Woods Funeral Home

Dorothy Lavonne Steggall, 91 of Fairbank passed away at her home on Sunday, March 6, 2022. She was born September 21, 1930 in Fredericksburg, Iowa the daughter of Bill and Hazel (Dawson) Lienau. Dorothy attended and graduated from Fredericksburg High School and then enrolled in a business school In Omaha. After completing business school she was hired at Rath Packing as a bookkeeper. On September 23, 1951 she married Donald Steggall. Together Don and Dorothy started the business of Don’s Autos in Fairbank which later became Don’s Truck Sales. This was their legacy and many people worked for them over the years. Dorothy will always be remembered for her time spent at the “back desk” on her wooden swivel chair at Don’s where she claimed to still have the very first penny she ever earned. When visiting her at work, she was either counting money, typing correspondence, or refilling the pop machine. Nothing and nobody could outsmart Dorothy. She usually had the final word.

Grandkids remember when visiting Grandma Dorothy that she had a “sweet tooth”, and cookies and chocolate were always on hand. At every family or community gathering, there was dessert!

Dorothy was also known as a pretty good card player and the game 500 was her favorite where bidding was key.  She cherished the Tues evening ladies card club that was still going up until a few years ago. Dorothy’s favorite saying was “ Let’s wait and see what the weather is doing”. Dorothy is survived by her three children; Debra (Dean) Brase of Cedar Falls, Diane (Gene) Carpenter of Plainfield and Darrel (Therese) Steggall of Fairbank. seven grandchildren: Dustin (Heather) Brase of Ames, Danielle (John) Meyer of Redmond, WA, Dawn (Sterling) Silver Jr. of Marion, Jeremy (Bethany) Carpenter of Plainfield, Shantelle (Scott) Bohner of Decorah, Kristen (Josh) Dvorak of Fairbank and Karen (Nathan) Schnettgoecke of Carrolton, IL

Dorothy is also survived by 23 great grandchildren and soon to be born in June a Great Great granddaughter.

Preceding Dorothy in death; her parents, her husband, Donald, a grandson, Nicholas Steggall and a great-grand daughter, Giselle Meyer.

Visitation: 4:00-7:00 PM Friday, March 11, 2022 at Woods Funeral Home in Fairbank and for one hour before services, Saturday at the church.

Funeral Services: 10:30 AM Saturday, March 12, 2022 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Fairbank, Iowa.

Interment: Fairbank Cemetery

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

Steve Willwerth, age 44, passed away Sunday February 6, 2022 at his home in rural Fairbank. He was born October 3, 1977 in Waterloo to parents, Andy and Cris (St. Louis) Willwerth. Steve attended and graduated from Wapsie Valley Community Schools with the class of 1996. After high school, he attended Hawkeye Community College for two years. He then enrolled at the University of Northern Iowa to complete his four year degree. After college, Steve worked at Henderson Manufacturing in Manchester for a number of years. He was then employed by Deere and Company, holding a position as a territory customer support manager at the engine works. He also farmed with his parents on the family farm. He married Sara Heineman on June 22, 2012 and together they have two boys, Kade and Jace. Steve enjoyed life to the fullest whether it be camping, fishing, snowmobiling with his family, or trying out new recipes on the grill or smoker. Steve loved farming and taking his two boys out for rides in the tractor, the combine, or the gator. He was always the life of the party and just a fun guy that everyone enjoyed being around. Steve’s greatest joy and love was his family, his wife, Sara and their two boys who meant the world to him.

Steve is survived by his wife, Sara, two sons; Kade and Jace, one step-daughter; Morgan (Caleb) Reinking, one step-son; Riley McDaniel, his parents; Andy and Cris Willwerth, two sisters; Lisa (Dave) Nicholas and Andrea (Ben) Lighter, his mother and father-in-law; Galen and Deb Heineman, one sister-in-law and her husband; Christine and Al Leistikow, along with many nieces and nephews. Steve was preceded in death by his grandparents.

Visitation : 3:00-7:00 PM Friday, February 11, 2022 with a 7:00 PM Scripture Service at the Immaculate Conception Parish Center, Fairbank.

Funeral Services: 10:30 AM Saturday, February 12, 2022 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Fairbank.

Interment: Immaculate Conception Cemetery.

Memorials: In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to the family to go towards Steve’s children’s education.

Cards and memorials may be sent to Sara Willwerth, 1277 Baxter Avenue, Fairbank, Iowa 50629

A GoFundme account has been setup at https://gofund.me/0389f05f

The Willwerth family would like to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers and generosity during this most difficult time.

Jerry Dean Goeller passed away January 28, 2022 at UnityPoint Allen Memorial Hospital. Jerry was born in Oelwein on June 29, 1951, to parents Wendell and Norma (Heidt) Goeller. He attended and graduated from Dunkerton Community Schools in 1969. After graduation Jerry attended Hawkeye School of Technology for Tool and Die. He then went to work for John Deere in Waterloo. Jerry worked there for 31 years, retiring in 2003. He married Vicki Alberts and to this marriage three children were born. They later divorced. To almost everyone, Jerry was known by his nickname “Goofy” and he was just fine with that. For the last 22 years Goofy has spent his life with his life partner, Dawn Johnson. Together they have made many great friends and memories. He enjoyed playing softball and golf in his younger years. He also was a fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes, enjoyed watching movies on Netflix and was always up for an occasional trip to meet friends at his favorite Bar and Grill, Costa’s. He will be missed by so many people just because of how he treated everyone like a friend. Jerry is survived by his life partner, Dawn Johnson, his daughter, Tiffanie (Chris) Michels, two sons; Joshua (Amanda) Goeller and Jesse (Jennifer) Goeller, eleven grandchildren; Rylee, Carter, Mason, Charlie, Donna, Jacob, Josie, Levi, Micah, Madison and Zoey, two sisters; Judy (Mel) Neil and Cindy (Tom) Hagenow along with several nieces and nephews and their spouses. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Funeral Services: 10:30 AM Thursday, February 3, 2022 at the United Methodist Church in Fairbank.

Visitation: 4:00-7:00 PM Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at Woods Funeral Home in Fairbank and for one hour before services at the church on Thursday.

Inurnment: Fairbank Cemetery at a later date.

Lunch will follow the service at the Fairbank American Legion.

Dorothy Elizabeth Duffy age 87 of Fairbank passed away December 1, 2021 at the Buchanan County Health Center surrounded by her family. She was born March 4, 1934 at the family farm in Oran Township the daughter of Harold and Irma (Gletty) Kane. On October 24, 1949 she was united in marriage to Jack Leo Duffy at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Fairbank. Together her and Jack farmed outside of Fairbank, later they moved to town along with raising their nine children. After raising their family, Dorothy enrolled at Hawkeye Institute of Technology and became a Licensed Practical Nurse. She worked in the surgical department at Allen Hospital as well as working for oral surgeons until her retirement. After her retirement she enjoyed volunteering at I.C. Church, Little Island Childcare and Wapsie Valley Schools, where she particularly enjoyed reading to the children. Dorothy always sent cards or a prayer to anyone who was celebrating a special event or was having difficulties. Above all Dorothy loved her family and enjoyed spending time with them. She is survived by four sons; Michael (Judy) Duffy, Tim (Jeanette) Duffy, Tony (Sherry) Duffy all of Fairbank and Ted (Sue) Duffy of Waverly, four daughters; Clarice (Steve) Levey of Lindstrom, MN, Carol Duffy of Cedar Falls, Nancy (Rich) Wallace of Cedar Rapids and Norma (Kevin) Westendorf of Readlyn and a daughter-in-law, Nina Duffy of Dibble, Oklahoma, 27 grandchildren, 44 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren, two brothers; Roger Kane and Rex (Glenda) Kane, three sisters; Donna Higgins, Delores (Henry) Schares and Doris Randall. Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents, her husband of 63 years, Jack, a son, Mark, two brothers; Ronald as an infant and Ralph Kane, and two grandsons.

Visitation: 3:00-7:00 pm Friday, December 3, 2021 with a 2:45 pm parish rosary at Woods Funeral Home.

Funeral Mass: 10:30 am Saturday, December 4, 2021 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.

Interment: Immaculate Conception Cemetery.

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

Gregory Thomas Brandt was born September 20, 1969. He died suddenly, at the age of 51, from a tragic work accident, on September 15, 2021.

Greg was born to Lauren and Carol (Schares) Brandt in Waterloo, Iowa, lived in Dunkerton the first several years of his life and then moved to Fairbank. He graduated from Wapsie Valley High School in 1988 and then from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in Finance. His career path included various finance roles in the corporate world until his recent big adventure, starting his own sawmill business, Turning Timbers. His new business combined two of his favorite things – working with his hands and helping people.  

Greg married Lynette Hoover on February 6, 1999 in Waterloo and they had two children, Gage and Aliya. Greg enjoyed being outdoors with family and friends – being on the Mississippi, fishing, hunting, and enjoying football (Go Chiefs). Of course, anyone who was around Greg during a football game knew it was only enjoyable if his team was winning.  So much like his mom, you rarely ever saw Greg sitting still for too long. You knew Greg liked you, by the level of shit he would give you.

However, his “grumpy old man” façade never fooled anyone, especially the kids. Kids seemed to gravitate to Greg; we believe it’s because Greg was a kid himself and could speak their language. They all loved him. And he loved them more.  Dog whisperer was another role Greg relished. If there was a dog in site, it was usually glued to Greg.

Greg leaves behind his beloved wife, Lynette and children Gage and Aliya his father; Lauren of Prairie du Chien, a sister; Gina (Brad) Niewoehner of Hawkeye, his in-laws; Ken and Sharon Hoover of Marshalltown, a brother-in-law; Jim (Monica) Hoover of Urbandale, nephew and nieces; Macy, Megan and Molly Niewoehner, Cade and Ava Hoover, many aunts, uncles, cousins in the Brandt and Schares family along with his sweet golden retriever, Harper. Greg was preceded in death by his mother, Carol, his grandparents and his uncle, Ronnie Steggall.

Funeral Services: 10:30 am Tuesday September 21, 2021 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Fairbank.

Visitation: 3:00-7:00 pm Monday, September 20, 2021 at Woods Funeral Home in Fairbank.

Interment: Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Fairbank

Please we know how thankful we are for your support during our time of loss. There are days when it all seems unreal and hard to comprehend. It is in times like that when we remember that we are in the hearts and minds of those who know what we are going through. Sincerely, Lynette, Gage & Aliya

Carol Murray, age 85, of Fairbank passed away Wednesday, September 15, 2021 at the Cedar Valley Hospice Home in Waterloo. She was born December 2, 1935 in Oelwein, the daughter of Delbert and Frances (Dresbach) Haberkamp. Carol attended and graduated from Fairbank High School. After graduation she furthered her education at Upper Iowa University in Fayette by getting her degree in education. Carol first taught in Waukon, Buffalo Center and the Rake School Districts. Also during that time she went back to Upper Iowa to get her four year degree and graduated with honors. Carol married Charles “Chuck” Murray on October 24, 1964 at the United Methodist Church in Fairbank. Carol and Chuck first lived in the Buffalo Center area for eight years and moved to Fairbank in 1972. Carol was active in the church serving as the music leader and board member for many years, she was also a member of the Fairbank American Legion Auxilary. Carol was an avid reader and spent countless hours at the Fairbank Library researching and keeping up on current events. She is survived by three sons; Patrick (Emmanuelle) of Goose Creek, South Carolina, Michael (Janelle) of Buffalo Center and Thomas (Melissa) of Marion, four grandchildren; Victoria Beck, Justin Murray, Rebecca Murray (Leo Kruse) and Tyler Murray, three step-grandchildren; Ben Newman, Kennith Hunt and Maddelynn Hunt two sisters; June (Bob) Swenson and Gail (David) Judisch, two sisters-in-law; Eleanor Murray and Beverly Mathison along with many nieces and nephews. Carol was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Chuck and a stillborn son, Mark Todd.

Funeral Services: 10:30 am Monday September 20, 2021 at the United Methodist Church in Fairbank.

Visitation: 3:00-6:00 pm Sunday, September 19, 2021 at Woods Funeral Home in Fairbank and for one hour before services Monday at the church.

Inurnment: at a later date in the Graceland Cemetery, Buffalo Center, Iowa.

Memorials: may be directed to the United Methodist Church, Cedar Valley Hospice or the family.

Joyce Hartman age 85 passed away Friday, September 3, 2021 at her home from complications of MDS cancer. She was born in Waterloo, September 6, 1935 the daughter of John and June (Bloom) Campbell. Joyce attended and graduated from Dunkerton Community School. After graduation she attended Iowa State University in Ames. On August 6th, 1955 she married Duane “Chick” Hartman at the Presbyterian Church in Jesup. Joyce and Chick made their home in rural Fairbank where she helped with everything on the family farm. Joyce was a detasseling crew leader for 20 years impacting many young people with her work ethic. She was a fabulous seamstress, making many wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses and other attire that would pass through her house. 4-H was a passion for Joyce she was a leader for many years, putting her time at ISU to good work. Joyce was a longtime member of the Iowa Paint Horse Association, joining in 1968. She served as secretary of the Iowa Paint Horse Club as well as taking care of many Futurities. Joyce was a member of the Fairbank Tourist Club later known as the Fairbank Women’s Club and the Fairbank American Legion Auxilary. Joyce loved bowling with her purple bowling ball in the Tuesday night women’s bowling league in Oelwein and later the Wednesday morning league. She remained active up to the last two years with her horses and still mowing the yard. Joyce loved when family came over to visit whether it was a drop in visit or a special occasion. She spent many hours at her dining room table making beautiful scrapbooks of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren to show off to anyone that would sit down and look at them. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren held a special place in her heart. She is survived by her son, Harlan (Deb) Hartman, two daughters; Barb Boevers and Brenda Salisbury, 10 grandchildren; Lisa (Ryan) Peterson, Andy (Shelia) Boevers, Lee (Ann) Hartman, Sarah (Derek) Lounsberry, Jacob, Jenna and Jared Salisbury, Shon (Beth) Grimm, Matt (Lisa) Grimm and Kara (Josh) Burkhart, 21 great-grandchildren, six great-great- grandchildren, her sister Jan (Craig) Hinde and a brother-in-law Loren Hartman along with many nieces and nephews. Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Duane “Chick” a son; Dean Hartman, a son-in-law Dan Boevers, two grandsons; Baby Boevers and Bryce Grimm and brothers and sisters-in-law; Janola and Melvin Hesse and Lois and Virgil Hesse.

Funeral Services: 10:30 am Wednesday September 8, 2021 at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Westgate.

Visitation: 4:00-7:00 pm Tuesday September 7, 2021 at Woods Funeral Home, Fairbank and for one hour before services Wednesday at the church.

Interment: Fairbank Cemetery

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