Obituaries
Kenneth Benda
Kenneth was born June 14, 1939, in La Porte City, Iowa, to Edward and Maxine (Shaner) Benda.He graduated from La Porte High School in 1957, then attended DeVry Technical Institute in Chicago for two years, earning his degree in electronics.In 1965, he married Patricia Brown at the Church of the Brethren in Orange Township.Ken was part of the electronics team from Cape Canaveral, Florida, that put the man on the moon on Apollo 11 in 1969. Donald Dean (Don) Anders
Donald Dean (Don) Anders, age 90, passed away peacefully on Friday, December 15, 2023 at Colonial Manor in Amana.Funeral services will be held at 10:30 AM, Thursday, December 21, 2023, at St. John Lutheran Church in Newhall, with Rev. Steven Rempfer officiating. Interment will be held at the Keystone Cemetery, following the luncheon at the church. Lorene Geiselhart
Lorene Geiselhart, 94, went peacefully to be with her Lord and Savior on December 9, 2023, at Barthell OES Home in Decorah, Ia. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, December 18, 2023, at the Calmar Lutheran Church with Rev. Daryl Thompson officiating. Burial will be at a later date in the church cemetery.Visitation will be from 2:00-5:00 p. JoAnn Marie Fisher
JoAnn Marie Fisher, 85, of Belle Plaine, IA passed away December 10, 2023 at St. Luke’s Hospital, Cedar Rapids, IA.JoAnn was born September 14, 1938 to James and Agnes (Martinek) Seda in Clutier, IA. She graduated from Clutier High School, class of 1957. She continued her education at Mt. Mercy graduating with a degree in nursing. On September 5, 1959, JoAnn married Dale Fisher at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Clutier, IA. Kate M. Craft
Kate Marie Craft, 16, La Porte City, passed away on Sunday, December 10, 2023, two and a half years after being diagnosed with glioblastoma.She was born January 17, 2007, in Waterloo, daughter of Matt and Sarah Craft.Kate was a junior at Union High School where she was an honor roll student. She was a standout athlete in basketball, swimming, soccer, and track and field. William "Will" Whittaker Bryan
William "Will" Whittaker Bryan, 59, of Shellsburg, Iowa, formerly of Springville, Iowa and Melbourne, Fla., passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, while visiting Bloomington, Minn. Visitation will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, at Springville United Methodist Church in Springville, with a Memorial Service following. Per Will’s wishes his remains were cremated and a private family burial will held at a later date. Vernon R. Hagan
Vernon R. Hagan, 90, of Cedar Rapids passed away on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, at St. Luke’s Hospice in Cedar Rapids. Funeral Service: 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, at Cedar Memorial Chapel of Memories. A livestream of the funeral service may be accessed on the funeral home website under the obituary for Vernon R. Hagan, under the video tab starting at 11 a. Lawrence "Larry" Roth
Lawrence "Larry" Roth 91, of Belle Plaine, IA, passed away after a short illness on December 4, 2023, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.Larry was born July 1, 1932, to Joseph and Irene Roth. Larry grew up on the family farm south of Brooklyn, IA. He graduated from Brooklyn High School then attended the University of Iowa College. Larry served his country in the US Air Force, as a radar operator for 4 years. Craig A. “Sparky” Albertsen
Craig A. “Sparky” Albertsen, age 65, passed away on Sunday, December 10, 2023, at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics in Iowa City. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM, Thursday, December 14, 2023, at St. Andrew Lutheran Church Van Horne, with Rev. David Lingard officiating. Burial will follow at the Keystone Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 12:00 PM until 1:45 PM, Thursday at the church in Van Horne. Jerry Kolsrud
Jerry Kolsrud, age 82, passed away on December 8, 2023 at his home in Shellsburg. There will be a private family service. Jerry was born on March 13, 1941 in Shellsburg, the son of Earl and Grace Evelyn (Lint) Kolsrud. He graduated from Shellsburg High School in 1959. Jerry was united in marriage to Marilyn Cress on August 15, 1959 at Zion Lutheran Church in Shellsburg.