JUST A NOTE AND THANK YOU

     Happy to report we seem to be growing.......and that's, apparently, minus any promotion other than,  word of mouth.

     In March, I note we recorded 25,965 "hits" or an average of 838 per day. Wow. 

     I, the Kornerman, still feel there are people who are simply missing the information we supply because they are unaware of the blog, which is now and always has been free of charge.

     A simple request.......continue to "pass the word" to friends and neighbors and everyone that our daily death notices are, by far, the only complete list available, which includes not only Boone but also Ogden, Madrid other Central Iowa communities and even former residents who have been living out of state.

    We are definitely first and foremost and yes, I'm proud. Let's continue this growth.

    We can be found........http://kelleyskorner1@blogspot.com OR........kelleyskorner1@gmail.com.

     

    

     

BOONE/AREA CONNECTED DEATHS

       Randy Lee Saunders, 68, Boone. Born in Boone. OHS-74. Married Tina Wirth in Ogden in 1984. The couple made their home on a farm southeast of Ogden. He was a railroad conductor for over 40 years prior to retirement. He loved fishing, hunting, gardening, mushroom hunting, golfing and bowling. Randy also enjoyed his annual northern Minnesota fishing trip, messing with his John Deere tractor and cheering the Phillies, Hawkeyes and Steelers. Survivors include his wife, Tina, of Boone and Ogden residents, his son, Christopher (Amelia), two brothers, Neil and Grant Saunders and two sisters, Brenda Fisher and Teresa (Craig) Davenport. Services in Ogden.   

      Fern Leona Enderton Clark, 102, Boone/Westhaven. Born in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Attended business school. Married Warren Clark in 1942. Three children survive, including Stephen Clark of Boone. Services in Boone.    

      Elizabeth May Perry (Liz/Nana) Albrecht, 87, Johnston. Formerly of Boone. Born in South Dakota.Yankton College and ISU with a B.A. in Home Economics/Child Development. Was a teacher in Boone and after 17 years, moved to Des Moines. One of her fondest Boone memories was when Mamie Eisenhower visited her fourth grade class at Page School in 1974. A lifelong swimmer, she became an integral part of the Red Cross swim program in Boone. Four children survive, Becky (Kevin) Wilson; Jon, BHS-79, (Kat) Barstad; Perry, BHS-81, (Carrie) Barstad; and Sue, BHS-84, (Brent) Thompson. A COL will be held later.  

      Phyliss Lorraine Rood Newman, 94, Slater/Madrid Home. Born in Madrid but lived most of her life in Slater. Three children survive. Services in Slater. 

      Gladys Marie Van Drie, 87, Estes Park, CO. Formerly of Ames. She and her late husband, Rudy Van Drie, published three community free newspapers, in Boone, Ames and Knoxville. When Rudy died, she became the Publisher of the Ames Daily Tribune for 16 years prior to selling the newspaper. Services in Estes Park.

      Michael Dean Conyers, 77, Boone. Born in Boone. BHS-65. Married Peggy Jeanne Heinrich in Fort Dodge in 1977. Mike retired from John Deere after over 30 years of work there. Also a retired National Guardsman. Was a member of the Moose Lodge and an active bowler. Two daughters, Shay Conyers and Mollie (Dan) Eslinger, both of Boone, survive. Services in Boone and Napier.    

     Virginia Maxine Sturtz Rinehart, 102, Nevada. Born in Boone County. BHS-38. Married Warren John August Rinehart in Boone in 1941. For many years was Executive Secretary at Rolfes Company in Boone. She loved dancing and playing cards while spending her winters in Apache Junction, AZ. Also enjoyed word and jigsaw puzzles. A daughter survives. Private burial in Ogden.

BOONE/AREA CONNECTED DEATHS

     Mark Robert (Bob) Brice, 74, Urbandale. Born in Boone. BSH-68. Attended DMACC and was a National Guardsman. Married Linda Beal in Ankeny in 1989. Was a lifelong salesman. Retired in 2020. Enjoyed music. Survivors include a son, a sister, Pat, and brothers, Earl, Tom and Don. Services in Waukee.   

     James Parke Caffrey, 59, Boone. Passed away in Florida. Survivors include two brothers, Kelly (Marcy) McMullan of Polk City and John Caffrey of Moingona. Services pending.    

     Vernon Moorman, 93, Boone. Born in Raulston. The family moved to Boone in 1943. BHS-47. Married Gloria Green in Pocahontas in 1948. A National Guardsman, he entered electrical school in Omaha and after 44 years in that field, he retired from commercial and industrial work as a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in 1992. Vern was very active in the Mount Olive Masonic Lodge. He became Scout Master and in 1963, became the oldest Past Master in Iowa. He had received the Order of Arrow award. Vern also dedicated much time and work to the Boone community with longtime service to Pufferbilly Days, the Tall Corn Antique Club, the Scenic Valley Railroad and the Marion Street Methodist Church. Survivors include seven children, Bruce, Ronna, Lynn, Valerie, Mark, Todd and Scott. Four brothers and three sisters also survive. Services in Boone.   

      Diana Desher Stensland, 69, Nevada. Born in Ames. Grew up in Boone and Nevada. NHS-73. Bernel's College of Cosmetology in Ames in 1974. Married John George in 1984 and they divorced. Married Tom Stensland in 2010. Three children, a brother and a sister survive. Services in Nevada.   

      James H. (Jim) Olson, 88, Boone. Born in rural Roland. Roland HS-53. Waldorf College and then UNI for a degree in math education. After military service, taught math at Clinton, North Mahaska and Woodbine schools. Also worked as a computer programmer, a field inspector for Pioneer Seed, a Ballard school bus driver, part-time as a math instructor at DMACC/Boone and a substitute school bus driver for Boone schools. Survivors include his companion of 24 years, Irene Winters. The couple spent 15 winters in Mesa, AZ. and enjoyed dancing and playing cards. Jim was also a talented singer and enjoyed karaoke. Services in Boone and Roland.    

     Gary Lee Blomgren, 77, West Des Moines. Formerly of Boone. Born in Ames. United Community HS-65. Married Diane Doran in Boone in 1965. Attended auctioneering school and also farmed. Operated Blomgren Grain, and raised hogs and Belgian horses. He loved farm sales, antiques and holding hay auctions. Loved watching his grandkid's sporting events and fishing. Attended his 75th State Fair just last year. In 1921, with a trip to Oregon, he completed his travel to all of the U.S. states. Survivors include his sister, Pat Blomgren Winstead, and two children, Jason (Stacy) Blomgren and Melissa (Steve) Ahrens. Services in Boone.

     Patrick (Pat) William Lyons, 72, Boone/Eastern Star. Born in rural Boone. BHS-70. Worked for Sandler Built Homes prior to Air Force service. Then worked for Sunstrand until 1981 when he enrolled in Northwest Iowa Community College where he earned an AA degree in Electrical Technology. He worked for Brinks Electric in Milford and then 31 years for Milford Electric, retiring in 2018. He earned a Master Electrician certification and trained many young electricians in the Okoboji area. During 42 years of living in the Iowa Lakes region, he maintained the cabin, boat and yard of family-owned property on Lake Minnewashta and supervised the building of his own house on that property in 2004-05. Dementia developed and due to a rapid decline in his health, he passed away at the Hearthstone Memory Care unit at Boone's Eastern Star. Survivors include a sister, Joyce (Randy) Patterson, and a sister-in-law, Sondra Lyons both of Boone. Services in Boone.

BOONE/AREA CONNECTED DEATHS

     Margaret Alice Merriam Suckow, 79, Born in Boone. Grew up in Ogden. OHS-63. Worked and traveled with Merriam's Midway shows in the summertime. Earned a degree in English from Macalester College in St. Paul and taught English for a short time in Minnesota before "returning to the road." She eventually owned  and operated her own carnival game, "Crazy Ball." Margaret loved reading and listening to music, sewing and scrapbooking. She worked several years for Ensley Photography and then the DOT for 17 years before retirement. She loved the Cubs and Hawkeyes and was a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. Survivors include a son, Greg Suckow, and a daughter, Kate (Lorin) LaFollette. A COL will be held at the Arboretum.

    Elmer (LeRoy) Calvert, 80, rural Paton/Eastern Star. Bayard HS. National Guardsman. Married Tamara Lou McCollom in 1978. The couple shared a love of horses and dogs. LeRoy was a full-time farrier with clients all over Iowa. He was one of the founders of the Iowa Farriers Association. He also spent many years as a mechanic at the Fareway truck shop in Boone. Survivors include a sister and two brothers. Services in Jefferson.

    Margaret Lemke Ettore, 79, Madrid. Born in Des Moines. Dallas Center-Grimes HS. She enjoyed working on cars and watching her children's activities. Survivors include her husband, Sam Ettore, four children and a brother. Services in Perry.

BOONE/AREA CONNECTED DEATHS

      Carolyn Heubner Coe, 81, Eastern Star/Ames. Services in Ames.  

      Peggy Ann Pepper Thomas, 64, Boone. Gilbert HS. Married Bruce Thomas in 1979. The couple enjoyed all aspects of their church life, from teaching youth group, Sunday school and serving soup suppers. She enjoyed living in Boone and was well known to the residents of Westhaven where she lived out her faith in Christ with all of those she met. Survivors include her husband, Bruce, her son Jestin (Tracy) Thomas, and six siblings, Pam (Darrell Lingelbach) Denning, Mark Pepper, Matt (Jolene) Pepper, Patti (Kevin) Cook, Jeff Pepper and Paula (Jeff) Parris. Services in Ames, burial in Boone.    

     Marvin Dean "Pat" Patterson, 89, Boone/Westhaven. Born in Boone County. Pilot Mound HS-53. Air Force vet. Married Janice Paris in 1955. She passed away in 2008. Marvin worked for Alliant Energy until retirement in 1996.Then, did part-time work doing property maintenance for T & L Properties. He also operated his own lawn care and snow removal business. In 2013, Marvin married Linda Decker in Boone. He raised livestock, enjoyed mushroom hunting, fishing and watching basketball. Survivors include his wife, Linda, his foster son, Ken (Jeri Lynn) Wolfe, his step-son, Tim Schmidt, all of Boone and two daughters, including Julie Murphy of Boone.      

      Timothy Jack "Tim" Strandberg, 67, Dayton. Dayton HS-76. Drafting degree from Iowa Central. Married Cheryl Hanson in 1978. Farmed for five years. Worked at Celotex in Fort Dodge, then as a salesman and drafter for Quinn Machinery and Foundry in Boone. Then worked for IMAGINIT in Des Moines, prior to retirement in 2023. Active in church and a talented craftsman. Survivors include his wife, a son and a daughter. Services in Dayton.  

       Rose Mary Keller Kempe, 86, rural Boone. Born in Boone. BSH. Worked at Sundstrand for many years. With friend Nancy Hunter, started their own commercial and new construction cleaning business in Ames. Rose also operated a seasonal antique shop, Bittersweet N Berries, out of her chicken coop on her acreage near Boone with her daughters and daughters in law. She enjoyed being a part of "shop hops." She also loved quilting, flower gardening, baking, cooking and feeding the animals. Survivors include five children, Tom, Ed and Arla Mather, John and Nicolle Kempe. A sister, Shirley, also survives. Visitation in Boone.

     Teresa Ruth Peterson-Smith, 65, Boone. Born in Anita. AHS-76. AIB-78. She was a Certified Municipal Clerk and a member of the Iowa Municipal Finance Association. Worked for the city of Johnston, starting in 1978. Served as City Clerk there for 15 years. She married Scott A. Smith in 1992 and the couple moved to the suburbs of Chicago in 1993. She worked there for the Western Springs Public Works Department and as the executive assistant to the Naperville Public Library director. The couple returned to Boone in 1998. Teresa was the City Clerk for Nevada and then Kelly before retiring in 2017. She became a Master Gardener in 2000 and was also an avid quilter and seamstress. Survivors include her husband, Scott, two brothers and a sister-in-law. Services in Anita.

RECALLING THE BABE RUTH WORLD SERIES TEAM

     After the speech I, the Kornerman, made at the Boone Historical Center in October, 2023, there were many people "away" from Boone who were interested in the contents of, "BOONE-My Kind of Town." So, I have been including, in recent issues of the Korner, in written form, some of the material that I presented that day.

     When I was discharged from the U.S. Army in 1958, I came "home" and, in short order, was asked to get involved with the Boone Babe Ruth Baseball program. So, I became a manager of one of the teams and it was 25 years later before I finally said, "that's enough."

     During my time, on occasion, I was chosen as the All-Star manager.  I recall that in 1960 at Sioux City, our team was defeated by Ottumwa, 6-3, in the State Tourney at Sioux City and in 1961, at Oskaloosa, our team lost in the semifinals to the eventual state champion Burlington team.

      Then, in 1962, we had the right combination of good pitching, good hitting and good defensive play and had a long but very successful tournament run.

       I was 27 years old at the time and I chose Mel Murken as my all-star assistant. I believe he was 21. We were both single and it was our joy (most of the time) to guide a team of 15 players, 13, 14 or 15 years old, all across the country in national Ruth competition. There was lots of long bus rides and togetherness.

      It all started with an Iowa state championship victory over Des Moines Atlantic, 8-5, at Hampton. 

      The state championship earned us a berth in the Regional tournament held close to the Texas border in Wellington, Kansas. That tournament featured seven State championship teams. I'll never forget completing a long bus ride to Wellington and reading, as we arrived, a sign on a town bank, 113 degrees. The three or four days we were there, we were housed in some kind of barracks, military or college, and it featured a stuffiness and heat that I'll never forget.

     At Wellington, the team opened with a 2-1 victory over the Kansas state champion, Cottonwood Valley. That was followed by an 8-5 win over the North Dakota champion, Wahpeton. Then in the Regional championship game, we defeated Joplin, Missouri, 6-4.

     That Regional victory in Wellington promoted our team to the eight-team Babe Ruth World Series in Bridgeton, New Jersey. We lost both games in that double elimination tournament, 7-1, to Charlotte, North Carolina and 5-1 to Bridgeton, New Jersey.

     We bussed back home with our heads held high being one of just eight Babe Ruth teams in the world to qualify for the Ruth World Series.

     Obviously, this was a very talented group of young athletes. Actually, it was pretty much the same group, that in 1965 won the Iowa State High School Baseball championship.

     And, their individual success in other later endeavors showed what type of talented young men they were.

     Here was that roster, the 15 members of the 1962 Babe Ruth All Star team that participated in the Ruth World Series: Steve Crandell, Marty Rinehart, Ted Hora, Jack Mustapha, Mike Harris, Sandy Mahood, Jerry Hamil, Jim Smelcer, John Hendricks, Charlie Lind, Mike Culver, Don Riker, Les Hohanshelt, Jim Hitsman and R.D. Boschulte.

     Mustapha, of course, became one of the state's best ever high school pitchers. Crandell was a star baseball player at Iowa State, Rinehart was an all-state football running back and Hora, also a great Toreador back, who later coached his BHS alma mater. Harris was an all-state football quarterback, Hendricks a great football lineman at the State University of Iowa. Culver became one of the best high school coaches in Nebraska, Riker was a standout in football, as well as baseball and R.D. Boschulte became a Big 10 All-Conference baseball player at the University of Wisconsin. Mahood had a not to be forgotten remaining school career. After being on the Ruth World Series team, he became a member of a Toreador basketball team that earned a State Tournament berth, was a member of one of Boone High's greatest ever football teams and marched with the BHS band in the Rose Bowl parade.

      All in all a great experience for all involved.

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......http://kelleyskorner1@blogspot.com.

     

    

BOONE/AREA CONNECTED DEATHS

     Patricia Meyer Luther, 76, Jefferson. Born in Boone. JHS-66. Was an elementary teacher. Married David Luther in 1968. Survivors include her husband, David, a son, a sister and two brothers. Services in Jefferson.    

     Sharon Ann Fink Mendell Johnson, 87, Boone. Born in Osage. OHS-54 as Valedictorian of a class of six. Crowned Miss Orchard of North Iowa. Married Arlynn Mendell in 1954 and the couple moved to Boone in 1965. They later divorced. She married Richard (Dick) Johnson in Nashua in 1991. Worked as a secretary at Standard Oil. Sharon loved animals, flowers, plants, bird watching and reading, especially Amish books. Survivors include her husband, Dick, her children, Kimberly, Steve and two Boone residents, Julie (Mike) Burge and Kevin (Nancy Tauber) Mendell. Two step-children, including Randy (Kara Kruse) Johnson of Boone, also survive. Two other Boone survivors are a brother-in-law, Tom (Donna) Johnson and a sister-in-law, Mary Johnson. Graveside service at Mineral Ridge. 

      Roland J. Bechtel, 85, Clinton. Born in Boone County. His parents were Lovell and Ethel (Sailor) Bechtel. Survivors include a brother, Melvin Bechtel, of Stratford. Services in Clinton