Elaine Walters, 100, of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa passed away Sunday, February 6, 2022 at Sunrise Terrace Care Center in Winfield, Iowa. Born May 10, 1921, in Hamilton, Illinois, she was the daughter of Lynn Harlow and Helen Summers Hosford. On February 21, 1942, she married Charles Edward Walters in Newton, Iowa. They celebrated 64 years of marriage in 2006, the year he passed away.
Mrs. Walters graduated from Ft. Madison High School and lived in Burlington, Danville, New London and Mt. Pleasant. She and Charley spent 29 winters in Mesa, Arizona after retirement. They enjoyed RVing and traveled to all 48 contiguous states, Canada and Mexico. She was a homemaker and while raising her family she was a Sunday School teacher, a Girl Scout leader and a 4-H leader. She loved reading, dancing, golf, and playing cards; but she especially loved her family.
Survivors include her daughters Terry (Delmar) Small of Bloomington, Illinois and Kathy Nellor of Mt. Pleasant; one niece whom they raised, Peg (Duane) Siegfried of Port Charlotte, Florida; three grandchildren, Natalie (Justin) Burgus of Mt. Pleasant, Rachel (Duane) Bebb of Salem and Bryan (Soosi) Siegfried of Staunton, Illinois; five great-grandchildren, Garrett Burgus, River Bebb, and Charley, Jose and Ace Siegfried; and special niece and nephews, Jan (Gary) Perry of Yreka, California, Rollie (Lori) Ford of Georgetown, Texas, and Jeff (Nan) Walters of Burlington. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents; son-in-law Dennis Nellor; nephews whom they raised, Randy and Bunker Upton; and her sister Lynore Frey.
A memorial service will be held at 10:00 am, Wednesday, February 9, 2022 at Elliott Chapel, New London, with Rev. Trey Hegar officiating. According to her wishes, her body has been cremated and inurnment will be held at a later date. Immediately following the service, the family will greet friends at the chapel. The family wishes to thank the staff of Sunrise Terrace and EveryStep Hospice for their compassionate care of Elaine. Memorials may be directed to EveryStep Hospice or The Vintage Raven Kitten Haven. Online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.
MP Ag Teacher Moving On and Moving Back
Mount Pleasant High School Ag Teacher Matthew Jones came to the district in the spring of 2019 taking on the challenge of creating an Ag program for the classroom and re-establishing an FFA Chapter. He has accomplished both and is now returning home to Pekin High School. Jones has accepted the same position there taking over for his high school ag teacher, who is retiring. Jones said it was a tough decision but he has family, friends and a house there. The Pekin school board still has to officially approve the hire but the Mount Pleasant district has already posted the job and Jones has shared the news with his students.
Local FFA Member Earns Honor
Mount Pleasant High School FFA member Julie Campbell is the local chapter’s first Iowa Degree Recipient! This state FFA degree is the highest honor the State FFA association can bestow upon a member. There are many requirements that students must meet in order to qualify. Less than 5% of FFA members in the state will receive this honor. Julie will be honored at the State Leadership Conference this April.
Daily Jail Count
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: ____2-8-2022_____
JAIL COUNT
24_ Henry County Inmates
42_ Out of County Contract Inmates
66 TOTAL
Girls’ Prep Basketball: Mount Pleasant Steamrolls Ottumwa to Easy Win
(Photo Courtesy: Andy Krutsinger // southeastiowaunion.com)
Mount Pleasant 44, Ottumwa 12
Mount Pleasant’s first quarter 16-2 run was all the Panthers needed to roll past Ottumwa last night 44-12.
The win was the second over the Bulldogs this season for Mount Pleasant, with their first coming back in November.
Andrea Lopreato stuffed the stat sheet to lead Mount Pleasant.
The potential Conference Player of the Year and All-State selection finished with 23 points, nine rebounds, seven steals, five assists and a blocked shot.
Kenna Lamm chipped in with seven points and five swipes.
Mount Pleasant improved to 10-10 ahead of their regular season finale Friday night against Fairfield.
Ottumwa is now 6-15.
No. 10 Mediapolis 35, Pekin 22
No. 10 Mediapolis snapped a two-game losing skid with a 35-22 win over Pekin last night.
The Bullettes fell to Louisa-Muscatine and Notre Dame last week after starting the season 18-0.
Payton Bush paced Mediapolis with 12 points while Hallie Mohr had eight.
The Bullettes are now 19-2 and 15-2 in league play.
Pekin slumped to 9-12.
Boys’ Prep Basketball: New London, Mount Pleasant Beaten in Thrillers
Alburnett 64, New London 62 (OT)
New London clawed back in the fourth quarter to force overtime, but some clutch baskets by Alburnett propelled the Pirates to a 64-62 win over the Tigers last night.
New London held leads at the end of the first quarter and at halftime before Alburnett’s 19-13 third quarter run.
Alburnett is now 15-5 with the win.
New London slipped to 17-2.
The Tigers will look to right the ship tonight when they take on Holy Trinity in the second leg of their back to back.
Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. from Shottenkirk Gymnasium in Fort Madison.
Ottumwa 44, Mount Pleasant 42
Dewon Trent finished with with 15 points but it was Ottumwa’s Adam Greiner who poured in a game-high 17 leading Ottumwa to a 44-42 triumph over the Panthers.
Aaiden Ashton scored 12 points for Mount Pleasant, while Payton Hagans added 10.
The Panthers have now lost two straight games to fall to 8-11 overall.
Ottumwa is now 7-12.
Mediapolis 40, Pekin 36
Kadin Salek had 15 points while Ben Egan had 10 as Mediapolis held off a game Pekin bunch 40-36.
Pekin was paced by Luke Long with 15 points.
Mediapolis is now 14-6 on the year, improving to 13-2 in the North Division.
Pekin is 8-12, the Panthers now 8-7 in North Division action.
Prep Wrestling: Regional Team Duals Tonight
KILJ — New London and Notre Dame will try to clinch a spot in the State Dual tournament next Wednesday when they compete in Regional Team Duals this evening.
Regional dual team sites are determined using the final Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association dual team rankings, with eight of the top 16 ranked schools hosting.
The sectional champion and next eight highest ranked teams will be the regional dual team qualifiers. The top-ranked team at each site receives a bye during the first round.
No. 10 Notre Dame will be at No. 9 Assumption.
The Nikes will open their night against No. 19 Albia, with Assumption receiving the winner.
New London will scrap with No. 17 Beckman Catholic.
Should the Tigers win, they’ll get the always tough second-ranked Lisbon Lions.
Duals will begin this evening at 6:00 p.m.
College Softball: Iowa Wesleyan Announces 2022 Schedule
Mount Pleasant — The Iowa Wesleyan softball team has released their schedule for their upcoming season, the institution has announced.
Head coach Mike Hampton returns for his 29th season at the helm of the program with two new assistants in Danielle Williams and Morgan Christner.
Wesleyan will open up their season in Paragould, Arkansas, taking on conference opponent Crowley’s Ridge College in a round-robin on February 18th at 1:00 pm.
The Tigers will then play a pair of games in Columbia, Missouri before taking their spring break trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Wesleyan will have their first home game against Mount Mercy University on April 5th with a doubleheader starting at 4:00 pm.