Luella Menke

Luella Menke, 92, of Sartell, Minnesota, formerly of West Point and Carroll, Iowa, passed away Friday, December 3, 2021, at 11:30 p.m. in Sartell, Minnesota.

She was born on February 21, 1929, the fourth child of William and Christina (Pomberg) Steffensmeier. On May 3, 1952, she married Cecil Menke at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in West Point, Iowa.

Survivors include her husband: Cecil; four children: Bernard Menke of Sartell, Minnesota, Kris Menke of Sartell, Minnesota, Greg (Mardelle) Menke of Urbandale, Iowa and Marlene (Eric) Grindland of Sartell, Minnesota; three grandchildren: Joel Menke, Trevor (Taylor) Grindland, and Kia (fiancé Tanner Bechtold) Grindland. Also surviving are several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers: Leroy and Adrian; three sisters: Mary Kruse-Chatham, Rita Sporkman, and Jane Menke.

Luella and Cecil, along with their four children moved to Carroll, Iowa in May of 1966 and started a hardware store. They sold the hardware business in 1985.

Luella was a member of St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Carroll, Iowa and St. Francis  Catholic Church in Sartell, Minnesota. She loved knitting, crocheting, playing cards and baking cookies.

The family will receive friends from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Friday, December 10, 2021, at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in West Point, Iowa.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, December 10, 2021, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in West Point with Father Dennis Hoffman as celebrant.

Burial will be held at Calvary Cemetery, West Point, Iowa.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established in her memory to Holy Trinity Catholic Schools in West Point.

Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com. Schmitz Funeral Home of West Point is assisting the family with arrangements.

 

Girls’ Prep Basketball: Osky’s Big 4th Quarter Leads to Win over Panthers; Other Area Finals

Oskaloosa 62, Mount Pleasant 41

Oskaloosa used an 18-4 fourth quarter run to pull away for a 62-41 win over Mount Pleasant last night in a non conference tilt at Oskaloosa High School.

Mount Pleasant, who trailed by six at halftime, cut the deficit to as little as two in the third quarter before Oskaloosa’s fourth quarter avalanche.

Andrea Lopreato paced the Panthers with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Kenna Lamm finished with 10 points and three boards.

Andi Scott chipped in with five.

Presley Blommers scored a game-high 23 points for the Indians. Addison Carter added 15 points and seven rebounds.

The Indians sank 11 three balls to Mount Pleasant’s three.

The Panthers, now 1-4, will look to get back on track Friday night when they travel to Keokuk.

Tip from Wright Fieldhouse is set for 7:30 p.m.

Winfield-Mount Union 75, Lone Tree 11

Winfield-Mount Union led 23-0 after one quarter and 45-2 at halftime, suffocating Lone Tree in a 75-11 win last night.

Keetyn Townsley led four players in double figures with 16 points for the Lady Wolves.

Keely Malone and Bradie Buffington both had 14 points, while Melina Oepping ended with 10.

Winfield-Mount Union stayed perfect with the win, the Lady Wolves are 6-0.

They’ll battle Central Lee on the road on Friday night.

WACO 55, Columbus 38 

Ellah Kissell poured in 27 points to lead WACO to an easy win over Columbus last night, 55-38.

WACO led by 13 at the end of the first quarter and used a 14-8 third quarter run to pull away for the win.

The win evened the Warriors’ ledger at 2-2.

They’ll get a road date with Cardinal, Friday night.

Cardinal 48, New London 39 

Cardinal outscored New London 23-13 in the second half to come from behind for a 48-39 win last night over the Tigers.

Emma Becker had 15 points while Cynthia Albert finished with 12 for the Comets.

Cardinal improved to 3-3.

New London slumped to 0-6.

They’ll look to get off the schnide on Thursday night at Lone Tree.

Other area finals:

  • L-M 60, Hillcrest 31
  • Mediapolis 54, Highland 37
  • Wapello 46, Pekin 29
  • Central Lee 61, Danville 32
  • Notre Dame 61, West Burlington 38
  • Holy Trinity 51, Van Buren County 28

Prep Boys’ Basketball: WACO, W-MU Roll; Other Prep Finals

WACO 78, Columbus 29 

Vincent Jones led a balanced WACO attack with 16 points as the Warriors hit cruise control for a 78-29 win over Columbus, last night.

The Warriors scored 29 points in the second quarter to a 26-point lead into halftime.

They then limited the Wildcats to just seven second half points.

WACO improved to 2-1 with the win.

They’ll get Cardinal in Eldon on Friday night.

Winfield-Mount Union 64, Lone Tree 34

A 24-7 third quarter run was all Winfield-Mount Union needed in a 64-34 win over Lone Tree last night.

Abram Edwards ended with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Cam Buffington recorded yet another double-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks.

Freshman Jake Edwards chipped in with 12 points, as well.

Just like the Lady Wolves, Winfield’s boys’ stayed unbeaten at 4-0.

They’ll travel to Mediapolis on Friday night, in what should be a dandy.

New London 67, Cardinal 55

Devon Swanson had a monster, 25 point and eight rebound performance to help steer New London past Cardinal last night, 67-55.

Kade Benjamin finished with 14 points and eight boards, while Tayshaun Donaldson added 10.

New London trailed 18-12 at the end of the first quarter but won the rest of the game by 18.

Still undefeated at 2-0, New London will play Trey Magnani’s Van Buren County Warriors on the road on Friday night.

Other prep finals:

  • Danville 75, Central Lee 43
  • Holy Trinity 44, Van Buren County 43
  • Wapello 47, Pekin 43
  • Hillcrest Academy 62, L-M 35
  • Mediapolis 41, Highland 29

Prep Wrestling: Mediapolis Falls Twice in Double Dual

Fort Madison — Mediapolis was beaten twice in yesterday’s varsity double dual at Fort Madison.

The Bulldogs were bested 54-30 by Burlington and 63-17 by Fort Madison.

Quinten Aney, No. 3 in the latest IAWrestle.com rankings at 132-pounds, earned a fall and a tech fall for the Bulldogs.

113-pounder Gavin Gerber earned two falls for the Bulldogs, as well.

Burlington and Fort Madison both went to 2-0.

Outside of beating Mediapolis, Burlington took down Wapello based on tiebreaker protocol, while Fort Madison beat the Indians 50-21.

Women’s College Basketball: Iowa’s Clark Tabbed B1G Player of the Week:

Ames — University of Iowa sophomore Caitlin Clark was named Big Ten Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, the conference announced yesterday afternoon.

The honor is the 24th of her career.

In two games last week, Clark averaged 23 points, 10 assists and 9.5 rebounds, and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line.

She added three steals and a block to fill her stat line for the week.

Clark and the Hawkeyes return to action tonight in Ames, Iowa, against the Iowa State Cyclones in the Cy-Hawk Series game.

Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m.

Sports, Wednesday, December 8th

Girls’ Prep Basketball: Osky’s Big 4th Quarter Leads to Win over Panthers; Other Area Finals:

Oskaloosa 62, Mount Pleasant 41

Oskaloosa used an 18-4 fourth quarter run to pull away for a 62-41 win over Mount Pleasant last night in a non conference tilt at Oskaloosa High School.

Mount Pleasant, who trailed by six at halftime, cut the deficit to as little as two in the third quarter before Oskaloosa’s fourth quarter avalanche.

Andrea Lopreato paced the Panthers with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Kenna Lamm finished with 10 points and three boards.

Andi Scott chipped in with five.

Presley Blommers scored a game-high 23 points for the Indians. Addison Carter added 15 points and seven rebounds.

The Indians sank 11 three balls to Mount Pleasant’s three.

The Panthers, now 1-4, will look to get back on track Friday night when they travel to Keokuk.

Tip from Wright Fieldhouse is set for 7:30 p.m.

Winfield-Mount Union 75, Lone Tree 11

Winfield-Mount Union led 23-0 after one quarter and 45-2 at halftime, suffocating Lone Tree in a 75-11 win last night.

Keetyn Townsley led four players in double figures with 16 points for the Lady Wolves.

Keely Malone and Bradie Buffington both had 14 points, while Melina Oepping ended with 10.

Winfield-Mount Union stayed perfect with the win, the Lady Wolves are 6-0.

They’ll battle Central Lee on the road on Friday night.

WACO 55, Columbus 38 

Ellah Kissell poured in 27 points to lead WACO to an easy win over Columbus last night, 55-38.

WACO led by 13 at the end of the first quarter and used a 14-8 third quarter run to pull away for the win.

The win evened the Warriors’ ledger at 2-2.

They’ll get a road date with Cardinal, Friday night.

Cardinal 48, New London 39 

Cardinal outscored New London 23-13 in the second half to come from behind for a 48-39 win last night over the Tigers.

Emma Becker had 15 points while Cynthia Albert finished with 12 for the Comets.

Cardinal improved to 3-3.

New London slumped to 0-6.

They’ll look to get off the schnide on Thursday night at Lone Tree.

Other area finals:

  • L-M 60, Hillcrest 31
  • Mediapolis 54, Highland 37
  • Wapello 46, Pekin 29
  • Central Lee 61, Danville 32
  • Notre Dame 61, West Burlington 38
  • Holy Trinity 51, Van Buren County 28

Prep Boys’ Basketball: WACO, W-MU Roll; Other Prep Finals:

WACO 78, Columbus 29 

Vincent Jones led a balanced WACO attack with 16 points as the Warriors hit cruise control for a 78-29 win over Columbus, last night.

The Warriors scored 29 points in the second quarter to a 26-point lead into halftime.

They then limited the Wildcats to just seven second half points.

WACO improved to 2-1 with the win.

They’ll get Cardinal in Eldon on Friday night.

Winfield-Mount Union 64, Lone Tree 34

A 24-7 third quarter run was all Winfield-Mount Union needed in a 64-34 win over Lone Tree last night.

Abram Edwards ended with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Cam Buffington recorded yet another double-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks.

Freshman Jake Edwards chipped in with 12 points, as well.

Just like the Lady Wolves, Winfield’s boys’ stayed unbeaten at 4-0.

They’ll travel to Mediapolis on Friday night, in what should be a dandy.

New London 67, Cardinal 55

Devon Swanson had a monster, 25 point and eight rebound performance to help steer New London past Cardinal last night, 67-55.

Kade Benjamin finished with 14 points and eight boards, while Tayshaun Donaldson added 10.

New London trailed 18-12 at the end of the first quarter but won the rest of the game by 18.

Still undefeated at 2-0, New London will play Trey Magnani’s Van Buren County Warriors on the road on Friday night.

Other prep finals:

  • Danville 75, Central Lee 43
  • Holy Trinity 44, Van Buren County 43
  • Wapello 47, Pekin 43
  • Hillcrest Academy 62, L-M 35
  • Mediapolis 41, Highland 29

Prep Wrestling: Mediapolis Falls Twice in Double Dual:

Mediapolis was beaten twice in yesterday’s varsity double dual at Fort Madison.

The Bulldogs were bested 54-30 by Burlington and 63-17 by Fort Madison.

Quinten Aney, No. 3 in the latest IAWrestle.com rankings at 132-pounds, earned a fall and a tech fall for the Bulldogs.

113-pounder Gavin Gerber earned two falls for the Bulldogs, as well.

Burlington and Fort Madison both went to 2-0.

Outside of beating Mediapolis, Burlington took down Wapello based on tiebreaker protocol, while Fort Madison beat the Indians 50-21.

Women’s College Basketball: Iowa’s Clark Tabbed B1G Player of the Week:

University of Iowa sophomore Caitlin Clark was named Big Ten Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, the conference announced yesterday afternoon.

The honor is the 24th of her career.

In two games last week, Clark averaged 23 points, 10 assists and 9.5 rebounds, and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line.

She added three steals and a block to fill her stat line for the week.

Clark and the Hawkeyes return to action tonight in Ames, Iowa, against the Iowa State Cyclones in the Cy-Hawk Series game.

Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m.

Kenneth W. Reschly,

Kenneth W. Reschly, 76, of Mount Pleasant, died Sunday, December 5, 2021, at his home.

Ken was born March 28, 1945, in Mount Pleasant, the son of Floyd and Hazel (Richard) Reschly. He graduated from Iowa Mennonite High School in 1963. Ken was united in marriage to Joyce Steffensmeier on June 13, 1964, at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, where they continued to be faithful members. He was the foreman for the construction of the St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, where he spent countless hours volunteering his expertise. The couple had made their home in the Olds area prior to moving to Mount Pleasant in January, 2019. Ken was devoted to his family. He especially loved spending time with his grandchildren and watching them participate in their activities.  He also enjoyed spending time with countless friends he made over the years.  He was a professional, hard-working and dedicated man to Reschly Construction, which he started in 1966.  He had an eye for detail. He was known for building beautiful, quality homes. Ken looked forward to wintering in Arizona with Joyce, golfing, and attending NASCAR races over a 40 year period.

Ken is survived by his wife Joyce; son Mike (Cindy) Reschly of Olds; daughter Caren (Darin) Roth of Batavia; four grandchildren Taylor (Travis) Shelman, Sam Roth, Cate Roth, Claire Roth; two sisters, Ruth Ann Miller of Texas and Barbara King of Texas.

He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Ed and Richard.

Memorial Mass will be held 11:00 a.m., Friday, December 10, 2021, at the St. Alphonsus Catholic Church. Father Nick Adam and Father Paul Connolly con-celebrants. Burial will be at a later date in the St. Alphonsus Catholic Cemetery. The service will be livestreamed at Powell Funeral Homes Facebook page and at www.powellfuneralhomes.com. Visitation will be held 1:00-7:00 p.m., Thursday, December 9, 2021, at the Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel, where family will greet friends from 5:00-7:00. A general memorial fund has been established.

County Foundation Awards $132,000

The Enhance Henry County Community Foundation has awarded $132,000 to 28 County organizations. An estimated 25,000 people will benefit from the 17th round of grants to be made by the Enhance Henry County Community Foundation.

The 28 grants were announced at a special celebration and media advisory event held at the Union Block Building in Mt. Pleasant on December 7th beginning at 11 am. The event was open to the public, all grant recipients, public officials from throughout the county and community leaders.

This was the 17th time that the Enhance Henry County Community Foundation has engaged in grantmaking. The foundation applied for and received funds from the County Endowment Fund legislation.

“Our foundation received a total of $145,443.22. Twenty five percent of this was restricted to permanent endowment and 75 percent was required to be released through local competitive grantmaking. In addition, we took $27,903.45 from our endowment earnings and granted them as well.” said Robert Meyer, Foundation President.

“We received grant applications totaling $426,110.70. We only wish that we had more resources at the foundation because we know there are many needs and worthy projects throughout the county.”

The Enhance Henry County Community Foundation was organized by representatives from throughout Henry County.  “Our mission involves helping the communities and non-profit organizations of the county,” said Robert Meyer.   “We want to partner with communities and non-profit organizations to help them with programs and projects that might otherwise not be available to the individuals, families and visitors to our county.”

As an affiliate foundation, the Enhance Henry County Community Foundation can assist donors who wish to make outright and testamentary gifts of support to our foundation or other charitable organizations in the county.  “It’s even possible for local charitable organizations to establish their own funds and benefit from special tax credits and the professional expertise and investment management we help provide,” said Robert Meyer.

Further information about Enhance Henry County Community Foundation is available by contacting, Lora Roth at 319-385-8728.

For more information contact:

Enhance Henry County Community Foundation

Lora Roth

Foundation Administrator

319-385-8728

lora@kilj.com