Earl E. Ennis, 81, of Brighton, Illinois and formerly of the Des Moines area passed away on Saturday, June 11, 2022, at his home in Brighton, Illinois.
Memorial Services will be held on Friday, June 17, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. at the Murphy Funeral Home in Mt. Pleasant. A memorial has been established in his memory.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com
Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant, is caring for his arrangements.
On June 9, 2022, at approximately 1:17AM, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office took a report of a stolen vehicle from the 1600 Grid of 265th Street near Oakland Mills, Iowa. It was found that a male subject had stolen a blue, 2005, Chrysler 300 from a residence and fled from the area. After an investigation into the stolen vehicle, officers attempted to locate the subject in the Mount Pleasant area at a local apartment complex. The male subject was located and identified as Edward (A.K.A. JT) Antwan Easley (23 years of age) of the Mount Pleasant area. Edward was placed under arrest and transported to the Henry County Jail without incident. The vehicle was located at the same apartment complex. Edward Easley was charged with Theft in the Second Degree, a Class D Felony. He was also given a citation for operating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license. The Mount Pleasant Police Department assisted with this investigation.
Monica Kay Amberger, 49, of West Point, Iowa, passed away at 5:40 a.m. Thursday, June 9, 2022, at her home in West Point.
She was born on June 14, 1972, in Long Beach, California, the daughter of Charles William Wellington and Judy Ann Hill. She attended Loara High School in Anaheim, California. On September 25, 2019, she married Kristopher Amberger in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Monica was a vibrant, funny, caring and giving person who enjoyed life. She loved music, movies, arrowhead and mushroom hunting, the beach, animals including her 140lb dog Oreo, coffee, flowers and the color pink. Most of all, Monica loved spending time with her family.
She is survived by her husband: Kristopher Amberger of West Point, Iowa; daughter: Carissa (Dustin) Burke of New London, Iowa; sons: Tanner (Randi) Woodsmall of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, Jack O’Keefe of Grand Rapids, Michigan; father: Charles Wellington of Las Vegas, Nevada; mother: Judy Hill of Burlington, Iowa; step-father: Tom Martin of New London, Iowa; three granddaughters: Laila, Leanne, and Liliana; two sisters: Michelle Wellington of Anaheim, California, Tammy Wellington of Burlington, Iowa and her brother: Charles (Shanon) Wellington of New London, Iowa. Also, surviving are uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her grandparents and her father-in-law and mother-in-law.
A memorial has been established in her memory to PAW Animal Shelter.
Her body has been entrusted to the crematory of Schmitz Funeral Home for cremation. Monica was proud to be an organ donor.
The family will receive friends from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Friday, June 17, 2022, at Schmitz Funeral Home of West Point, Iowa.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, June 17, 2022, at Schmitz Funeral Home of West Point, Iowa with Father Dennis Hoffman officiating.
Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com Schmitz Funeral Home of West Point is assisting the family with arrangements.
Jerrold Peter “Jerry” Stukerjurgen, 56, of of Salem, Iowa, passed away at 2:07 p.m. Friday, June 10, 2022, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa.
He was born on August 29, 1965, in Fort Madison, Iowa, the son of Ron and Carol (Lohman) Stukerjurgen. On June 16, 1990, he married Amie Jean Holtkamp at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in West Point, Iowa.
Survivors include his wife: Amie; daughter: Jena (Levi) Duwa of Kalona, Iowa; son: Jacob Stukerjurgen of Salem, Iowa; granddaughter: Tatum Beth Duwa; parents: Ron and Carol Stukerjurgen of Houghton, Iowa; one brother: Jay (Ingrid) Stukerjurgen of Polk City, Iowa; two sisters: Judy (Adrian) Steffensmeier of Fort Madison, Iowa and Jan (Micheal) Hunting of Robins, Iowa. Also surviving are several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his daughter: Beth Marie Stukerjurgen; brother: Joseph Stukerjurgen; father and mother-in-law: Melvin and Barb Holtkamp.
Jerry achieved his associate degree in Animal Science at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. He was co-owner/manager of Quality Plus Feeds in St. Paul. He was a member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Houghton, the Houghton Knights of Columbus and Houghton Fire and Rescue, where he was a first responder and past fire chief. Jerry enjoyed working and growing Quality Plus Feeds and his hog business, being outdoors, watching his children play sports and being involved in the community. Most of all he cherished spending time with family, friends and being a grandfather.
Friends may call after 12:00 noon Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at St. John’s Catholic Church in Houghton, where the family will receive friends from 3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. A Knights of Columbus rosary will be recited at 3:30 p.m. and a Christian wake service will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the church.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, June 15, 2022 at St. John’s Catholic Church in Houghton with Father Dan Dorau as celebrant.
Burial will be at St. John’s Cemetery in Houghton.
A memorial has been established in his memory for Lee County Fair 4-H and FFA Livestock Programs, St. John’s Catholic Church or Houghton Fire and Rescue
Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com Schmitz Funeral Home of West Point is assisting the family with arrangements.
The Mount Pleasant School Board will meet Monday, June 13 for a work session at 5:15 pm followed by a regular session meeting at 6 pm. Both meetings will be held in the Mount Pleasant High School media center. Both agendas follow:
Mount Pleasant Community School District School Board Work Session
Henry County Jail
In the interest of keeping Henry County residents informed, the Henry County Sheriff’s office has requested KILJ post the daily jail count. During the jail referendum campaign it was publicized that the jail would be able to house additional inmates from surrounding counties and this would generate revenue for Henry County.
Date: 06/10/2022______
23 _ Henry County Inmates
45 Out of County Contract Inmates
68 TOTAL
At some point in time wind energy will come to Henry County. Thursday a second company made a presentation to the Board of Supervisors proposing about 50 to 60 turbines to be built by the year 2025. A representative of the Canadian Company, Liberty Power, told the supervisors her company prefers to communicate first with county officials before approaching land owners. The plan is to start talking with landowners within a month. She said Liberty’s focus is on building mutually beneficial and lasting relationships with the community thru long term investments in assets. Liberty believes Henry County is a good place for the project…offering transmission line access, enough available land without a lot of forests or flood plains and of course, good wind speeds. 10,000 acres are needed to determine if the project is feasible. Henry County already has ordinances in place regulating turbines. The Liberty rep said her company will work to understand setbacks and ensure it meets all local and state requirements. The supervisors were assured both farming and a turbine can co-exist on the same parcel and land can remain in agricultural use. There are also the benefits of tax revenue for the county and employment opportunities.
