George O. Legge, 90, of Belmond, Iowa, formerly of the Garner and Clarion, Iowa areas, died peacefully Monday, Nov. 25, 2002 at his home in Belmond. Funeral services were held Saturday, Nov. 30 at the Belmond United Methodist church. The Rev. Mike Druhl officiated. Private family interment will be later at the Evergreen Cemetery in Clarion.

George Oliver Legge was born May 5, 1912 on his parents¹ farm in Wright County, southwest of Clarion. He was the son of William Abner and Mary Margaret (Spencer) Legge. He attended Clarion area rural schools. George was united in marriage to Edna Mae Mason on Dec. 23, 1933 by the Rev. N.A. Wenterstein of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Clarion.

George was a farmer. His love of farming and working the land continued throughout his entire life. George was actively engaged in farming full-time until his retirement in 1972, however, his devotion and ambition of farming contined in his retirement years as he contined to assist his grandson, Mike Legge, with various farming duties including driving tractor up to age 87. He was always a farmer at heart. He and his wife lived on their farm in Liberty Township, rural Garner, from 1941-1991 when they moved to Belmond.

In his earlier years, George served as chairman of the District #5 Liberty Township Garner, Iowa School. He served as chairman and played an integral role in the development of the Klemme, Iowa Senior Citizens. He was a member of Farm Bureau and the Belmond United Methodist Church. He enjoyed ice skating. George loved playing pool and many knew him for his great pool playing skills. He was an avid card player and in recent years since moving to Belmond he looked forward to daily cribbage games with his grandson and on various other occasions with his family and friends. He and Edna traveled extensively throughout the United States and had been to Hawaii following their retirement from full-time farming in 1972. They enjoyed company and looked forward to Sunday afternoons visiting with family and friends. George loved to spend time with his family and grandchildren. In later years, George lived to share stories and family history. A favorite past time was handcrafting wooden keepsake boxes, jewelry boxes, gun cabinets, and various other items for his family and friends. He was an excellent wood worker.

George will be remembered by many for being a gentleman who had a big heart and cared about others.

Those left to cherish the memory of his life include his daughter, Pat, and her husband, Andy Oswald, Fertile, Iowa; grandchildren, Annette Oswald and her friend, Rollie O¹Donnell, and her son, Mason Oswald, all of Joice, Iowa, Randy Oswald and his wife, Patti, and their children, Josi and Cody Askvig, all of Hanlontown, Iowa, Terry Legge and his wife, Sue, and their children, David, Katie, Cris, and Charlie Legge, of Grimes, Iowa, Mike Legge and his wife, Monica, and their children, Marc, Tom, and Jimmy Legge, all of Garner, Robert Legge and his wife, Ruth, and their children, Jennifer, Andrew, and Sarah, all of Garner, and Lisa Legge and her husband,Craig Lassig, Minneapolis, Minn.; sisters-in-law, Leona and her husband, Tom Severe,Webster City, Iowa, Donna and her husband, Francis Ainger, Belmond, Lila and her husband, Richard Amundson, Clarion, Evelyn Wooten, Des Moines, Iowa, Anna Mae Mason, Amboy, Minn.; brothers-in-law Albert Claude, Clarion, and Bill Beenen, Belmond, and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Edna, in July 1994; son, James; great-grandson, Mathew Legge; and seven brothers and sisters.

Tenold Andrews Funeral Home, Belmond, Iowa, was in charge of arrangements.

Patrick ³Pat² N. Linahon

Patrick ³Pat² N. Linahon, 68, 5851 South Shore Dr., Clear Lake, died Sunday, Dec. 1, 2002 at Muse-Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit of North Iowa, Mason City, Iowa.  Funeral services will be held Wednesday, Dec. 4, 10:30 a.m., at Zion Lutheran Church, 112 N. 4th St., Clear Lake, with the Rev. Derik Yarian officiating.  Interment will be held at the Clear Lake Cemetery.  Military Honors will be by the Clear Lake V.F.W. Memorials may be given to the Patrick N. Linahon Memorial Fund.

Pat was born Feb. 27, 1934, in Clear Lake,  the son of Fred and Grace

(Hamstreet) Linahon.  After the death of his mother, Pat was loved and raised by his stepmother, Harriet Linahon.  Pat attended Clear Lake Schools, graduating from Clear Lake High School in 1952.  He then attended Hamilton Business College.  Pat entered the Navy in August 1952 and served until March, 1955.  Pat married Joan Hieronymus on Dec. 5, 1955 in Hampton, Iowa. 

He worked in Clear Lake as an accountant and realtor .  His hobbies included golf and bowling.  His family was very special to him.  He was a member of Zion Lutheran Church, Clear Lake.

Pat is survived by one daughter, Linda Ernster and her husband, Michael, Clear Lake; one son, Michael Linahon and his wife, Lisa, Algona, Iowa; five grandchildren, Emily and Grace Ernster, and Jennifer, Lauren and Katie Linahon; and one brother, Robert Linahon and his wife, Darlene, Clear Lake.

Pat was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Joan, Sept. 24, 2001; and a brother, Dale Linahon.

George Henry Fountas

George Henry Fountas, 72, of 720 N. 11th St., Clear Lake, Iowa, died Tuesday Dec. 3, 2002 at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit, Mason City, Iowa.  Funeral services were Friday, Dec. 6, at St. Patrick¹s Catholic Church, Clear Lake, Iowa with Msgr. Robert Hogan officiating.  Interment was in Elmwood-St. Joseph Cemetery, Mason City.  Military honors were by the Mason City Veterans Memorial Association.  Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake, was in charge of the arrangements.

George was born Oct. 11, 1930, in Mason City, Iowa, the son of John George and Cynthia (Schick) Fountas.  He graduated from Mason City High School in 1948.  He served in the United States Navy.

George married Barbara Paulsen on July 7, 1950 in Albert Lea, Minn.  He worked for Interstate Power for 42 years and nine months, retiring Aug. 21, 1992. At the time of his retirement he was area manager at Clear Lake, a post he took in 1985.  George started out in Mason City on a line crew and later became foreman.  A move to Clear Lake with the same job position came in 1967. Then he served as area manager at Nora Springs for two years before being transferred back to the Clear Lake area office as area manager.  

George enjoyed gardening, fishing, baking fruitcakes and bowling.  He was a member of St. Patrick¹s Catholic Church and  Mason City Veterans of Foreign Wars. He  served on the  Comprehensive Systems Board, Ave. of Saints Planning Committee, Clear Lake Economic Development Board  and several other boards.

George is survived by his eight children, Mary Fountas, Point Arena, Calif., John Fountas and his wife, Julie, Parachute, Colo.,  James Fountas and his wife, Jeanne, Adel, Iowa, Julia Pendegrass and her husband, Paul, Oronoco, Minn., Ann Polson and her husband, Keith, Bloomington, Ill., Paul Fountas and his wife, Vicki, Adel, Iowa, Theresa Seecoomar and her husband, Milton, Prairieville, La. and Philip Fountas, Mason City, Iowa; 23 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; three sisters, Stella Rodemeyer, Pharr, Texas, Florence Larsen and her husband, Bob, Clear Lake, and Lamona Hennigar and her husband, Jim, Ft. Madison, Iowa; and three brothers, Jim Fountas and his wife, Joyce, Mason City, Stanley Fountas and his wife, Kelli, Mason City, and Tom Fountas and his wife, Bev, Sturtevant, Wis.; sisters-in-law. Darlene Fountas, Newton, Iowa, Pauline Garcia, Clear Lake, Patsy Barnes, Sheffield, Iowa and Shirley Carroll, Mason City, and brother-in-law Don Paulsen and his wife, Helen, Mason City.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Anthony; his wife, Barbara; and one brother, Nick . 

John T. Gossard

John T. Gossard, 51, of 1605 West 6th Avenue North, Clear Lake, died Thursday, Dec. 5, 2002 at his home after a brief battle with cancer.

His funeral service was held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2002 at Ward Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake, with Pastor Judy Brutz and Chaplin Edward Bard officiating.  Interment followed at Clear Lake Cemetery.   Memorials may be directed to John Gossard Memorial Fund or to Opportunity Village.

John was born March 13, 1951 in Ames, Iowa, the son of Thomas L. and E. Pauline ³Polly² (Arney) Gossard.  He graduated from Ames High School in 1969.  While in school, he won many track medals, including third place at the Drake Relays in 1969.  John continued to participate in track at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls.  He graduated with a Liberal Arts Degree and a Human Services Certificate.  In 1973, he began an internship at Handicap Village in Clear Lake.  John was united in marriage to Elizabeth Mullen on June 8, 1974 in Waterloo, Iowa.  He held several positions at Opportunity Village over the years including Special Projects Director, Special Services Director, Transportation Coordinator, Service Training Director, Resident Admission Coordinator, Mandt Instructor and Medication Aide and Direct Care Staff.   John also served on several committees including, Intake, Quality Council Team Member and Total Quality Management Facilitator.  He was a team leader for the Communication Action Team and Continuous Quality Improvement Team.  In August 1999, he proudly received the Tom Thornblade Award.  John believed in being ³an integral part of the Village¹s total quality journey to improve services to individuals with disabilities.²  John also worked for several years at Direction Research in Mason City.  He enjoyed golf, fishing, taking care of his lawn, and burning his own CD¹s of all types of music.

John is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, of Clear Lake; his daughter, Jennifer Gossard, a student at the University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls; a sister, Margaret Story and husband, Jon, of West Lafayette, Ind.; his father-in-law, Robert Mullen, of Waterloo; a brother-in-law, James Mullen and wife, Anna, of Cadiz, Ky.; two sisters-in-law, Patricia Kerr and husband, John, of Cedar Rapids and Mary ³Maggie² Majors and husband, James, of Houston, Texas; an aunt, Mary Arney of Onawa, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; an uncle, Max Arney; an aunt, Patricia Arney; and his mother-in-law, Georgia Mullen.

Dale E. Hyde

Dale E. Hyde, 70, Fertile, Iowa, died Monday, Dec. 9, 2002 at his home. 

Funeral services were held Thursday, Dec. 12, at the Church of Christ, Fertile, with Pastor Curt Gallmeyer and Pastor Dennis Ganz officiating.  

Interment was at the Clear Lake Cemetery.  Military Honors were presented by the Clear Lake V.F.W.  Memorials may be given to the Dale E. Hyde Memorial Fund.

Dale E. Hyde, son of Lynn and Vera (Wescott) Hyde was born on Oct. 25, 1932 on a farm north of Clear Lake.  He was baptized in the Congregational Church in Clear Lake.  He attended country school and graduated from Ventura High School in 1951.  He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served for four years

as a medic.  Dale was married to Sheilah Lynch in Vancouver, Canada in

1955.  They returned to Iowa in 1956 following his discharge from the Navy. They lived near Fertile, where Dale began farming.  Dale enjoyed the outdoors, particularly taking pleasure in raising livestock and hunting.  He developed an interest in buffalo and began raising them in 1976, which brought many guests to the farm with whom he enjoyed visiting.  Dale also raised Belgian horses. His family has treasured memories about some of the sleigh and wagon rides they took together.  He also enjoyed watching sports, meeting friends for coffee, and playing cards with his family and friends.

Survivors include his six children, Delia Hyde of Laguna Beach, Calif., Donna Reed and her husband, Doug, of Niceville, Fla., Pat Hyde of Fertile, June Lackore and her husband, Kevin, of Forest City, Iowa, Jeff Hyde of Alcova, Wyo., and Jamie Hyde of Forest City; seven grandchildren, Tiffany, Jennifer, and Stephanie Gisel, of Pensacola, Fla., Vanessa Valadez of Laguna Beach, Calif., Anthony and Ashley Lackore of Forest City; and Damien Hyde of Forest City; a sister, Wilma Knop and her husband, Ron, of Ventura, and several nieces and nephews.

Dale is preceded in death by a son, Michael; a daughter, Debra; three brothers, Earl Hyde, Walter Bill Hyde and Larry Hyde; a sister Linda Marshall; and his parents.

Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel was in charge of arrangements.

Dickie (Dick) Lynn Thada

Dickie (Dick) Lynn Thada, 61, Oakwood Care Center, Clear Lake, died Sunday, Dec. 15, 2002 at the Mercy Medical Center, Mason City, Iowa.  A private graveside service was held at the Pleasantview Cemetery, Thornton, Iowa.  According to his wishes, his body has been cremated.

Dick was born Feb. 15, 1941, in Thornton, the son of Merlyn J. and Helen

(Harmon) Thada.  He attended Thornton Schools.  Dick worked for a construction company building  grain elevators.  He was involved in a car accident at the age of seventeen, which left him handicapped.  Since the accident he has lived at Kathleen¹s Care Center, Emmettsburg, Iowa, and just recently moved to Oakwood Care Center, Clear Lake.

Dick is survived by his father, Merlyn Thada, Mason City; one sister, Barbara Card, St. Louis Park, Minn.; and two nephews, Cameron Card and Kyle Card, St. Louis Park; and aunts, uncles and numerous cousins. 

Dick was preceded in death by his mother in 1998.

Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake, was in charge of arrangements.