5th, 1938 in Waterloo the son of Ferdinand Alfred (Ferdy) and Agnes Dorthea (Muller) Klenzman.  
Dick graduated from Tripoli High School in 1956. Dick enlisted in the U.S. Navy, where he served in the United States Naval Construction Battalions, known as the Navy Seabees.

After the completion of his military service, Dick was United in marriage with Patty (Wittenburg) on Feb. 1, 1959. Klinger, IA They built their home outside of Fairbank, and to this union, 4 children were born.

In civilian life, Dick put the construction and engineering skills he had learned in the Navy to work. His discipline, along with his skilled work, took him to John Deere, where he worked for 45 years at the Product Engineering Center in Cedar Falls, as a Master Pattern Maker.

His love for the work and John Deere stayed with him in his retirement years, where he found great pride and joy in being a tour guide for John Deere Engine Works in Waterloo.

In his personal life, Dick was a hard-working family man, who cherished his blessings, leaned on his faith, and respected his family roots. Family came first for Dick. In his dignified and unassuming way, he was a loving husband to his wife, a role model for his children and a doting grandpa to his grandkids. He loved attending his children and his grandchildren’s school events.

Dick was humble but had plenty of wisdom to share with friends and family. He was as gifted with words as he was skilled with his hands.  He was a natural storyteller, and everyone enjoyed listening to his stories. Some of his memorable gems have served as guideposts for those willing to listen. He often quipped: “You don’t have to tell everything you know and sometimes, the best thing is to keep your opinion and thoughts to yourself.” Another worthy piece of advice, which brought smiles to all who had heard it, goes like this: “Amaze them with your knowledge and baffle them with your bullshit.”

That’s how he went through life, living it to the fullest, making the most of every day, amazing the world with his knowledge. 

He was proud of his German heritage and the Klenzman generational name, Ferdinand. He enjoyed Polka music which he referred to as “happy music.” An avid Hawkeye fan, he loved working on his 40-acre hobby farm. He was everyone’s fishing buddy and a master woodcraftsman.

Above all, Dick was a man of substance, gifted with many talents. He was the captain of his own ship.

Dick is survived by his wife of 65 years: Patricia ( Wittenburg) Klenzman; one son, Ferdinand (Mike) Klenzman; and three daughters, Michelle (Mike) Weepie, Melaine (Tom) Buzynski, and Melissa Klenzman, all of Fairbank. Sister Elaine (Ken) Jacobsen of Gold Canyon, Arizona.

His memory will be cherished also by his grandchildren

Christoper Weepie, Trisha (Chad) Brown, Jennifer (Shawn ) Davis, Nick( Chelsey) Weepie,

Cortney (Lucas) Matthias, Brock (Courtney) Buzynski,

Tyler (Meg) Klenzman, and MeKyley Klenzman. He was blessed with 17 great-grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Karlyn Armstrong.

Funeral Service: 4:00 pm Monday June 10th at Woods Funeral Home followed by a Celebration of Dick’s life at the Fairbank Legion Hall from 4:30 to 7 p.m.

Memorials to be directed to the family for later designation. 

Jodi Sue Fischels age 58 of Fairbank passed away, Thursday May 16th, 2024. She was born March 4th, 1966 in Independence, Iowa the daughter of John and Beverly (Strempke) Wroten. She lost her mom at the age of six but was fortunate enough to gain another one when her dad married Kathie Oberheu. Unfortunately, she was taken too soon as well in 2006. Jodi grew up in Fairbank, attended and graduated from Wapsie Valley Community Schools in 1984. After high school she went on to Hawkeye Community College for nursing. She worked as a home healthcare nurse/ LPN until 2008 when her battle with Lupus forced her to retire. Jodi had her first child in April of 1990, Allyssa Nourse. Soon after that she met Troy Fischels. They were married on August 28th, 1993. In December of 1995 they added a son, Layne Fischels. Despite her ongoing struggles with Lupus since she was a teenager and many other complications, Jodi lived her life to the fullest. She went on many trips with her husband and family no matter how she was feeling and never complained. Jodi was able to see the birth of her first grandchild, Gage Fischels in 2010 and see both of her children grow and go on and marry amazing people that she knows will take care of them in her absence. She was and will always be a loving wife, amazing mother, doting grandmother and best friend anyone could ever have. Her family and friends were everything to her and she will be forever missed.

Jodi is survived by her husband, Troy, one daughter, Allyssa (Daryl) Nourse and one son, Layne (Olivia) Fischels, one grandson, Gage Fischels, her father, John Wroten, one brother, Nick (Leah) Wroten, one sister, Justina Wroten (Brett), her father and mother-in-law, Pete and Nancy Fischels along with numerous nieces and nephews as well as her dog Nevaeh and her cat Sergio. Jodi was preceded in death by her mother, Beverly and her step-mother, Kathie Wroten.

A Celebration of Jodi’s life will be held on June 2nd 2024 at the Fairbank American Legion from 12:00-3:00 pm. In her memory we ask that you wear something purple to support Jodi and others who are battling life with Lupus.

Karen Betts age 79 of Palo and formerly from Fairbank passed away Friday, May 10, 2024. She was born August 31, 1944 the daughter of Kenneth and Myrtle (Cummings) Betts. Karen grew up in Fairbank where she attended and graduated from Wapsie Valley Community Schools. She continued her education at North Iowa Area Community College graduating with an Associates Degree focusing on Social Work. Karen worked for a number of years at Goodwill helping others with mental challenges. She also worked at Parkview Assisted Living in Fairbank while her mother was a resident there. Karen loved to travel so she took to the open road as an over the road truck driver for a number of years. She tried retiring for a short time and decided that just wasn’t for her so she went back to work at Full Circle in Independence doing just what she went to college for helping others. Karen was an avid Chicago Cubs fan, loved reading old westerns and spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren. She is survived by her son Kory (Kim) Betts, four grandchildren; Joshua (Krystal) Betts, Ryan (Megan) Loe, Austin Betts and Nicholas Betts, eight great-grandchildren and one brother, Howard Betts. Karen was preceded in death by her parents and a sister and brother-in-law, Mildred and Glen Larson.

Visitation: 10:00 am-12:00 pm Saturday, May 18, 2024 at Woods Funeral Home with an 11:00 am Memorial Service.

Interment: Fairbank Cemetery at a later date.

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

Dennis Dwayne Ott, 65 of Fairbank, entered into rest Saturday, March 30th at home surrounded by family. Dennis was born on December 9th,1958 in Germany to Dwayne and Geraldine (Fisk) Ott. Dennis was raised on the family farm near Fairbank. He attended and graduated from Wapsie Valley Community Schools with the Class of 1977. On March 18th,1989 Dennis was united in marriage to Roxanne Nystrom at St. John’s Lutheran Church and together they raised two daughters, Darcy and Amy, on the Ott Century Farm. Dennis was a lifelong member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Fairbank, a dairy farmer and worked for Oran creamery. Dennis was a hardworking, honest, simple man. He was dedicated to the dairy farm, helping his father since he was a kid, and eventually taking over operations in 2003. He passed on a passion for agriculture and a love for animals, especially his “hairy cows”. It was often joked that he “never left the farm” as he was very punctual about getting back in time for milking or checking on the cows. Undoubtedly though, Dennis’s favorite hobby was snowmobiling, even owning multiple snowmobiles at one time. He could hardly wait for winters arrival and hoped for enough snowfall to ride around the farm, the local trails, and the Volga River recreation area. Dennis loved winter, the snow and cold, and was always telling those he was parting with to “think snow”. Dennis excelled at every title he was given: son, brother, farmer, husband, father, and grandpa. His four grandchildren were the light of his life, and he would do anything to fill their requests and make them smile.
Dennis is survived by his wife of 35 years, Roxanne Ott, two daughters, Darcy (Christian) Kroemer of Kalona, and Amy Scott of Fairbank, four grandchildren; Charles Scott, Melanie Scott, Bristol Kroemer and Conroy Kroemer and a sister, Donna (Randy) Brown of Mountain Home, Arkansas. Dennis was preceded in death by his parents, Dwayne and Geraldine Ott, a step-mother Laura Heilmann-Ott, along with numerous aunts and uncles.

Visitation: 9:00-11:00 am Thursday, April 4th at Woods Funeral Home.

Funeral Service: 11:00 am Thursday, April 4th at Woods Funeral Home.

Interment: Oran Township Cemetery.

Memorials may be directed to the family for later designation.