Fred Lee Finke

By Theresa Rose · Friday, May 5th, 2023 at 6:25 am CDT

Fred Lee Finke, 98, of New London, died Tuesday, May 2, 2023 at New London Specialty Care.  He was born in rural New London on September 6, 1924 to William Laird and Ethel Eugenia Kelly Finke.  He attended school in Lee Town and graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School.

On August 10, 1963, he married Lois Melissa Wiederrecht in Wapello.  He was a lifelong farmer and a member of the New London United Methodist Church.  He was active in the New London Elevator; was a New London Township Trustee; and enjoyed fishing, woodworking, and watching old westerns.

Survivors include his wife, Lois M. Finke; daughter Ellen (Mike) Haase of Bondurant; niece Judy (Chuck) Stubbs of Tijeras, New Mexico; and nephew Dan (Mary) Hatala of Waverly.  Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by three sisters; Lois A. Finke, Avon Finke, and Ruth Hatala.

The funeral service for Mr. Finke will be at 2:00 pm, Thursday, May 11, 2023 at Elliott Chapel, New London with Pastor Kathleen Moore officiating.  Visitation will begin at 9:00 am with the family greeting friends from 1:00 until the 2:00 service.  Burial will follow at Burge Cemetery, rural New London.  Memorials have been established for New London United Methodist Church and New London Fire and Rescue.  Online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.

Charles “Charlie” Robert Wesely

By Theresa Rose · Friday, May 5th, 2023 at 6:13 am CDT

Charles “Charlie” Robert Wesely’s last race ended Saturday, April 29, 2023, while he was surrounded by family at Savannah Heights nursing home in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa as the NASCAR Xinfinity race at Dover Motor Speedway was going on the TV, that he had planned on attending with family but didn’t make it due to his health.

Charlie was born on August 24, 1932, in Iowa City to Frank and Mary (Cooper) Wesely of Keosauqua, Iowa. After his family moved to Henry County, he had the unique opportunity of attending two rural country schools, where he was an average student and when asked what his favorite part of school was, he without a doubt responded, “the girls.” After the country schools, Charlie went on to become a student in the Mount Pleasant School system and graduated in 1951.

Following graduation, Charlie moved to California to join his brother Paul, and was soon hired to work at an Air Force supply depot. However, his employment at the depot was short lived as he was called upon in 1953 to serve his country in the United Stated Army for the next two years. After receiving an honorable discharge, Charlie was hired to work at a Marine supply depot in Barstow California briefly, but knew Iowa was home and he returned to the Midwest.

After returning home to Iowa, Charlie took on farming and soon found employment at General Electric in Burlington, Iowa where he worked as an electrical tester for 26 and a half years.

Charlie was married three times, once to Rosemary Scarff of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa and twice to Helen Woodyward of Burlington, Iowa, both ending in divorce.

Charlie was a member and supporter of the Salem VFW – Post 94, was an avid coin collector, loved his vintage Chevrolets, local car shows, and would never turn down a trip to Red Lobster.

He was an avid NASCAR supporter, rarely missing a race on TV, we all knew not to call when the races were on. He made many trips to Michigan and Dover with family to watch the races firsthand and one Christmas received a signed letter from Richard Childress, a NASCAR team owner, thanking him for his continued support which Charlie proudly displayed in his home next to all his Dale Earnhardt memorabilia.

In retirement, Charlie continued to help the local farmers, he loved running the equipment and was up for any task. Anywhere we would be driving in the car, he would always share his opinion of the owners’ care of the passing fields, leaving little doubt of his approval or dislike.

Farming, NASCAR racing, and old cars were all second to family. Charlie came from a large family himself having eleven brothers and sisters. Each year in June, it was time to spruce up his property by mowing, plating flowers, and painting in anticipation and preparation for the annual Wesely reunion that was held for many years at his house in Salem, Iowa. He genuinely looked forward to seeing family come literally from all over the country for reuniting, visiting, and whatever else may occur.

When the weather was good, Charlie enjoyed sitting out by his barn in the sun, or in the doorway watching the world go by and many times friends would stop by to visit and discuss the news of the day. Most of the locals knew to look for him and would honk as they passed by. Charlie would always wave and wait for the next car, truck, or tractor to go by all while relaxing, soaking up the sun and enjoying his “occasional” Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer.

Charlie is survived by his children; Roger Wesely of Mt. Pleasant, Cindy (Lynn) Conrad of Mt. Pleasant, Tina Wesely of Burlington, four grandsons, five granddaughters, several great-grandchildren, one sister; Genevieve (Wesely) Fetterman of Salem, and several nieces and nephews. He is proceeded in death by his parents; Frank Wesely and Mary (Cooper) Wesely and ten brother and sisters; Dorothy, Jane, Bertha, Jean, Pricilla, Joe, George, Merlin “Mike” Paul, and Johnny.

Kimzey Funeral Home has been entrusted to handle the care and services of Charles “Charlie” Robert Wesely. He will be cremated with inurnment in the Salem East Cemetery. A celebration of life will take place in conjunction with his late sister Jane on Friday, June 30, 2023, at the Moose Lodge in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established to the Salem Fire Department. On-line condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfh.com

Donald W. Mathews

By Theresa Rose · Friday, May 5th, 2023 at 6:10 am CDT

Donald W. Mathews, 73, of Danville, died Thursday, May 4, 2023 at Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice.  Arrangements are pending at Elliott Chapel, New London.

High School Girls’ Soccer: Burlington Enters the Top 15 for Class 2A

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, May 4th, 2023 at 4:07 pm CDT

Prep Girls Soccer- The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union has released their sixth edition of the girls’ soccer rankings. It was a quiet week for Class 3A but Class 1A saw a top three team tumble and Class 2A has a new top team and a local team joining the top 15.

Des Moines Christian remain atop the rankings in Class 1A followed by 10-3 Nevada. Van Meter is the first team that experienced a fall as they are now ranked 6th after being in 3rd last week. Underwood’s 2 to 1 win over the Bulldogs resulted in the shift as Underwood shifted from 6th to 5th in the rankings. Davenport Assumption took over the #3 spot. Solon was the last big movement as the Spartans fell to Vinton-Shellsburg 2 to 1 last week and fell out of the top 15 from their 13th rankings. After losing their second game of the season, Anamosa has rattled off seven straight wins and take over that 13th ranking with an 8-1 overall record.

Waverly-Shell Rock leapfrogged two teams to take over the #1 spot in the Class 2A rankings touting a 10-0 record. The big win for the Go-Hawks came against the former #1 team in Dallas Center-Grimes 1 to 0 in penalty kicks. North Scott’s loss to Assumption kept them from gaining the top spot and instead sliding down to 3rd in the rankings. Spencer jumped to 6th and Marion went from 12th to 9th. Burlington enters the rankings at the #15 spot after winning eight games in a row and allowing only one goal in the process. Hunter Pender leads the way for the Grayhounds with 14 goals while Jenna Hentzel touts an 83.6 save percentage.

Class 3A defied its usual pattern demonstrated throughout the weeks as the top 11 teams made no movement in the rankings. Waukee Northwest held on to the top spot followed by Valley and Johnston, respectively. Dubuque Hempstead clung on to the top 15 after falling three spots after losing 3 to 0 to Iowa City High last week. Due to the win, the Little Hawks went from being unranked to now being ranked 14th. Urbandale and Mason City slot in at #12 and #13, respectively.

Edith Louise (Martin) Roth

By Theresa Rose · Thursday, May 4th, 2023 at 11:08 am CDT

Edith Louise (Martin) Roth, 98, of Farmington, IA, passed away Wednesday May 3, 2023 at her home after a long struggle with dementia.

Edith was born August 2, 1924 in rural Lee County Iowa, to Oka and Mattie (Grelk) Martin.  She was the youngest of five siblings: Myrtle, Hillis, Warren, and Glenn, all who preceded her in death.

She attended many different county schools as her family moved a lot.  She started working as a young girl: baby siting, doing chores for neighbors, waitressing, and learning many different skills.  She even volunteered in helping build many buildings around the area.

Edith married Irvin Henry Roth in Kahoka, MO July 4, 1943.  They were blessed to be married 77 years and had two daughters, Cheryl Roth DeMoss and Linda Roth Fraise.  Linda passed away with cancer in 2003 and Irvin passed in 2021 at age 100.

Edith and Irvin worked their own farmland that had been in the family over 100 years, which they were very proud of.  In their younger days, they milked their own cows, raised calves, hogs, chickens, rabbits, and sheep.  They planted corn, soybeans, oats, and hay.  They raised big gardens, did a lot of canning, and Edith always cooked meals for family, friends, and neighbors.

Edith also had several jobs off the farm.  She worked for Sheller Globe in Keokuk, was a cook for the Harmony High School, and retired from Sheaffer Pen Co. in Ft. Madison.

The family made many memories going on road trips.  Seeing many states and sights in their pickup trucks with toppers and also a tent or two.  She enjoyed cooking, baking, camping, and being outdoors. She had a great talent at doing about anything she tried and fixing things.

 

Edith is survived by her daughter, Cheryl DeMoss of Farmington, son-in-law Alfred Fraise of Farmington, four grandchildren Aaron DeMoss, Tammy DeMoss, Heath (Jacki) Fraise, Brett Fraise, two great grandchildren Sydney DeMoss, Tanner DeMoss, and three step great grandchildren Sam Weber, Josie Johnson, and Lucas Johnson. Also surviving are several nieces and nephews.

 

She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, siblings, one daughter, and one grandson at birth.

 

Friends may call from 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m. Sunday, May 7, 2023, at Schmitz Funeral Home in Farmington, where the family will receive friends from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. that afternoon.

 

A graveside service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 8, 2023, in Greenglade Cemetery in Farmington, with Reverend Gordon Hawkins officiating.

 

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Greenglade Cemetery or Every Step Hospice.

 

On-line condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com. Schmitz Funeral Home of Farmington is assisting the family with arrangements.

Sports, May 4th

By Slaten Swords · Thursday, May 4th, 2023 at 6:25 am CDT

High School Track and Field

The Mt. Pleasant girls and boys teams will travel to Washington for their Southeast Conference meet tonight. The girls team for the Panthers will look to repeat as conference champions, while the boys team will have to dethrone Washington.

The Southeast Iowa Super Conference meet for the boys and girls will be run today at WACO. On the boys side, Mediapolis will look to defend their North title and New London will try to repeat as the South champion. The girls Sorth champion was West Burlington-Notre Dame last season and the North title winner was Pekin.

High School Soccer

The Mt. Pleasant girls team will look to get back in the win column tonight against Fairfield on the road.

The Mt. Pleasant boys team will host Fairfield today.

The WACO boys team will host Hillcrest Academy tomorrow, May 5th.

The Danville boys team will take on Wapello on the road tonight.

The Central Lee boys will take on Columbus today at home.

The Central Lee girls team will be at home against Columbus tonight.

High School Golf

The Mt. Pleasant boys team competed in the Southeast Conference meet yesterday and finished in 4th place with a score of 370. Washington won the conference meet with a 302 score as Roman Roth led the way with a score of 70. The Panthers next competition will be on May 10th for the 3A sectional meet.

The Mt. Pleasant girls team will compete in the SEC conference tournament on May 10th.

The Southeast Iowa Super Conference (SEISC) boys teams competed in their conference meet yesterday with Hillcrest Academy winning by nearly 30 strokes against runner-up Mediapolis, 322 to 351. New London finished in 4th place behind Wapello with Van Buren County rounding out the top 5. Central Lee placed tied for 6th and Winfield-Mt. Union finished in 8th place with 387 strokes. Caleb Larson from Central Lee finished with an 82. Carter Loyd shot an 88 on the day as he paced the Wolves. New London, Winfield-Mt. Union, Danville, and Holy Trinity Catholic will compete in the 1A sectional meet on May 10th.

The girls SEISC competition will be taking place on May 8th.

High School Tennis

The Mt. Pleasant girls team will travel to Burlington for the Southeast Conference meet today.

The Mt. Pleasant boys team is  11-0 on the season heading into their conference meet tonight.

College Signings

Aaiden Ashton will be joining his brother in Fulton, Missouri next year after signing his letter of intent to play basketball at William Woods University yesterday. His new coach, Jordan Ashton, sees a lot of potential in his new recruit.

“Just his growth, his continued growth every year. I mean you could see it with the numbers, you can see it with his body just how he looks, and I think he still has—obviously I’m a little biased—a ton of potential and room for growth going forward. And he works hard too, it’s not just something that kind of happened. He puts in the work, so I think he has a bright future.”

Ashton finished his senior season averaging 14.5 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game as he shot 43% from the field. He helped the Panthers finish with an 18-6 record, a 12-game winning streak, and their first conference championship since the 2017-18 season. Ashton talked about his enjoyment of last season,

“It was really fun, much love to my teammates and all of them guys. And good luck next year for those who are sticking around.”

The 6’2 guard will be joining an Owls squad that collected an 8-8 conference record on their way to a 15-13 overall record last season.

Southeast Iowa Playbook

Keetyn Townsley and Bradie Buffington joined us on the Southeast Iowa Playbook yesterday and they explained why they love being a part of the Winfield-Mt. Union community.

Iowa Wesleyan Athletics

The Tiger baseball team earned the 4th seed in the Continental Athletic Conference (CAC) tournament and they will be facing off against Georgia Gwinnett College on May 6th.

The Tigers outdoor track and field teams will be competing at the Fighting Scot Outdoor Invitational on May 6th.

Vice President for Advancement and Athletics Derek Zander will be joining us on Tiger Nation this morning at 9 am.

This Day in Sports History

1869 – Cincinnati Red Stockings play their 1st official baseball game, a win against the Great Western Baseball Club, 45-9.

1893 – Cowboy Bill Pickett invented bulldogging, the skill of grabbing cattle by the horns and wrestling them to the ground.

1980 – White Sox 1st baseman Mike “Spanky” Squires catches the final inning of a 11-1 loss to Brewers, becoming first lefty to catch since Cubs Dale Long in 1958.

 

 

Aaiden Ashton Joins His Brother at William Woods University

By Slaten Swords · Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023 at 4:21 pm CDT

Mt. Pleasant- The Ashton’s are taking over Fulton, Missouri as Aaiden Ashton signed his letter of intention to play basketball and major in business at William Woods University. This decision comes after Jordan Ashton was announced as the next head coach for the Owls on April 13th and officially started on April 28th. Coach Ashton will be bringing five members of Iowa Wesleyan’s team from last year, so familiarity did not seem to be an issue for Aaiden Ashton,

“It’ll be really helpful, just for comfortability and help get situated.”

Aaiden Ashton was a focal point for the Panthers the past two seasons as he put up 511 points and secured 213 rebounds, which included a shooting percentage of 40.6% from the field and 35.7% from three-point range. Ashton took a major step forward in his senior season as Payton Hagans, Owen Vansickel, and Ashton was akin to guarding Cerberus when they were all healthy. Coach Ashton talked about how much Aaiden has improved over the years.

“Just his growth, his continued growth every year. I mean you could see it with the numbers, you can see it with his body just how he looks, and I think he still has—obviously I’m a little biased—a ton of potential and room for growth going forward. And he works hard too, it’s not just something that kind of happened. He puts in the work, so I think he has a bright future.”

Ashton finished his senior season averaging 14.5 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game as he improved his shooting from the field eight points from his junior season—35.4% to 43%. This backcourt trio helped the Panthers finish with an 18-6 record, a 12-game winning streak, and their first conference championship since the 2017-18 season. Ashton talked about his enjoyment of last season,

“It was really fun, much love to my teammates and all of them guys. And good luck next year for those who are sticking around.”

The 6’2 guard will be joining an Owls squad that collected an 8-8 conference record on their way to a 15-13 overall record last season.