James Roland Nealey (final arrangements)

James Roland Nealey, 75, of Danville, died Friday, March 11, 2022 at his home following a heroic thirty year battle with Parkinson’s disease.  He was born November 30, 1946 in Burlington to Burton Kelly and Mildred Florence Moore Nealey.  On August 30, 1969, he married Catherine M. Gillette in San Antonio, Texas.

Jim graduated as Salutatorian of the Danville class of 1965, then from ISU in 1970 with a degree in animal science. He was a member of the Danville United Methodist Church where he taught Sunday School for fifteen years, and served ten years on the Danville school board.

He was in the National Guard and was a lifelong farmer and cowboy. He loved training horses with his brothers; and mentored other cowboys who wanted to be in the sport of rodeo.  In his younger years he enjoyed going to rodeos with his family and friends. He was the IRCA champion in 1979 and in 1984, which earned him a trip to compete in the Calgary Stampede.  He was a member of the IPRA for over fifty years and for more than thirty-five years he oversaw the Des Moines County Fair Jackpot.  Once Parkinson’s became a part of his life, he enjoyed watching rodeos on TV, making rope halters, and visiting with all of his rodeo friends who remained in touch.

Besides his wife Cathy, he is survived by his children, Patrick Nealey (Toni Staats) of Danville and Katrina Hulse of Burlington; four grandchildren, Tucker and Nealey Hulse, and Caroline and Byers Nealey; brothers, Charlie (Connie) Nealey of Danville and Tom (Diane) Nealey of Bloomington, Illinois; sister Cindy (John) Schuelke of Leavenworth, Kansas; several nieces and nephews; and a host of friends.  He was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents.

The funeral service for Mr. Nealey will be held at 2:00 PM, Saturday, March 19, 2022 at the Danville United Methodist Church with Pastor Jacob Yocum officiating.  Visitation will begin at 10:00 Saturday with the family receiving friends beginning at 12:00 noon until the time of the service.  Burial will follow at Jaggar Cemetery, rural Danville.  A visitation will be open from noon until 6:00 pm on Friday, March 18, at Elliott Chapel, New London; the family will not be present.

Memorials have been established for Danville United Methodist Church; Danville Fire and Rescue; and Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice.  Online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.

Duane L. “Max” Maxwell (final arrangements)

Duane L. “Max” Maxwell, 85, of Mt. Pleasant, died Friday, March 11, 2022 at the Klein Center, West Burlington IA.

A memorial funeral service for Max will be held at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, March 15, 2022 at the First United Methodist Church, 309 N. Main St., Mt. Pleasant. The Reverend Doug Cue will officiate. A flag folding ceremony will be conducted by the Iowa Military Funeral Honors Detail at the church. Burial will be at a later date in the Forest Home Cemetery. Friends may call from 12 Noon-8PM on Monday at the Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 N. Main St., Mt. Pleasant, IA. The family will receive friends from 5-7 PM.

The memorial service will be livestreamed on the First United Methodist Church YouTube Channel. Those considering an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to the First United Methodist Church, the Mt. Pleasant Public Library or S.A.F.E. of Tupelo, MS. Online condolences may be left at www.kimzeyfuneralhome.com.

Duane Lloyd “Max” Maxwell was born April 12, 1936 at home, rural Salem, IA. He was the son of Glenn W. and Gladys Belle (Doan) Maxwell. He attended Maple Grove Country School and graduated in 1954 from Mt Pleasant High School. He attended (then) Iowa Wesleyan College where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. On July 24, 1960 in Leesville, Louisiana, Max was united in marriage to Joan C. “Joni” Smith.

Duane was a veteran of the US Army. He was inducted on March 10, 1959 at Ft. Des Moines and honorably discharged on February 27, 1961 at Ft. Hood, TX as a Tech Sergeant.

Max began farming with his brother Ross. Later, he farmed with his son Tony. In 1968, Max and Ross formed Maxwell’s Market. Max remained a part of the market for 47 years. Max also farmed and operated Maxwell’s Market with his brother-in-law, Richard “Dick” Corell.

Max was a member of First United Methodist Church in Mt. Pleasant. He worked many years in the church’s dining room at the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion, where he loved to converse with the many visitors. Max also served as Head Conductor for the Midwest Central Railroad. He played an integral part when the tracks of the railroad needed to be raised. For many years, Joni and he belonged to a dance group out of Ft. Madison.

Those thankful for sharing in Max’s life include his wife of 60 years, Joni of Mt. Pleasant; 3 children – Debra Wuichet and her husband, Jacques “J.W.” of Tupelo, MS, Tony Maxwell and his wife Kristi of Mt. Pleasant and Sean Maxwell of Belton, MO; a sister, JoAnn Corell of Mt. Pleasant; 5 grandchildren – Adam Woodyard, Ethan Woodyard, Ashley Lohmann, Allissa Alexander and Allison Scarff and 5 great grandchildren – Malia, Alina, Abel, Avalynn and Avery.

His parents, brother Ross Maxwell and 3 sisters, Lorene VanSyoc, Eva Heise and Beatrice Jones, precede Max in death.

Sports, Saturday, March 12

Women’s College Basketball: West’s Record Setting 39 Not Enough in First Round Loss

Iowa Wesleyan senior Brittany West scored 39 points — setting a school record in the process — in Iowa Wesleyan’s 94-71 loss to second-seeded Morningside in yesterday’s Round of 64 matchup.

The second-seeded Mustangs advance to today’s Round of 32 where they will scrap with 10th seeded St. Francis (Ill.).

Iowa Wesleyan kept the game close through one half, trailing by just three at the end of one quarter and seven at halftime, but that’s when Morningside woke up.

The Mustangs grew their lead to 12 at the end of the third and rode their hot shooting to the 23 point win.

West’s 39 points came on the heels of 11 made three-pointers, which was also a school record.

She rounded out her line with two boards, an assist and a steal.

Kyla Moore had 15 points six boards and two assists for Wesleyan as well.

Iowa Wesleyan closes their season 19-6 overall, winners of the CAC Regular Season and Conference Tournament titles.

Prep Track: Busy Day at IATC Indoor State

A day after Jadan Brumbaugh claimed gold in the IATC girls’ shot put, several other area competitors fared well in Ames.

New London won three events, headlined by Kade Benjamin’s winning high jump of six feet, six inches.

Carter Allen also claimed gold in the shot put with a toss of 50 feet, four inches — finishing over a foot further in first place than the second place competitor.

New London also got a strong effort from their sprint medley team of Reean Seberg, Alexander Julian, Kade Benjamin and Seth Bailey.

That quartet teamed up with win the sprint med in a time of 3:44.55, rolling past Woodbine by seven seconds.

Mediapolis had a great showing as well. The Bulldogs got an individual winner in the 800m run, with Logan Rosas running 2:04.80.

The Mediapolis 4×400 team also earned gold, running 3:33.31 for first. The Bulldogs finished third overall in the team race.

College Baseball: Wesleyan Swept by Williams Baptist

The Iowa Wesleyan baseball team lost a pair of games yesterday to Williams Baptist, falling 10-7 in game one and 22-12 in game two.

In game one, Wesleyan fell behind 6-0 before mounting a late rally. The Tigers scored twice in the 5th and four times in the 6th inning but could not overcome.

Sage Bonner had two hits in the game one loss, while Ian Clements was on the hook for the loss, working the game’s first three innings.

In game two, Williams Baptist put up crooked numbers in the 1st, 3rd and 4th innings en route to the easy win.

The Eagles scored seven in the 1st, five in the 3rd and added six for good measure in the 4th.

Joe Morrison suffered the loss for the Tigers, who fell to 7-16 overall.

Prep Basketball: State Champs Crowned:

Four state champions were crowned yesterday as the high school basketball season came to a close yesterday at Finals Friday at Wells Fargo Arena.

Here’s the full scoreboard:

Class 1A Finals

North Linn 52, Grand View Christian 48

Class 2A Finals

Rock Valley 74, Central Lyon 51

Class 3A Finals

Dallas Center-Grimes 56, Central DeWitt 53

Class 4A Finals 

Ames 68, Johnston 37

March 14 – March 20, 2022

03/14/22
Vern Dorothy
03/14/22
Larry Rich
03/14/22
Seth Warren Martin
03/14/22
Jodie Meeker
03/15/22
Pat Reid
03/15/22
Paul Miller
03/15/22
Maurice Hodges
03/16/22
Brooke Smith
03/16/22
Lillie Field
03/17/22
Abby Lance
03/17/22
Morgan Menke
03/17/22
Patty Roth
03/17/22
Heather Sharp
03/18/22
Austin Buckert
03/18/22
Kailey (Peterson) Mulford
03/18/22
Dr. Reed Bouchey
03/18/22
Stacie Barton
03/19/22
General Franklin
03/19/22
Debra Schmidt
03/19/22
Jon Mills
03/20/22
Kian Hughell
03/20/22
Steve Meeker
03/20/22
Lisa Syfert

James R. Nealey

James R. Nealey, 75, of Danville, died Friday, March 11, 2022 at his home.

Arrangements are pending at Elliott Chapel, New London.

Soil and Water Commissioners Meeting Agenda

The Henry County Soil & Water Conservation District Commissioners will hold their monthly meeting at 3:30.  This meeting will be held by conference call if you are interested in attending call the office at 319-385-2824 ext 3 for call-in information.   Tentative agenda items include approve minutes, watershed reports, cost share approvals and payments  and other district business.

Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks filed her nomination papers

Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks filed her nomination papers with the Iowa Secretary of State today, making official her candidacy in the state’s First Congressional District.

Miller-Meeks, who is seeking her second term, is the only candidate in the race to submit qualifying signatures in all 20 counties in the district, including receiving more than 100 signatures in every county.

The recently redrawn First Congressional District encompasses the bulk of the current Second Congressional District and includes more than 85% of the constituents that Miller-Meeks currently represents. Redistricting occurs every 10 years to ensure balanced representation in response to population shifts reflected in each U.S. Census.

Miller-Meeks is an ophthalmologist who served 24 years in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves, retiring at the rank of lieutenant colonel. She is a former state senator, former director of the Iowa Department of Public Health and served as president of the Iowa Medical Society. She and her husband, Curt, have two adult children.

Boys’ Prep Basketball: SEC All-Conference Lists Announced

KILJ — The SEC All-Conference lists have been announced and Mount Pleasant is well represented.

The Panthers finished 9-14 overall and 3-7 in league play, closing their season in the 3A District semifinals with a loss to eventual state participant Marion.

Senior forward Dewon Trent was the Panthers’ lone first-team selection.

Trent was also named a Pizza Ranch All-Star following his star-studded season, where he averaged a team-best 13.8 points and seven rebounds per game — adding two assists and two steals per contest as well.

Sophomore Payton Hagans, was decorated as a second-team choice. The rising sophomore elevated his game tremendously as the season wore on, scoring 12 a night.

It was Hagans’ monster 26 point effort that lifted the Panthers to a 3A, District 5 quarterfinal win over Mount Vernon in double overtime.

Owen Vansickel and Aaiden Ashton were both Honorable Mention selections for the Panthers.

Tim Cam, Gabe Feldmann, Dylon Hagans and Reece Kempker earned Academic All-Conference honors for Mount Pleasant.

Fort Madison senior Dayton Davis was named the league’s Most Outstanding Player.