Cindy M. Rabe

October 7, 2004

Cindy M. Rabe, 52, a life long resident of Belmond, and former executive director of the Belmond Area Chamber of Commerce, died on Friday, October 1, 2004, at the Belmond Medical Center.

Funeral services were held on Wednesday, October 6, at 10:30 a.m., at the Trinity Lutheran Church, Belmond.

Cynthia Trees, was born on February 28, 1952 in Belmond, the daughter of Paul George and Marjorie (Wigg) Trees. She was one of five children.

Cindy attended the Belmond Community Schools and graduated from the Belmond High School in 1970. She then went on to attend Mankato Commercial College where she majored in accounting.

Cindy was united in marriage to Neal A. Rabe on July 17, 1971. To this union were born two children, Jeffrey and Krista.

Cindy began her career working as a bookkeeper/accountant at Acco Seed Company in Belmond. She later worked for Lloyd Anders, CPA, the Belmond Independent and PSI. In October, 1995, she became employed by the Belmond Area Chamber of Commerce. Cindy was the executive Director for the Chamber and Bidco (Belmond Industrial Development) until this past winter when her health forced her to retire. Throughout her entire life Cindy was devoted to her community. In her role as the Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce and Bidco, she relished the opportunity to promote the attributes of Belmond and the surrounding areas. She was involved in the Iowa Chamber Executives, Professional Developers of Iowa, Wright County Tourism, Central Iowa River Partnership, Promotion Council, Wright County Economic Development, and many other groups and organizations.

She is survived by her husband, Neal, her best friend and companion for 33 years; one son, Jeffrey of Belmond; one daughter, Krista Hartwig and husband, Brad of Kanawha; one granddaughter; mother, Marjorie Trees of Belmond; two sisters, Candy Fjetland and husband, Ron of Clarion and Diane Erickson of Belmond; one brother, Mike Trees and wife, Colleen of Belmond; uncles and aunts; nieces and nephews; great nieces and nephews; and many cousins.

Cindy was preceded in death by her father, Paul Trees on March 28, 2003; one brother, Terry Paul; grandparents, Estella Hanson and Racine Wigg, Vern and Violet Trees; and an uncle, Robert Wigg.
© Wright County Monitor 2004

Wayne E. Sandvig

October 14, 2004

Wayne E. Sandvig, 58, of Stuart, formerly of Eagle Grove, died on Monday, October 4, 2004, at the Kavanaugh House in Des Moines.

Funeral services were held on Friday, October 8, at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Eagle Grove. Pastor Paul Stone and Rev. H.W. Schiller officiated at the 11:00 a.m. service. Burial was in the East Ullensvang Cemetery, Thor prior to the service.

Wayne E. Sandvig, was born on June 10, 1946 at Fort Dodge, the son of Gerhard and Alice (Reisner) Sandvig. He was raised on the farm near Vincent until 1954, when they moved to Eagle Grove. Wayne graduated from the Eagle Grove High School, Class of 1964 and then received his AA Degree from the Eagle Grove Junior College.

Wayne enlisted in the United States Army on September 8, 1966, at Eagle Grove and remained active for over 32 years. He served as a Chief Warrant Officer, Divisional G4, Property Book Officer.

In November of 1969, Wayne married Penny Deischer at Marshalltown.

Wayne lived in Eagle Grove until 1989, Glendale, California until 1993, Sierra Vista, Arizona until 1966, Martinez, California until 2004, and had recently moved to Stuart.

He is survived by one daughter, Kerry Feuring and husband, Wade of Stuart; one son, Gavin Sandvig and wife, Shannon of Cedar Rapids; four brothers, John Sandvig and wife, Jeanie of Hampton, Dave Sandvig and wife, Rose of Overland, Kansas, Rick Sandvig and wife, Ellie of Omaha, Nebraska and Keith Sandvig and wife, Lynn of Clive; one sister, Annabel Dobbs of Mustang, Oklahoma.

Wayne was preceded in death by his parents; and a brother-in-law, Terry Dobbs.
© Wright County Monitor 2004

Audrey Jean Tomke

October 14, 2004

Audrey Jean Tomke, 84, formerly of Clear Lake, died on Monday, October 4, 2004, at the Pella Region Health Center.

A graveside service was held on Wednesday, October 6, at 1:00 p.m., at the St. John's Catholic Cemetery, Clarion. Rev. David Beckman will officiate at the service.

Audrey was born on January 7, 1920 at Clarion, the daughter of Merle and Alice (Williams) Wood. She attended the Clarion schools and graduated in 1938. Audrey married Stanley Tomke in June 1942 in Clarion. After her husband returned from service in the military, Audrey and Stan lived in Rockwell and later moved to Clear Lake. After their retirement, they spent winter months in Florida.

Audrey is survived by one son, Craig Tomke and wife, Karen of Hayden, Colorado; three granddaughters; and one sister, Phyllis Rohle and husband, Richard of Waterloo.

Audrey was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Stan on September 29, 2000; and one brother, Bud Wood.
© Wright County Monitor 2004

Michael S. Murphy

October 21, 2004

Michael S. Murphy, 43, of Des Moines, formerly of Clarion, passed away on Friday, October 15, 2004, at his home.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, October 22, at the St. John's Catholic Church in Clarion. Father David Beckman will officiate at the 10:30 a.m. service. Burial will be in the St. John's Cemetery, Clarion.

Visitation will be held from 5-7:00 p.m., on Thursday, October 21, at the Ewing Dugger Funeral Home, Clarion and will continue one hour prior to services at the church on Friday.

Michael Shane Murphy, was born on October 27, 1960 in Clarion, the son of Gerald and Joan (Daggett) Murphy. He was raised and educated in Clarion and graduated from the Clarion High School in 1979.

Mike moved to Des Moines and worked for Social Services. While in Des Moines he met Donna Noack and they were married on May 29, 1982.

Mike enjoyed woodworking, gardening, music, playing pool, and shortwave radios, but most of all Mike enjoyed spending time with his family.

He is survived by his wife, Donna of Des Moines; one son, Ryan; mother, Joan of Clarion; three sisters, Diana Hennigar and husband, Steve of Clarion, Michele Leininger and husband, Brian of Lenexa, Kansas and Linda Murphy of Humboldt; one brother, Bob Murphy of Clarion; aunts and uncles; and several nieces and nephews.

Mike was preceded in death by his father, Gerald; and his grandparents.
© Wright County Monitor 2004

Bernice Myrtle Sebert

October 28, 2004

Bernice Sebert, 98, of Clarion, passed away on Monday, October 18, 2004, at the Belmond Medical Center.

Funeral services were held on Friday, October 22, at the St. Olaf Lutheran Church, rural Belmond. Pastor Lowell Halvorson officiated at the 1:00 p.m. service. Burial was in the Evergreen Cemetery, Clarion.

Bernice Myrtle Sebert, was born on September 6, 1906, on a farm in Wright County near Kanawha, the daughter of Elling J. and Anna Margaret (Michelson) Soma. She was the seventh child of eleven children.

She was baptized in the Lutheran faith in 1906 and confirmed her faith in her Lord on October 30, 1921 at the St. Olaf Lutheran Church, rural Belmond. Bernice was a life long member of the St. Olaf Lutheran Church and at the time of her death she was the oldest living member.

She attended rural public school near her home in Wright County, graduating from the 8th grade in May 1921.

Bernice was united in marriage to Orville Sebert on June 20, 1934, at the home of her parents in Norway Township. She lived all her married life on a farm on the west side of Lake Cornelia. Orville died from a sudden heart attack at the age of 43, leaving her to raise six children. Her brother, Melvin came to live with the family to help with the farming until his health failed. She then moved to Clarion where she worked as a cook at the Clarion Care Center for 25 years, retiring at the age of 73.

Bernice is survived by five daughters, Doris Andersen and husband, Anton of Kanawha, Joann Nelsen and husband, Donavon of Clarion, Janice Asche and husband, Richard of Clarion, Elaine Freeman and husband, Larry of Nevada and Mary Faulk and husband, Keith of Boone; one son, Leo Sebert and wife, Kim of Clarion; 16 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; two sisters, Adelaine Hill and Margaret Dorenkamp and husband, Alvin of Belmond; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Orville; one infant daughter, Darlene; her parents; four brothers, Jovial, Norris, Melvin and Elmer Soma; four sisters, Gladys Mehl, Shirley Gabrielson, Viola Morris and June Kloberdanz; three sisters-in-law; five brothers-in-law; one grandchild; and two great-grandchildren.
© Wright County Monitor 2004

Albert Earle Martin

October 28, 2004

Albert Earle Martin, 96, of Belmond, died on Friday, October 22, 2004.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Wednesday, October 27, at the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Belmond. Father David Beckman and Deacon Nick Schmit officiated at the 10:30 a.m. service. Burial with full military honors was rendered by the Belmond Military Funeral Unit at the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Cemetery in Belmond.

Albert Earle Martin, was born on September 13, 1908, on a farm west of Belmond, the son of Marion (Finch) and Earle Martin. He was educated in the Belmond schools, St. Thomas Military Academy in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Marquette University and Iowa State University. Upon graduation from Iowa State in 1931, he worked for the Iowa Extension Service.

On February 10. 1934, he married Dorothy Sweeney and they subsequently lived in Marshalltown and Des Moines. In 1936, he and Dorothy moved to Indianapolis, Indiana where Albert became the Director of the Indianapolis Regional Office of the Farmers Home Administration.

In December 1940, he was called to active military service with the U.S. Army. After the war, returning to Iowa, Albert was employed by the Veterans Administration. After 20 years with the Veterans Administration, he retired in 1966. Soon after he took on administrative responsibilities at the Ames Laboratory on the campus of Iowa State University, where he worked until 1976. In 1986, Albert and Dorothy returned to Belmond.

Albert is survived by a daughter-in-law, Sharon Martin of Mazeppa, Minnesota; two daughters, Linda (Wade) Clarke of Moline, Illinois and Jane (Schuyler) Van Gorden of Eau Claire, Wisconsin; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy; a son, James; and one daughter, Marion.
© Wright County Monitor 2004

Carol R. McLaughlin

November 4, 2004

Carol R. McLaughlin, 67, of Belmond, died on Tuesday, October 26, 2004, at the Belmond Medical Center.

Funeral services were held on Saturday, October 30, at the Trinity Lutheran Church, Belmond. Rev. Rod Hopp officiated at the 10:30 a.m. service. Burial was in the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Cemetery, Belmond.

Carol Johnson, was born on April 29, 1937 in Carpenter, the daughter of Clarence Alvin and Ruth Verda (Parker) Johnson. She attended the Rock Creek country school for a time and then Osage Schools, graduating in 1955.

She and Alfred George McLaughlin, were united in marriage on August 8, 1959, at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Mason City. They were the parents of seven children. Carol and Alfred lived for a time in Belmond, then moved to Hampton, and then made their home in Grinnell. In 1973, they returned to Alfred's parents' farm in rural Belmond, where they farmed until moving to their present home in Belmond in 1983.

Carol attended business school at Hamilton College in Mason City, graduating in 1981. Following college, Carol was employed by the State of Iowa Division of Soil Conservation from 1981-2002.

Carol was a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Belmond, serving as President of the Church Council, Sunday School Teacher, Mary Circle, and recently completed the Visionary Task Force. She was also a member of the Belmond Hospital Auxiliary, President of the Culture Club in Belmond and a dedicated volunteer at the Belmond Health Care Center. She earned numerous awards for her conservation work.

Carol was an avid sports fan during her lifetime. She had been a league bowler for many years in the Belmond Bowling Association, Vice President of the Happy Eight Bowling League, a fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes, and enjoyed high school athletics.

Carol was a strong and faithful person whose perseverance kept her on the path to recovery following an automobile accident.

She is survived by her husband, Alfred of Belmond; two sons, Terrance McLaughlin and wife, Linda of Des Moines and Kevin McLaughlin of Rochester, Minnesota; five daughters, Lori Ludwig and husband, Allen of Corwith, Angela Rasmussen and husband, James of Evergreen, Colorado, Michelle Schaeffer and husband, Bryon of Ankeny, Elizabeth Engberg and husband, Allen of Puyallup, Washington and Susan McLaughlin of Algona; sister-in-law, Marge Johnson; four brothers, Charles Johnson and wife, Betty, Harley Johnson and wife, Clarissa, Ivan Johnson and wife, Kathy, all of Osage and Keith Johnson and wife, Jackie of Fort Dodge; sister-in-law, Frances Johnson of Osage; brother-in-law, Lowell Olsen of Osage; three sisters, Mildred Sponheim and husband, Norman of Nora Springs, Sharon Boyce and husband, James of Roseville, Minnesota and Eleanor Schallock of Osage; 11 grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

Carol was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, C. Dale Johnson and Kenneth Johnson; two sisters, Margaret Olsen and Florence Borcherding; two infant sisters; brothers-in-law, Alvy Borcherding and LaVerne Schallock.
© Wright County Monitor 2004