BOONE AREA DEATH

     Russell (Johnny) Dean Johnsen, 72, Madrid/winter home in Texas. Born in Madrid. MHS. Army vet. Life member of Madrid VFW and American Legion. Retired from MH Equipment in Des Moines. A classic car fanatic and member of the Pacers Car Club of Madrid. Loved traveling, camping, fishing and riding motorcycles with his wife. Survivors include his wife, Jan, two sons, two brothers and a sister. A celebration of life will be held later.

BOONE CONNECTED DEATH

      Ruth Reinhart McKim, 75, Boone. Born in Ames. Nevada HS-65. Married Steven McKim in 1966. Ruth worked as a telephone operator while in Nevada. She became a photographer's assistant after the couple moved to Boone. She also owned her own craft business. Very creative, loved to paint, sew, play cards and quilt. She belonged to quilt guilds and participated in many activities at Sacred Heart Church in Boone. Survivors include her husband, Steve, of Boone, a daughter, Dana, and several brothers and sisters-in-law, including Mike and Lori McKim of Boone. A celebration of life will be held at a later time.

BOONE CONNECTED DEATH

     Lois Kathryn Johnson, 89, Boone/Eastern Star.

BOONE CONNECTED DEATH

     Helen M. Crouse Highland Duffee, 106, Boone/Eastern Star. Born in Boone County. Jordan HS-34. Was a clerk secretary in the Boone County Hospital administrative office from 1934-41 and worked in the Boone city clerk's office for 15 years. Married Robert E. Highland in 1940. He passed away in 1967. Helen then married Raymond Duffee in 1990. She enjoyed golf, ceramics, playing bridge, ballroom dancing and gardening. Following retirement, she was a volunteer at the Mamie Eisenhower Home and the Boone County Hospital for 23 years. Survivors include a son, a daughter, a step-son, Steven (Sue) Duffee of Boone, and a step-daughter. Services in Boone.

BOONE CONNECTED DEATH

     Leanna Kay Fullerton Barber, 79, while visiting in Florida. Born in Boone. Survivors include two daughters, a son, a brother and sister. Services in Ankeny. Burial in Story Memorial Gardens.

BOONE CONNECTED DEATH

     Jean Helen Buss Guenther, 76, Osage Beach, MO. Formerly of Boone. Born in Boone. BSH-64. Married William J. Guenther in Boone in 1964. After being a stay at home mom, Jean began a 25-year career as a personal banker at Hawkeye Federal Savings Bank, which later became Commercial Federal Savings Bank. She retired in 2013 and the couple moved to Lake of the Ozarks. Jean enjoyed a good game of bridge, loved to travel, dance and was well known for her baking skills. Survivors include her husband, Bill, of Gravois Mills, MO., a son, a daughter and her brother, Dan (Sandy) Buss, of Boone. Services in Boone.

WHAT? ON A THURSDAY?

     I, the Kornerman, just told wife Jo, "I need a job, I need to go back to work, this retirement thing is killing me."

     Not true, of course, but retirement does have its challenges. A little history. The original Kelley's Korner, which started appearing in the Boone News Republican in the winter of 1962, was followed by more of the same in the "other" Boone News Republican, eastern location, until I did retire.....I don't know, maybe 2008 or 09. Anyway, I then started the KK blog on March 6, 2010. 

     For its almost 13 years existence, we've posted local death notices on a daily basis but limited any story type content to Wednesday's and Saturday's. As older supporters, story contributors have faded away, we've had fewer and fewer people submitting column material. So, I've decided "what the heck," lets not limit to just those two days.....whenever we have story content, we'll submit it on any day of the week.

    By the way, the word "transparency" is being floated a lot because of the documents etc. you hear about on national media every day. So, we want to be transparent and show that there is still support for the Korner.....not as much as in the past......but enough to keep an interest. So, here are some up-to-date figures. Yesterday, 512 people took a look at the blog, we had 10599 last month which is about 342 per day and would you believe the grand total....dating clear back to 2010..... now stands at 819, 687. 

     So, onward.....even though its Thursday, here's some "catching up" I need to do.

     (1) My class, BHS-53, lost another member recently. Sharon Aspengren Thompson passed away. That spurred a tribute from another  classmate, Richard Longworth, who wrote, "Sharon and her husband, Dick, made a major impact on farming through their Practical Farmers of Iowa organization, with their emphasis on sustainable agriculture, with new methods of crop rotation and a reduced reliance (but not a ban) on chemicals. All of this got them coverage in the New York Times and other national publications. By all accounts, she and Dick were a real team. Among other things, they hosted some 40,000 visitors to their farm, to see what they were doing and learn from them. A valuable life, very well lived."

     (2)  Andy Anderson, BHS-62, wrote, "you mentioned McVicker painting in a recent obit. Mr. McVicker lived a block from me on Cedar Street. I was always amazed how that BIG building could be approved to be built behind his house. I think it is still there. I doubt planning and zoning would approve that today. I recall that Mr. McVicker and his son, Larry, perpetually painted all 22 of the Fareway Stores. I thought that was the only customer McVicker had or needed. I wonder if I'm correct about any of this data?" The Kornerman notes that this must have been many years ago because Fareway now has over 100 stores in its chain.

     (3) Vern Modeland, BHS-50,  responded to some talk we had in the Korner about Boone golfers, including some Modeland's. He wrote, "this Modeland was a lousy golfer after trying to hold up the family's interest in the sport. My cousin, Bill Modeland, was a statewide achiever in the 40's and my uncle, Lee, was groundskeeper at the country club. He got after me regularly as I then lived on Aldrich and considered the second green and fairway from number one to number two to be my proving ground for all sorts of explosive experiments that a Gilbert Chemistry set would allow an inventive mind to try. Ah, the fun of growing up in Boone long, long ago. The Kornerman remembers, yes indeed, that Bill Modeland was the state high school golf medalist as a Toreador athlete.

     (4) The Kornerman thought this was kind of interesting. This month, February, 2023, cannot come in your lifetime again....ever. That's because this year's February has four Sundays, four Mondays, four Tuesdays, four Wednesday's, four Thursday's, four Friday's and four Saturdays. This happens once every 823 years. Its called a Miraclein.

     (5) The Boone County Historical Society tells us that the General Membership Meeting will be held this Saturday, February 7, at 7 p.m. in the Wayne Erickson room on the lower level of the Boone County Historical Center. Also, a reminder that all Society memberships ended 12/31/2022, so, its time to renew. Dues and donations, of course, are an essential revenue source to keep the museum open and moving forward.

K-----K

     Worldwide Korner headquarters are located at 928 South Jackson, Boone, Iowa 50036-4932. Phone number is 515-432-1530. Leave a message. To email your stories/memories/comments, death notices....

kelleyskorner1@gmail.com.