Woods Funeral Home

Douglas J. McConnelee, 81, of Dunkerton, IA passed away on March 23, 2022, at Whispering Willow Memory Care in Fredricksburg, IA. Doug was born on February 2, 1941, in Griswold, Iowa to George and Maude (Roberts) McConnelee. Doug attended school in Griswold and graduated in 1958. In his early years after graduation, he worked as a cabinet maker. He was a member of the Army National Guard where he was a marksman and was on a rifle team for competitions, he was also a volunteer member of the Readlyn fire department. Later he entered the telephone business where he was manager of numerous companies with the most recent being the Dunkerton Telephone Cooperative. He married his wife Patricia in Waverly, IA on August 4, 1977. They had two sons, Brian and Brandon. Doug was a member of Dunkerton Methodist Church.

Doug was an avid enthusiast of airplanes. He flew RC airplanes and had his private pilot’s license. He loved floating on the backwaters of the Mississippi, watching sunsets, camping especially in the Teton Mountains, taking his dog for walks, and spending time with family and friends. 

He is survived by his wife, Patricia, a daughter, Luanne (Brad) Stewart, three sons; Scott (Jennifer) McConnelee, Brian McConnelee, and Brandon (Tiffany) McConnelee, five grandchildren; Cameron, Alexandria, Alexis, Tyler, and Devin. Two brothers-in-law, William Lester, and Dennis (Sue) Christensen . He is also survived by his special teddy bear dog, Mitzie.

He was preceded in death by his parents George W. and Maude, mother and father-in-law Dale and Lucille Christensen, a sister Jayne Lester, and two brothers Jack and Bob McConnelee. 

A celebration of life will be held at Costa’s Sports Bar and Grill in Fairbank on April 9th, 2022 from 2:00-5:00 pm. 

Mike Everding 58, of Fairbank and formerly of Stanley passed away at his home surrounded by the love of his wife and daughters on March 19, 2022 after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born November 6, 1963 in Waterloo the son of Vernon and Gloria (Poock) Everding. Mike grew up in rural Tripoli and attended and graduated from Tripoli Community School with the class of 1982. On March 31, 1984 he married Tammy Mauer at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Waverly.

After high school, he enrolled in the Animal Science Program at Hawkeye Institute of Technology where he received his Associates Degree. He followed his love of the farm by going to work for A.D.D. Angus Farms located in rural Arlington. Mike worked at many different jobs early in his working career including, Professional Office Services in Waterloo, Print Express in Independence, Area Education Agency 267 in Cedar Falls where he held the position of Printing and Production Supervisor. Eventually Mike decided on law enforcement and enrolled and graduated from the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy in Des Moines. His first assignment he served as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff in Linn County. After a couple of years in that position Mike became a Deputy Sheriff in Fayette County and held that position for 12 years, when his health forced him to retire. He was not willing to let his health stop him completely so he took on a part time job with the Iowa DNR for two summers working as a water patrol officer. Which worked out great for a guy who loved to fish anytime he could get a chance. Most recently Mike served as the Police Chief of Fairbank and held that position until his passing. Mike was proud of his accomplishments during his time in law enforcement which included, being a DCI Marijuana identification expert and Technical Collision Investigator. While living in Stanley, Mike served City Council and then was Mayor. He also volunteered to serve on several boards including the Fayette County 911 board and the Cedar Valley Walleye board. Mike was an ATV Safety Institute & DNR instructor for almost 10 years. In his spare time Mike was an avid fisherman who enjoyed walleye tournament fishing. He enjoyed riding 4 wheelers, hunting, and just everything about the outdoors. He loved to cheer on and brag up his grandkids any chance he had. When at home, he could be found in his recliner spoiling his fur babies, Berkley and Bella. Most of all Mike loved his family and spending time with them

Mike is survived by his wife, Tammy, two daughters; Jessica (Adam) Thomson of Camanche and Ashley (Bradley) Bachman of Marion, five grandchildren; Owen, Greta and Iris Thomson, Delaney and Emberly Bachman, five brothers; Tim (Darlene) Everding, Dennis (Deb) Everding, Kevin (Dawn) Everding, Joel Everding and Randy (Nikki) Everding, his mother; Gloria Schildroth and Step-father Marvin Westendorf, his father and mother-in-law; Darwin and Marlene Mauer, three sisters-in-law; Bonnie (Loren) Neuzil, Laurie (Vince) Lumetta and Nancy (Mark) Conklin, two brothers-in-law; Brian (Jenice) Mauer and Derwin (Julene) Mauer, one step-brother, Michael (Kathy) Westendorf, three step-sisters; Michelle (Craig) Vogt, Melissa (Brian) Pawlack and Melody (Dan) Wright along with many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Vernon Everding, his grandparents, and his step-father, Verne Schildroth.

Visitation: 3:30-7:00 PM Wednesday, March 23, 2022 at Woods Funeral Home and for one hour before services Thursday at the church.

Funeral Services: 10:30 AM Thursday, March 24, 2022 at Zion Lutheran Church, 402 East Charles Street, Oelwein, Iowa

Interment: St. Matthew’s Cemetery, Readlyn, Iowa

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

Cards and memorials may be sent to Tammy Everding, 402 2nd Street NE, Fairbank, Iowa 50629.

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