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Doug Sparks, Sr.
Doug Sparks Sr., 61, of Bratsberg (rural Rushford area) passed away Tuesday (Mar. 9, 2004) surrounded by his wife and children.
He was born Apr. 23, 1942, in Sturgis, S.D., to Albert and Edna Sparks.
He married Sharon Jean Faught on July 27, 1965, in Ogden, Utah. They moved to Wisconsin in 1968 where Mr. Sparks was a commercial fisherman and also worked at General Motors. He and his wife owned an antique store there before moving to Bratsberg in 1991.
He enjoyed life raising his dogs and many birds on their game farm. He loved hunting and fishing with his family, and being surrounded by his grandchildren.
Survivors include his wife, Sharon of Bratsberg; sons, Doug Jr. (Terri) of Wabasha, Minn., John (Sharon) of Houston, and Kenny (Becky) of Brigham City, Utah; his daughter Rebecca (Wayne) Eastman of Bratsberg; 10 grandchildren; and many loved ones.
He was preceded in death by his parents, one brother, and his mother- and father-in-law.
P.D. (Dillon) Hempstead
P.D. (Dillon) Hempstead, 73, of rural Houston died Friday (Mar. 12, 2004) at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse.
He was born May 18, 1930, the son of Orson and Jean (Lischer) Hempstead. He grew up in rural Houston. After graduating from Houston Public Schools, he attended the University of Minnesota, Institute of Agriculture and served two years in the U.S. Army counter intelligence corps before returning to join the family farm enterprise. Mr. Hempstead was the fourth generation to operate the Hempstead Homestead, established in 1855.
He married Mary Buol on Mar. 15, 1958, in West Salem, Wis. Mary was Dillon’s true partner in all aspects of his life.
Feeding beef cattle was his principle business enterprise, although several other livestock and seed enterprises have been operated from this farm by previous generations.
Mr. Hempstead has long been active in county, state and national Farm Bureau. He served as Houston County Farm Bureau president, as Minnesota Farm Bureau president from 1965-69 - the nation’s youngest Farm Bureau president, and as a member of national Farm Bureau committees. He also served with several other farm organizations.
In 1978 he was appointed by Gov. Rudy Perpich to a nine-member Board of Residential Utility Consumers to represent Minnesota consumers in utility rate cases. He also was appointed by Gov. Harold Levander to serve on an agriculture advisory committee.
From Jan. 1977, through Dec. 2003, he served as the first full-time farmer elected to the board of directors of the First Northwestern National Bank of Winona which later became Norwest Bank and currently Wells Fargo Bank. He was the longest serving bank director for Wells Fargo Bank.
He has been active in church, community and educational affairs including Houston school board, Houston Development Corporation, and as president of Cross of Christ Lutheran Church. He is a Past Master of Mystic Circle Lodge No. 78, A. F. & A. M. He gave freely of his time and knowledge to help other farmers improve their operations.
He is survived by his wife Mary; two daughters Amy (Don) Gales of Overland Park, Kan., and Lyn (Charles) Halvorson of Houston; two granddaughters; sister-in-law Bonnie Buol; two sisters, Caroljean Goulder (John Blake) of North Providence, Rhode Island, and Lorna (Gerard) Kuyk of Bloomington, Ind.; a brother, John (Marilyn), of La Crosse, Wis.; five nieces; a nephew and their children.
Funeral services were Mar. 16 at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church in Houston, the Rev. Lane Zaffke officiated. Cremation followed the service with burial at Sunrise Cemetery at a later date.
Patrick S. Wickham
Patrick S. Wickham, 36, filmmaker, film producer and policy director, who worked on more than 400 films for the San Francisco-based Independent Television Service (ITVS), died on Feb. 17, 2004, in a San Francisco hospice after a six-month battle with stomach cancer.
Mr. Wickham is survived by his wife of five years, Kristi Highum (niece of Rob and Herb Highum of Rushford) of San Francisco; his Mother, Virginia Wickham of Glen Ellyn, Ill.; and his grandmother Elizabeth Carfora, also of Glen Ellyn; his father and, mother-in-law, Glenn and Teddy Highum of New Richmond; and brothers-in-law, Erick, Tom and Bill Highum of the Twin Cities.
Wickham was a 13-year veteran of ITVS, most recently serving as Director of Contract Policy and Digital Initiatives.
In recent years, he worked closely with the producers of such Academy Award-nominated documentaries as “Promises,” “Daughter from Danang,” and “Weather Underground.”
Mr. Wickham was born in Red Bank, N.J., and grew up in Glen Ellyn. A 1990 graduate of Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., he later moved to Minneapolis, where he helped establish the filmmaker collective Super 8 Union, Local #60. The group produced and directed several short experimental films that played at underground film festivals on three continents.
Mr. Wickham was an avid motorcyclist, and enjoyed taking friends for rides and touring Northern California with his wife, Kristi.
A funeral was held Feb. 21 in San Francisco.
Donations in Patrick’s memory are preferred to The Kids in Development Society, 2107 Van Ness Ave. #102, San Francisco, CA 94109 or Heifer International, www.heifer.org or (800) 422-0474.
Betsey Huseboe Iverson
Betsey Huseboe Iverson, 75, passed away Monday (Feb. 16, 2004) at Memorial Medical Center.
She was born in LaCrosse, Wis., and grew up in Rushford. She received her Registered Nursing Degree from Lutheran Deaconness Hospital in Chicago, Ill. She worked at the University of Minnesota Hospital as well as hospitals in LasCruces, New Mexico and Kansas City, Kansas.
In 1953 she moved to Modesto with her husband Lyle, where she pursued her nursing career She worked at Gould Medical Foundation for 40 years, assisting Dr. V.J. Maino and Dr. McKibben The last 34 years of her career she worked as Dr. James Seyfried’s head nurse.
Mrs. Iverson was a member of Spring Creek bridge clubs. She loved traveling, fishing in Montana and was an avid sports fan.
She was a founding member of St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church and was very active in the choir and Bible study programs and in the Ministry of Hospitality.
In addition to her husband of 52 years, Lyle Iverson; she is survived by her brother Karl (Helen) Huseboe of Colorado, brothers and sisters-in-law Rees (Betty) Johnson of Rushford, and Richard (Mairine) Iverson of Modesto; nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church on Feb. 23.
Marie Elizabeth Anna Brand
Marie Elizabeth Anna Brand, 79, of Lake Winona Manor and formerly of 365 Vine St., Winona, and previous to that from Hart, died Wednesday (Feb. 25) at Lake Winona Manor.
She was born in Wilson Township of Winona County on Mary 4, 1924, the daughter of Hugo and Adeline (Boehmke) Hornberg. On Nov. 9, 1946, she was united in marriage to Benno J. Brand at Wilson. He preceded her in death on May 2, 1993.
Mrs. Brand was a homemaker, a member of Trinity Ev. Lutheran Church, Wilson, where she was a former Sunday school teacher.
She is survived by two sons, Roger (Melanie) Brand, Rushford, Leroy (Ronda) Brand, Mabel; two daughters, Marian (Dennis) McMillan, Winona and Linda (David) Storm, Dover; six grandchildren; five step-grandchildren; three great-grandchildren.
Preceding her in death were her parents; her husband Benno; a brother Victor; and a sister Helen Mrozek.
Services to celebrate her life were Feb. 28 at Trinity Ev. Lutheran Church, Wilson, Rev. Paul C. Stratman officiated. Interment was in Trinity Lutheran Cemetery, Wilson.
Memorial gifts may be directed to Trinity Lutheran Church, Wilson.
Joseph Patrick O’Hara, Jr.
Joseph Patrick O’Hara, Jr., 81, of Rollingstone died at his home Thursday (Feb. 26, 2004) with his family at his side.
He was born Oct. 9, 1922, to Joseph P. and Leila L. (White) O’Hara Sr., in Glencoe, Minn. He was a graduate of Catholic University in Washington, D.C. On April 7, 1956, he married Beatriz Margarita Kadala in Washington.
Mr. O’Hara is a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving during World War II in the 405th Infantry, attaining the rank of corporal. He spent 3 1/2 years in Germany.
He worked for the FBI, then the FAA and then Civil Service, retiring as the assistant director of security for the U.S. Treasury and the White House. He has been a resident of the Winona area for the past 28 years, and prior to that, he resided in Potomac, Md.
Mr. O’Hara is survived by his wife, Beatriz; children, Teresa (Peter) Fuchsel of Rochester, Joe (Kathy) O’Hara of Rushford, Robert (Pennie) O’Hara of Lodi Wis., Monica (fiance, Brian Noonan) of Chicago, Chris O’Hara of Weaver, Mark (Mindy) O’Hara of Round Lake, Ill., Moira (Rick) Solberg of Bismarck, N.D., Oona (Greg) Markielewsi, Deerfield, Wis., Emmett (Corine) O’Hara of Chicago, Matt O’Hara of St. Paul, Tina (Kent) Russell of Winona, Steve (Jennie) O’Hara of Stillwater, and Tom (Maribeth) O’Hara of Rollingstone; 25 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and two brothers, Terry (Mary Jo) O’Hara of Indianapolis, Ind., and Ed (Marion) O’Hara of Minneapolis.
He was preceded in death by his parents, two stillborn infants, an infant daughter, Laura Mary and an infant son, Peter Nicholas.
Private immediate family services were held at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Oak Ridge, Minn. Interment was at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Oak Ridge.
Bertha Mae Belongie
Bertha Mae Belongie, 92, of Houston, died Saturday (Jan. 31, 2004) at the Valley View Nursing Home in Houston.
Bertha Mae Garvey was born on May 25, 1911, in Cuba City, Wisconsin to George and Josephine (Haug) Garvey. She was raised in Cuba City.
On July 30, 1938, she married Larry Belongie.
The couple lived in LaCrescent and moved to their farm in Houston, Minn. in 1949. She worked as a bookkeeper at her husband’s life insurance business.
Her interests included golf, square dancing, and playing cards with her family. She was a member of the St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Houston, and the CCW there.
She is survived by two sons: Robert (Mary) Belongie of Burnsville, Minn. and Ron (Sharon) Belongie of Houston; one daughter, Mary (Rob) Haney of Phoenix, Ariz.; six grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by one brother, Clint, two sisters, Bea Mael and Mary Garvey.
The Funeral Mass will be at noon on Saturday (Feb. 7) at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Houston with the Rev. William Kulas officiating. Burial will be in the Crucifixion Catholic Cemetery in LaCrescent.
Friends may call one hour prior to the Funeral Mass on Saturday at the Church.
LuCylle Loken
LuCylle Loken, 80, of Houston died Thursday (Jan. 29, 2004) at Methodist Hospital in Rochester after a two-month battle with cancer.
She was born Aug. 29, 1923, in Caledonia to Rudolph and Myrtle (Anderson) Happel. She was raised in Looney Valley and Houston and graduated from Houston High School.
She married Floyd Loken on April 2, 1953, in Money Creek. Mrs. Loken was a member of Cross of Christ Lutheran Church in Houston as well as the WELCA group there. She was a member of the Houston American Legion Auxiliary, where she was past president. She worked as a waitress in Houston for many years at the Happy Green Cafe, Royals Cafe and the Village Inn.
She is survived by one son, Roy (Sandy) Loken of Houston; one daughter, Robin (Steve) Phillips of Valley High; one granddaughter; one brother, Royal (Joanne) Happel of Rochester.
She was preceded in death by her husband and parents.
Funeral services were Feb. 3 at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church. Burial was in the Stone Church Cemetery.
Catharine H. Niggle
Catharine H. Niggle, 97 of Rushford, died Tuesday (Jan. 27, 2004) at Good Shepherd Lutheran Home in Rushford.
She was born on Nov. 11, 1906, in Rushford to Royal D. and Christina (Laumb) James.
She graduated from Rushford High School in 1925 and was the last surviving member of her class.
She married Clarence J. Niggle on August 2, 1927 in Rushford.
Mrs. Niggle worked at Rushford High School for 10 years and was a homemaker. A life-long resident of Rushford, she was a member of Rushford Lutheran Church. She taught Sunday school, enjoyed quilting and many other church related volunteer projects. She also enjoyed visiting her children in Kansas and Florida.
She is survived by a son Vincent (Valois) Niggle, Overland Park, Kan., and a daughter Kathleen (Gary) Fossen, Tampa, Fla.; four grandchildren, five great-grandchildren; two sisters Verna Betz of Rushford and Edna Onsrud of Houston.
She is preceded in death by her parents, husband, four brothers, and one grandchild.
Funeral services were Feb. 2 at Rushford Lutheran Church, the Rev. David Watson officiated. Burial was in Rushford Lutheran Cemetery.
