Alabama School Yearbooks by State and County
Arnold A. Luker, 88, died Sept. 13, 2006, at the IOOF Home, Mason City, Iowa.
Funeral services were held Saturday, Sept. 16, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Mason City, with the Rev. Mark Lavrenz officiating. Burial was in Memorial Park Cemetery with full military honors conducted by members of the Mason City Veteran's Memorial Association.
Memorials may be directed to the Arnold A. Luker Bethlehem Lutheran Church.
Arnold A. Luker was born Feb. 6, 1918, in Princeton, Minn., the son of Henry and Lena (Froelich) Luker.
Arnold graduated from Clear Lake High School. He was united in marriage to Ethel Stinehart on Dec. 28, 1941, in Mason City. Arnold served in WWII in the United States Army from May 1942 until his honorable discharge in November of 1945 and obtained the rank of Staff Sargent. He worked at Decker's for 31 years, Carlton Stewart Music Store, and was the custodian for the Bethlehem Lutheran Church for 42 years.
Arnold enjoyed gardening, cooking, and baking. His greatest love was spending time with his family and friends. He was a member of the V.F.W. and the Bethlehem Lutheran Church.
Arnold is survived by his children, Leland (Audrey) Ames, North Newton, Kan. and Norman (Twila) Luker, Mason City; grandchildren, Corey (Kari) Ames, Jeff (Bobbie) Ames, Lorri (Steve) Caster, Deanna (Duane) Loeschen, Scott (Elisabeth) Palmer; 10 great-grandchildren; brothers, Fred Luker, Clear Lake, and Gilbert Luker, Mason City, along with many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Arnold is preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Lena Luker; his wife of 53 years, Ethel Luker on Dec. 23, 1995; three sisters and one brother.
Hogan Bremer Moore Colonial Chapel was in charge of arrangements.
Robert "Bob" Dean Sobek, age 36, most recently of West Union, Iowa, formerly of the Lake Mills, Iowa area, died Friday, Sept. 15, 2006 at West Union, as a result of injuries from a pedestrian/truck accident.
Services will be held 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 20, at the Andrews Funeral Home, 528 East Main Street, Klemme, Iowa. The Rev. Paddy Druhl will be officiating. Interment will be in the Ell Township Cemetery, Klemme.
Robert D. Sobek, was born June 5, 1970, in Britt, Iowa, the son of Roland and Patricia (Houdek) Sobek. He attended Lake Mills Public Schools. During his school years he had been an active participant in both the school football and wrestling programs. He had also had a passion for weightlifting over the years which he very much enjoyed.
Though he was a fairly quiet person who kept to himself in recent years, his family was very important to him. He always stuck up for his siblings, especially his sister, Dawn, who shared a mutual camaraderie with Bob. Bob was also very important in the life of his niece, Misty Bratten. In earlier years Robert liked to follow the Star Trek television show and enjoyed fishing. Bob had lived for a time with his brother, Greg Sobek, in Clear Lake.
He was employed for a time at Hardee's in both Garner and Mason City, Iowa, as well as the McDonald's Restaurant in Clear Lake. He was also employed for periods of time at North Iowa Woods in Belmond and for Palatine Pallet Company in Lake Mills. Most recently he was employed at Phat Cats Bar and Lounge, West Union.
Bob is survived by his mother and step-father, Patricia and Emil Bratten, Lake Mills; step-mother, Kay Sobek, Klemme; brothers, Gary Bratten and wife, Jamie, Britt, and Greg Sobek, Clear Lake; step-grandmother, Lenita Houdek, Clear Lake; nephews Cody, Aaron, and Dillon Bratten, Britt; niece, Misty Bratten and her son, Alexander Thomas "Zander" Witt, Mason City; uncle, Rodney Sobek and wife, Cindy; aunt, Ellen Sobek, Garner, aunt, Sheryl Klesel and husband, John, Garner; as well as numerous other aunts, uncles, and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents; father, Rollie Sobek; sister, Dawn Sobek, and grandfather, Raymond Houdek.
Andrews Fueral Home, Klemme, was in charge of arrangements.
Dennis "Denny" K. Garlock, 57, 427 North Shore Drive, Clear Lake, died Sunday, Sept. 24, 2006 at St. Mary's Hospital, Rochester, Minn. A memorial service will be held Wednesday, Sept. 27, 11 a.m., at Camp Tanglefoot, 14948 Dogwood Avenue, Clear Lake, with Pastor Thom Christian of First Congregational Church officiating. Interment will be held at the Clear Lake Cemetery.
Memorials may be given to the Dennis K. Garlock Memorial Fund.
Denny was born on May 4, 1949, in Mason City, Iowa, the son of Donald and Ruth (Duesenberg) Garlock. Denny graduated from Clear Lake High School and attended Iowa State University and San Jose State in California. He returned home and worked for Duesenberg Construction, Clear Lake and Dave Schmidt, Iowa City, Iowa; as a heavy equipment operator. He most recently worked at Fleetguard, Inc. in Lake Mills, Iowa.
Denny was united in marriage to Shelley McCauley on Jan. 10, 2004 at Grace Lutheran Church, Hanlontown, Iowa.
He enjoyed spending time in the outdoors pheasant hunting and feeding the squirrels. Denny had several pet cats that were very special to him. He most recently was working on updating and remodeling his home with his wife, Shelley.
Denny is survived by his wife, Shelley, Clear Lake; three step-children, Mikki (Al) Guerdet, Charles City, Iowa; Erik (Jess) Bergman and Zach McCauley, both of Cedar Falls, Iowa; brother, Don Garlock, Clear Lake; two sisters, Connie (George) Pluchos and their children, Katie and Emily; Portland, Ore.; and Carol (Steve) Olsen, Maui, Hawaii; two brothers-in-law, Jeff (Cindy) Brattrud and their son, Dain, Clear Lake; and Scott (Karo) Brattrud and their children, Jenna and Ryan, Clear Lake; two aunts, Dorothy Garlock, Clear Lake; and Dorothy Willson, Holland, Mich.; mother-in-law, Shirley Brattrud, Clear Lake; and several cousins and other relatives.
Denny was preceded in death by his parents and father-in-law, Gaylord Brattrud.
Claytus E. Melcher, 94, of St. Petersburg, Fla., formerly Clear Lake, died Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2006 at the Laurellwood Nursing Home, St. Petersburg. Funeral services were Saturday, Sept. 23, at the Clear Lake United Methodist Church with the Rev. Diana Hoover officiating. Interment was in the Clear Lake Cemetery with military honors by the Clear Lake V.F.W. Family suggests memorial to the Claytus E. Melcher memorial fund.
Claytus Eben Melcher was born June 19, 1912 in Garner, Iowa, the son of Lewis R. and Mattie M. (Johnson) Melcher. He graduated from Garner High School.
He and Ferne F. Brooks were married
in East Orange, N.J. on June 13, 1934. Early in their marriage he was a salesman for the Peoples Gas and Electric Company in Mason City, Iowa. In the opening years of World War II, Claytus worked on the Al-Can Highway in Alaska and on U.S. military construction projects in the Hudson Bay area of Canada.
When he returned to the United States, he joined the Navy and served as an electrician on the USS Stephen Potter in the South Pacific for almost two years. During this time, his ship was engaged in several large naval battles with the Japanese forces in the South China Sea. His ship was in the task force near Okinawa when the USS Franklin and the USS Enterprise were hit by kamikazes in March 1945 and later was engaged in the rescue of survivors from the USS Bunker Hill when it was hit in May 1945.
During his lifetime he was a finish carpenter and a cabinet maker, working for many contractors in the area. He also worked as a millwright on the ICBM missile sites in South Dakota. When he retired in 1979, he and Ferne began spending their winters in St. Petersburg, moving there permanently in 2001.
Claytus was one of Clear Lake's best known and most successful fishermen for many years, a hobby he later pursued with considerable zeal in Florida. He was also an avid hunter. He enjoyed gardening and spending time with his family. He and Ferne spent many years traveling with their Avion trailer throughout the Midwest. He was a charter member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Clear Lake; a 62-year member of the Masonic Lodge, including a stint as Worshipful Master of Verity Lodge in Clear Lake; a member of El Kahir Temple of the Shrine in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; a member of the Order of the Eastern Star; and a member of the United Methodist Church of Clear Lake.
Claytus is survived by his wife of 72 years, Ferne; their daughter, Linda M. Neese, St. Petersburg; a son, Mark L. (Ivy) Melcher, Mt. Jackson, Va.; five grandchildren, Julia Schipper, Thomas Schipper, Mark (Carol) Melcher, Paula (Mark) Johnson, Deborah (Michael) Murphy; and seven great-grandchildren.
Claytus is preceded in death by his parents, Lewis and Mattie Melcher; sister, Leota DeVary and granddaughter, Marsha M. Schipper
Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake. was in charge of arrangements.
Mary Schoch, 90, died Monday, Sept. 25, 2006 at Trinity Center at Luther Park. Visitation will be after 3 p.m., Friday, Sept. 29 at Hamilton's on Westtown Parkway. The funeral memorial service will be held 5 p.m. Friday. A memorial reception will immediately follow the 5 p.m service at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to East High Alumni Foundation-Class of 1933, the First Unitarian Church, or Hospice of Central Iowa.
Mary Eloise Anderson was born March 20, 1916 in Des Moines, Iowa the eldest of six children to Donald and Eloise Anderson. She graduated from the University of Iowa in 1937 and earned her master's degree there in 1938.
After college, she was the personal assistant to founding editor Gardner Cowles at "Look" Magazine in Des Moines. In 1939, Mary married
Russell Schoch.
While raising three children, Mary worked as a part-time journalist in Des Moines, writing for various trade magazines, and was also active in the state Republican Party. When she and Russ moved to New York City in 1961, she became administrative assistant to the director of the East Asian Institute at Columbia University, a position that put her in contact with leading East Asian scholars and writers throughout the world.
Mary and Russ retired to Florida in 1975, but they continued to maintain their summer home in Clear Lake. After Russ died in 1985, Mary continued to divide her time between Florida and Iowa, moving back to Des Moines in 2000.
Mary is survived by her three children: Kim (Carlton) Peterson of Des Moines, and twins Jeanne Schoch of San Francisco, Calif., and Russell (Catherine Maclay) Schoch, Jr. of Berkeley, Calif.; her grandchildren: Sasha (Michael) Mudlaff of Clive, Iowa, Holly (Ryan) Miller of Altoona, Iowa, Matthew Schoch of Berkeley, and Christopher Schoch of Berkely; her step-grandchildren Perrin, Sarah, and Jim; her great-grandchildren: Andre, Autumn, Micah, Jonah, Nathanael, and Isaiah; and her step-great-grandchildren Erin and Megan.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Russell, Sr.; her sisters, Evelyn and Marcia Jeanne; her brothers, William, Donald, and Herbert; her grandson, Andrew, and her great-grandson, Alan.
Meryl Darlene R. Rogers, 97, formerly of Clear Lake, died Sunday, Sept. 17, 2006 at the Iowa Odd Fellows Home, Mason City, Iowa. A memorial service will be held Thursday, Sept. 28, 1:30 p.m. at Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, 101 N. 4th St., Clear Lake, with Pastor Tom Healey officiating. Visitation will be one hour preceding the service. There will be an inurnment at the Clear Lake Cemetery at noon on Thursday for family and friends. Memorials may be given to the Darlene R. Rogers Memorial Fund.
Darlene was born in Iowa City, Iowa on Nov. 15, 1908, the daughter of Meta Pommerening of Algona, Iowa. As an infant she was adopted by Andrew J. and Estella (Miller) Rice of Floyd Township, Iowa. Darlene graduated from Clear Lake High School in 1928, attended Hamilton Business School and worked at the Peoples Gas and Electric for 12 years. On Sept. 29, 1940, she married
Dr. Kingsley R. Rogers in Clear Lake. Darlene was a Past Worthy Matron of Eastern Star, a Past Noble Grand of the Rebekahs, a member of the Crescent Club and the First Congregational Church, all of Clear Lake.
Darlene is survived by two sons, Richard R. Rogers of Clear Lake and John D. (June) Rogers of Burlington, Iowa, and one daughter, Mary (Gary) Marshall of Conoga Park, Calif. She is also survived by eight grandchildren: Barbara Marshall Curtiss and her husband, Jim, Darcy Marshall, JoAnn Marshall, Sue Rogers Foster and her husband, Robert, Stephen (Jennifer) Rogers, Kathrine Rogers, Janette Rogers and Jason (Rebecca) Rogers, six great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild and nieces and nephews.
Darlene was preceded in death by her mother; adoptive parents; husband; half-sister, Virginia (Amish) Herman; adoptive brothers, Earl, Ray and Elmer Rice; adoptive sisters, Adelaide Wallace and Anna Potter and granddaughter, Sandra Marshall Rebbeck.
Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake, is in charge of arrangements.
Herbert Russell Cassels, 87, formerly of Clear Lake, died Thursday, Sept. 22, 2006 at the Central Health Care Center, Le Center, Minn.
A funeral service was held Monday, Sept. 25, at Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake, with the Rev. Diana Hoover, of the United Methodist Church, officiating. Interment will be held at the Pleasant View Cemetery, Thornton, Iowa. Memorials may be given to the Herbert Cassels Memorial Fund.
Herbert was born on October 11, 1919, in Berthold, N.D. Herbert attended school in North Dakota. He later moved to Thornton. Herbert was united in marriage to Marie E. Thompson in 1943, in Marie's parents home in Fertile, Iowa. They made their home in Thornton where he was employed as a farmhand. In 1959 they moved to Clear Lake and he was employed at the Mason City Sugar Beet Plant until it closed. Herbert became employed at the Clear Lake Sanitation Dept. until he retired.
He enjoyed playing cards, dancing at the Surf, especially when Lawrence Welk played. He enjoyed spending time with his children. He was a past member of the Clear Lake United Methodist Church.
Herbert is survived by two sons, Donald Cassels and his wife, Dolly, Altoona, Iowa and Delbert Cassels and his wife, Cheryl, Garner, Iowa; two daughters, Rose Finke and her husband, Rollie, Kensington, Minn. and Wanda Eckberg and her husband, Dick, St. Peter, Minn.; eight grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; two brother's-in-law, Warren Thompson, Sioux Falls, S.D. and Carl Thompson, Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Herbert was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Marie; three sons, Ronald, Allen, and Roger Cassels, and a brother, William Cassels.
"Jim" R. Armstrong, 74, died Oct. 1, 2006, at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit, Mason City, Iowa after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.
Funeral services will be held 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 4, at the Clear Lake United Methodist Church, 508 2nd Ave. North, with the Rev. Diana Hoover officiating. Interment will be in the Clear Lake Cemetery with full military honors conducted by members of the Clear Lake V.F.W. Post 4868. The family has suggested anyone who would like to ride their motorcycle is welcome to as a way to honor Jim for his love of riding.
Memorials may be directed to the James "Jim" R. Armstrong Memorial Fund.
James Richard Armstrong was born Sept. 17, 1932, in Dows, Iowa the son of DeLos and Margaret (Smith) Armstrong. Jim graduated from Clear Lake High School in 1952. He enlisted into the United States Army and was honorably discharged Jan. 31, 1960. Jim was united in marriage to Arlene Mudderman on March 16, 1960, at the Little Brown Church, Nausha, Iowa. To this union four children were born. Jim was a truck driver for many years.
Jim loved taking trips on his motorcycle and tinkering with electronics. His greatest love was spending time with his family and friends. He was a member of the North Iowa Road Riders, Muddy Pond C.B. Club, Amateur Ham Radio Organization, Harding Masonic Lodge, and enjoyed helping the Red Cross.
Jim is survived by his daughters, Pamela Armstrong, Clear Lake, and Donna Armstrong, Clear Lake; granddaughter, Hayley Armstrong, Clear Lake; sister, Irene (Lyle) Alshouse, Dubuque, Iowa; brothers, Robert (Sally) Armstrong, Rochester Hill, Mich., and Paul (Linda) Armstrong, Des Moines, Iowa along with several nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Jim is preceded in death by his parents, DeLos and Margaret Armstrong; wife, Arlene Armstrong; infant son, Norman Armstrong, and one daughter in infancy.
Elwood C. "Piltz" Pilz, 83, Clear Lake, died Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2006 at the Muse-Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit, Mason City, Iowa. A funeral service will be held Tuesday, Oct. 10, 10:30 a.m., at Zion Lutheran Church, 112 N. 4th St., Clear Lake, with the Rev. Derik Yarian officiating. Visitation will be held Monday, Oct 9, from 5 7 p.m. at Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel; and one hour preceding the service at Zion Lutheran Church. Interment will be at Memorial Park Cemetery, Mason City, with Military Honors performed by the Clear Lake V.F.W. Memorials may be given to Hospice of North Iowa in his name.
Elwood was born Oct. 24, 1922 in Lockport, Ill., the son of Fred and Selma (Boehnke) Pilz. He graduated from Ventura High School in 1940 and attended Welding School in Joliet, Ill. Pilz married
Elsie "Julie" Mae Juhl March 4, 1942 in Kahooka, Mo. They moved to Clear Lake. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in WWII. Following the service he came back to Clear Lake and worked for the Clear Lake Bakery as a route salesman until he retired.
Pilz enjoyed his flowers, birds and fishing. He was a very patriotic man with a very gentle spirit. He loved dancing with the love of his life, Julie, at the Surf Ballroom to Glenn Miller. He was a member of Zion Lutheran Church and the Clear Lake V.F.W.
Pilz is survived by his daughter, Genie Hanson, and her husband, Bob, Albert Lea, Minn.; grandchildren, Debra Hanson (Roland Krueger), Winston-Salem, N.C. and Dan Hanson (Laurie Casserly), Huntington, Vermont; sisters-in-law, Ruth Juhl, Clear Lake, Alice Thompson, Tacoma, Wash. and Ruth Juhl, Mason City.
He was preceded in death by his parents and wife, Julie, in 1992.
Duane Cook, age 76, of Decorah, Iowa, died on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2006, at the Oneota Riverview Care Facility in Decorah, following a sudden illness.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 5, at the Decorah Lutheran Church, with Rev. James Glesne, Rev. Bryan Robertson and Rev. Allan Vik officiating. Burial will be in the Phelps Cemetery, Decorah, with military rites by the Helof Holm V.F.W Chapter #1977.
Friends may call from 3 - 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Schluter Balik Funeral Home, in Decorah and after 10 a.m. at the church on Thursday morning. There will be a V.F.W Memorial service at the funeral home at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Duane Edward Cook was born on Dec. 26, 1929, the son of Perlie and Lydia (Linderbaum) Cook, near Castalia, Iowa. He was baptized on March 5, 1931 in Decorah's Methodist Parsonage and confirmed at Frankville Presbyterian Church. Duane attended grade school in Moneek, 9th and 10th grade in Frankville and 11th and 12th grade in Postville, graduating in 1947. He was drafted into the U.S. Army on Jan. 3, 1948, and was stationed at Ft. Riley, Kan. and Ft. Bennings, Ga. in the Infantry. He was honorable discharged on Dec. 23, 1948 with the rank of Coporal. He entered the service again on Sept. 17, 1950 at Fort Hood, Texas. From there he was stationed at the 141st General Hospital in Japan with the ERC-AMEDS. He received the Army Occupational Medal and the Korean Service Medal. Duane was discharged on Nov. 19, 1951. After leaving the service, he worked as a mechanic for a short period and worked for Irvin Hughes in Frankville, Iowa, moving houses and drilling wells. He also worked for Nelson Brothers Well business. Duane married
Marilyn Barth on Jan. 29, 1955 at the Hauge Lutheran Church, north of Decorah. Duane started Cook's Pump service in 1958 and served the area until he retired in 1995. He knew the depths of a majority of the wells in Winneshiek County.
Duane was an avid gardener and enjoyed tending to his flower and vegetable gardens; he had a mission to have the first and largest tomato of the year. Duane loved the mighty Mississippi River and was an avid fisherman who loved camping with his family, going salmon snagging and making his own lures. Duane also was a self-taught man, building many useful things for his family. He was very creative, doing woodworking, trying different recipes, and writing poems and stories. Duane was a member of the Decorah Lutheran Church. He was a proud lifetime member of the VFW Post #1977 in Decorah.
Duane's survivors include his children: Larry (Deb) Cook, Connie (Myles) Gerleman, Thomas (Leslie) Cook and Patty (Paul) Casterton, all of Decorah; Ricky (Denise) Cook, Ridgeway, Iowa and Bruce (Debbie) Cook, Ventura, Iowa; grandchildren: Heidi Cook and great-granddaughter, Madilyn Coulter, Decorah, Iowa; Tonya Cook, Minneapolis, Minn., Casey Cook, Chicago, Ill., John Budweg, U.S. Marine Corps, stationed at Camp LeJeune, N.C., Ross Budweg, Peter and Grace Gerleman, Cody Cook, Augusta and Audrey Casterton, all at home in Decorah, David and Bryant Cook, Ventura, Michael Cook and Conner Cook, Ridgeway, Iowa; two brothers, LaVerne (Marian) Cook, Decorah and Merle Cook, Postville, Iowa and several sisters and brothers-in-law and nieces and nephews.
