Area Obituaries

    Frances Geneva Matthews Fisher was born on December 31, 1925 in Delphos, Iowa and left this earth on August 23, 2011 at the Ringgold County Hospital. She was the youngest of nine children born to Rose and Fletch Matthews.  Neva attended elementary school in Delphos and later graduated from Mount Ayr high school with…

     Dale Kettle, 86, of Altoona, Iowa, formerly of Creston, Iowa, died Friday, August 26, 2011, at Altoona Nursing and Rehab Center in Altoona. Masonic services were Tuesday, August 30, 2011, at the Powers Funeral Home in Creston near the junction of highways 25 and 34. Burial was at Rose Hill Cemetery in Mount Ayr,…

Robert ‘Bob’ Stutt, 87, of rural Creston, Iowa, died Thursday, August 18, 2011, at Greater Regional Medical Center in Creston. Graveside services were held Tuesday, August 23, at Prairie Lawn Cemetery, Spaulding, Iowa. Phil Price, Orient Plymouth Congregational Church, officiated. Pearson-Coen-Beaty Family Funeral Service, 809 W. Montgomery Street, Creston was in charge of the arrangements.…

Ruth Margarette Busby Hudson, 91, formerly of Mount Ayr, Iowa, died Friday, August 19, 2011 at Fountain West Health Care Center in West Des Moines, Iowa.  Her life will be celebrated at a service Thursday, August 25, at 2 p.m. at McLaren’s Resthaven Chapel, 801 19th Street, West Des Moines. Inurnment will be in the…

    Ned A. Foltz, son of Hazel Irene (Smith) Foltz and Claire LeRoy Foltz, was born January 31, 1956, in Mount Ayr, Iowa.     Ned grew up and graduated from Mount Ayr Community high school in 1974. Ned went on to motorcycle mechanics school in Kansas City and worked in Maryville, MO. He returned to…

Leroy Blessman, 87, passed away on August 21, 2011 of cancer. The funeral service was held on Tuesday, August 23, at the Mount Ayr United Methodist Church with burial at Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr, under the direction of the Watson-Armstrong Funeral Home.     Leroy was born February 3, 1924 to John and Grace Blessman…

    Leatrice M. Rinehart was born July 15, 1926 in Mount Ayr, Iowa to John Thomas and Mary Maude (Smith) Golliday. She died August 14, 2011 in Mount Ayr, Iowa at the age of 85.     Leatrice graduated from the Mount Ayr high school. She married Calvin Rinehart on July 12, 1946. He preceded her…

    Beverly Jane Hall, daughter of Arlene (Arnold) Toney and Glen Toney, was born July 9, 1934 at home east of Ellston, Iowa.     Beverly was known as ‘Sook’ by family and friends around Ellston. The family moved to California from 1941 to 1945. They returned to the Ellston area and Sook graduated from Ellston…

    James Lawrence Dittman, 85, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, died Friday, July 22, 2011 at Davis Hospice Center.  He was born October 28, 1925 in Lake Township, Wood county, Toledo, Ohio. He had lived in Cheyenne for 26 years with prior residence in Wright, Wyoming for seven years.     Mr. Dittman was a lay minister for…

    Naomi Ruth (Searles) Shafer was born August 28, 1921 in Blockton, Iowa to Harry Ransom and Ida (Simpson) Searles. Naomi passed away at the age of 89 years on August 14, 2011 at the Ringgold County Hospital in Mount Ayr.     Naomi graduated in 1938 from Blockton high school. Following graduation, she continued her…

    LBanks Wilson, 88 years old, born January 14, 1923 south of Tingley, Iowa passed away peacefully surrounded by family at Ringgold County Hospital in Mount Ayr, Iowa on August 3, 2011. He was the only son of Leo and Edna (Rood) Wilson. Upon the death of his mother at the age of two, he…

   James Christian Overholtzer, 86 years old, was born December 30, 1924 in Leon, Iowa and passed peacefully at home August 1, 2011 in Mount Ayr, Iowa. He was the only son of Christian Ellis and Margaret Gale Overholtzer of Grand River, Iowa. He graduated with the Grand River high school class of 1942. Jim…