BOONE/AREA CONNECTED DEATHS

     Sharon Lynn Williams Hoenicke, 83, Bryant, IA. BHS-60. Services in Goose Lake, IA.

     Doug Macek, 66, Boone. Born in Ames. Navy/Naval Reserve vet. Married Shelley Burma in 2000 while they were both working at Gates Rubber. Doug then worked for 3M from 2010 until retirement in 2023. Doug loved hunting and fishing at his brother Steve's ranch in Texas. Hunting deer and pheasants, he even raised pheasants for a period of time. He also enjoyed golf and camping with Shelley. Survivors include his wife, Shelley, a daughter, Claudia, two step-daughters, including Tiffany Thuney of Boone and a brother. A COL will be held later.

BOONE/AREA CONNECTED DEATHS

      Carol Haberer Loren, 90, BHS-53. Carol passed away in California under the care of a son, Chris. She spent most of her adult life in the Boulder, CO area. Her husband, Tom, is deceased. Survivors include two sons, Chris and Matt. A brother, Chuck Haberer, and other relatives are also Boone area residents.     

      Dale Ray Crouse, 89, Boone. Born in Boone. BHS-54. Boone Junior College. Air Force vet. Married Carol Forster in Boone in 1960. Was an Industrial Electrician for John Deere for 31 years and was affiliated with UAW. After retirement, he worked three years for Staff Management as a Safety Specialist. Then worked for Holiday Inn and Hampton Inn. Dale and Carol spent six months of the year in Arizona. They enjoyed many trips to Europe and overseas and Dale loved golfing, pinochle and watching ISU and Iowa sports. A member of the DAV, American Legion and VFW, he enjoyed participating in a Boone County Freedom Flight in 2015. Scripture study and prayer time with Carol were very important to him. He served as an Ombudsman at the Evangelical Free Church Home and the Board of Directors at Westhaven. Survivors include his wife, Carol, sister-in-law, Carol Ann Forster and nieces and nephews. Services in Boone.  

      Margaret Ann Sturtz Culver, 88, Carrollton, TX. Grew up on a farm outside of Boone. Jordan HS. Married Wayne Culver in 1952. While Wayne was in service, the couple lived in Colorado and California before settling in Florida. After service, the family returned to Boone and then Des Moines. Margaret worked at Sears and sold Avon. She also served as secretary for both the Des Moines YMCA camp and the YMCA Boys Bellringers and Chorus. She served as secretary for the Iowa Soybean Association and worked with Mary Riche at Riche Associates and Palmer Communications. Margaret concluded her career in Des Moines as Office Manager at Faegre and Benson. She was also involved in Cub and Girl Scouts, Little League and various women's groups. In retirement, after moving to Mesa, AZ. she began creating jewelry to sell at craft shows, participated in book clubs and was a library volunteer. Survivors include her husband, Wayne, and three children.

      Christopher Frank Breon, 59, Boone. Born in Des Moines. Chris devoted his life to construction and had a great love of motorcycles, especially Harley's. He also enjoyed family events, gatherings, grillings and just spending time. Survivors include his wife, Kim, three sons, Alex, Michael and Kevin, and six siblings. He also had a bonus family of sisters and a daughter. A COL is planned for a later date.

BOONE/AREA CONNECTED DEATHS

         Ed Cline, 73, Boone.      

         Janella Joyce Cowan Kammin, 82, Boone. Born in Ames. United Community HS-61. Married Jerry Kammin in Boone in 1962. Janella was an active farm wife. She enjoyed working in her flower garden and watching college basketball. Survivors include a son, JD (Jane) Kammin of Boone and a daughter, Jody (Troy) of Huxley. A COL will be held at the Iowa Arboretum.

         Bonna Kay Jones Church, 81, Ogden. Born in Missouri. OHS-61. Worked for Allied Insurance in Des Moines, Colorado and Kansas City. Married Garry David (Dave) Church in 1971. The couple returned to Ogden in 1975 where they owned and operated J & C Tiling Company and later, J & C Auto Parts with her father, Robert O. Jones. Later, Bonna worked for the U.S.D.A. in Ames and starting in 1993, owned and operated BK's Sports Bar and Grill in Ogden for 20 years before retirement. An avid sports fan, she supported the Ogden Bulldogs, Hawkeyes and Chiefs. Survivors include two sons, Scott (Gina) Church of Ogden and Danny Church of Boone, and a sister, Bernetta "Bea" Purk Cannon of Ogden. Services in Ogden. 

        Paula Kay VandePol Gustafson, 62. Sunrise Beach, MO. Attended elementary school in Stratford. Four siblings survive including Shirley (Chris) Bauer of Stratford. Services in Stratford.

BOONE/AREA CONNECTED DEATHS

     Elizabeth Sayles (Bitty) Boesen, 67, Boone/Eastern Star Memory Care. Born in Colorado. Muscatine HS-76. Was a lifeguard, swimmer and track performer in high school. At the University of Northern Iowa, she was a swimmer for four years and earned major degrees in English and Physical Education. Moved to Boone in 1980 to teach English at the high school and for 30 years, Phys Ed at the Boone Elementary schools. In the mid-80s she was the head varsity swim coach at BHS and through the years, taught swim lessons, Middle School swimming and the YMCA swim teams. She married Nick Boesen in Boone in 1992. After 37-years of teaching, she retired in 2017 and then, last week, lost her eight-year battle with dementia. Survivors include her husband, Nick, sons Bryan and Ben, her parents of Muscatine, her mother-in-law, Janet Boesen, of Boone, two sisters and a brother. Services in Boone. 

     Beverley LaRae McGinnis Adreon, 80, Boxholm/Eastern Star. Born in Virginia. United Community HS-63. Earned a business degree from A.I.B. in Des Moines. Married Dennis Adreon in Boone in 1965. She worked for over 33 years at Boone Bank and Trust in Boxholm and Boone. An avid ISU fan, many family weekends were spent at Don Williams. Beverley worked elections and was a church secretary in Boxholm for several years. Survivors include a son, Travis (Carla) of Ogden, a daughter, Jill, and a brother. Services in Boone.

     Patricia A. Ellsbury, 86, Boone. Born in Boone. BHS-57. Married Loren Dale Ellsbury in Boone in 1959. Was a dispatcher for the Boone Police Department for years before becoming a receptionist at CDS until retirement in 2004. A talented lady, she had two poems published by the National Poetry Association. Was also involved in oil painting, crocheting, pottery and deer hide projects. She did oil painting for sale or family and made an oil painting for her niece's wedding. Survivors include her husband, Loren, two sons, Michael and Shawn Ellsbury, a sister, Barb Holmberg, all of Boone, a brother, Ronald Mudge of Madrid and three brothers-in-law, Gary (Trudy) Ellsbury of Boone, Ronald and Arnold (Peggy) Ellsbury of Perry

COACH SMITH MADE HIS MARK

     A pair of stories from friends of Coach John Smith.

     Mike Sundall, BHS-68, wrote, "John Smith was my favorite high school and DMACC teacher and advisor. He was my mentor and kept track of me all through my college days and business career. It was always one of my favorite times when I would return to Boone to have a beer with Mr. Smith and talk about the good times. He provided me with meaningful guidance and how to set goals to have a successful business career. I truly miss Smitty." 

     Dick Musser, BHS-64, wrote a neat story about John's recruiting persistence. One of John's top career recruits was Corey Koskie who had a short but very successful Major League baseball career. He played from 1998-2004 for the Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays. Plagued by and eventually, retired after some serious injuries, he had a very productive career, a batting average of .275 with 124 home runs and 506 runs-batted-in.

     A native of Montreal and member of the Canadian Hall of Fame, his favorite sports were volleyball and hockey in his younger years. Baseball time was just a "fill in."

     Koskie said that John started calling him, "every day until I finally gave in and came to Boone/DMACC." He added that he thought the calls to him were really "special," until I found out that John called "every prospect, every day.""

K-----K

    Some time back I, the Kornerman, made Korner viewers aware of a great book written by Kathy Ferry Good, BHS-64.

     Kathy, who was a BHS intern at the Boone News Republican when I was employed there those many years ago is now the Senior Director of the DeWolf Innovation Center and Family Caregivers Center in Cedar Rapids.

     Kathy informs that a crew from Iowa PBS taped an interview Christy Nebbe conducted with her on the topic of family caregiving. This will be featured on an upcoming edition of Iowa Life on PBS. In early May, the PBS crew was on hand to interview Kathy about the challenges of ageing and dementia caregiving in Iowa. And now, that show will be seen (write this on your calendar) at 6:30 p.m. on June 24, 2025 on PBS.

     We had written earlier in the Korner about a book, "My World Wore a Bow Tie" Kathy had written sharing her experiences as a caregiver for her husband, Dave, through his illness and death. 

K-----K

     Another addition to your calendar: Her daughter, Janelle Henry, informs us that her mother's memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on June 21, at Linwood Cemetery. Her mother, Naomi (Noni) Fern Folsom Givens, 97, passed away in March in Virginia.

     While we're at it.....a couple things on the horizon next week......the first Municipal Band Concert of the new season will be at McHose on Wednesday and on Thursday, May 29, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our Korner friend, Vern Modeland, BHS-50. He'll celebrate 93 years.

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.......httsp://kelleyskorner1@blogspot.com.

 

BOONE/AREA CONNECTED DEATHS

      Bill Carpenter, 70, Boone. Raised on a farm north of Boone in Ridgeport. BHS-73. Obtained an AA Degree from DMACC and became a business owner of Carpenter Construction, selling and building grain bins. In 1987, he obtained a dealership with Lester Building Systems, the start of his pole building journey. A baseball fan, especially the Yankees. He also enjoyed the Packers, slow pitch softball, bowling, fishing and crusing on his pontoon boat at Don Williams. Survivors include his wife, Lori, a sister, Marsha Crouthamel, and nieces and nephews. Services in Boone.

GO DMACC BEARS

     One of the Boone Communities best kept secrets are Boone Campus, Des Moines Area Community College athletics, especially women's softball at this time of year.

     Two old buddies of the Kornerman,  Eric Ver Helst, the Bears Sports Information Director, and Ryan Wendt, the longtime KWBG Sports Director, absolutely do the best they can of providing information about DMACC softball and other Bear athletic events to Boone area residents but there never seems to be any mention of PRINTED material in our Boone News Republican? or anywhere beyond. And that's a damn shame.

     I, the Kornerman, am here to tell you, in print, what limited knowledge I can find about the National Junior College Division II Softball World Series which runs from May 20-24 in Oxford, Alabama. And in all honesty, after spending way too much time in attempting to corral some info, I'm falling way short. I couldn't even find any details in searching the Oxford, Alabama area newspapers.

     This World Series is a big, big event but doesn't seem to receive the treatment it should.

     I do know that it appears the Bears softball team is seeded fourth in the 20-team field and would play an opening second round game, Tuesday, May 20, at 11 a.m. against the winner of an earlier game?.

    I can also tell you that the Boone Campus team, coached by Bob Ligouri, has a 2025 season record of 55-5, which included a 26-2 conference mark. The Bears, of course, have been consistent national contenders in softball in recent years and, obviously, have another outstanding team.

     A roster of 34 players includes one former Toreador player, freshman Erin Ades, and the team boasts a .408 batting average with 527 runs scored and 70 (that's seventy) home runs in their 60 games.

     Thana Heller, Bailey Richards and Gary Gorman are assistant coaches and John Wilkinson is in charge of player development.

     I wish I could tell you more about this prestigious national event but numerous facts and figures were hard to find. 

     Although DMACC came along after my time, I was proud of the degree I earned from its predecessor, Boone Junior College, and I still like to claim the school as mine. The fact the college remains in Boone and is an important part of the community adds to my devotion.

K-----K

     Worldwide Korner headquarters are located a 928 South Jackson, Boone, Iowa 50036-4792. Phone number is 515-432-1530 leave a message. To email your stories/memories/comments/death notices......https://kelleyskorner1@blogspot.com.