John Wright
John Wright, 81, of Mount Pleasant, died Wednesday, September 17, 2025, at his home surrounded by his loving family.
John was born October 18, 1943, in Mount Pleasant, the son of Merton and Ruth (Burrows) Wright. He attended Mount Pleasant High School, but felt he was being called to serve his country, driven by a deep love for this great nation. John proudly served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War. Upon his return, he received his high school diploma in 1962. John owned and successfully operated Packers Sanitation for many years before his retirement. On November 22, 1980, John was married to Kimberly Anne Heywood, the couple shared a life together until Kim’s death in May of 2017. John married Becky Jerabek on April 21, 2018. Their marriage was built on love and laughter, enriched by their travels, their stories, and the many memories they created together.
He was a member of the Mount Pleasant Golf and Country Club and the Moose Lodge. John loved to play golf and achieved the rare feat of two hole-in-ones. Travel was one of John’s greatest passions. He visited all 50 states and an impressive 81 countries, some of them multiple times. His travels were filled with unforgettable experiences and cherished memories. John enjoyed spending quality time with family and friends.
John is survived by his wife Becky; two daughters Paula (Steve) Cox of Cordova, IL, Angela (Kirby) Booton of Mount Pleasant; mother of his children Karen Wright of Mount Pleasant; grandchildren Natalie (Sam) Taylor, Haley (Thayne) McElhinney, Emily (Tyler) Hill, Madelyn Cox, Jeffery Cox; five great grandchildren; step-sons Louis (Carol) McCaslin, Joseph Jerabek; five step grandchildren; and brother Bradley (Nancy) Wright of Albert Lee, MN.
He was preceded in death by his parents; wife Kimberly; siblings Mary Russell, Betty Hall, Dorothy Lamm, Richard Wright, and William Wright.
Celebration of Life will be held 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Saturday, September 20, 2025, at the Mount Pleasant Golf and Country Club. The family will be present to greet friends. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to Mount Pleasant Golf and Country Club or the Make A Wish Foundation. The Olson-Powell Chapel & Crematory is caring for John and his family. www.powellfuneralhomes.com
MPCSD Special Session Meeting Planned
The Mt. Pleasant Community School District School Board will meet in Special Session on Monday, September 22nd at 6pm in the High School Media Center, 2104 S. Grand Avenue. On the agenda are plans to set a public hearing date for plans, specifications, and cost of the PEO Memorial Building Demolition. The date of the hearing is planned for October 13th. Board work session items include 2025-26 district goals and Iowa School performance profile report. This meeting is open to the public.
Southeast Iowa Drought Conditions
The U.S. Drought Monitor for Southeast Iowa shows all of Henry County, Lee, Jefferson, Washington and Van Buren Counties in abnormally dry conditions. Nearly all of Des Moines County is also abnormally dry. Low humidity and scarce rainfall have caused things to dry out.
SE Iowa Symphony Orchestra Concert Season
The Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 75th Anniversary with a Masterworks Concert Series! The Masterworks Series features Brahms’ monumental 1st Symphony, Beethoven’s triumphant 9th Symphony, and Tchaikovsky’s passionate Violin Concerto. To make this season even more memorable, complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served after every concert. Meet the musicians and concertgoers.
75th Masterworks Series tickets are transferable to any location – this means you can attend the concert venue and date that works best for you! Physical tickets will be mailed to you prior to the October 11th concert. Each concert is general admission seating. Concerts are held in Mt. Pleasant on Sundays at 6:30pm in the Chapel Auditorium, at 2pm on Sundays at the Bridge View Center in Ottumwa, and on Saturday evenings at the Capitol in Burlington at 7pm. For more information and regular performance updates, please join our email list or follow these events on our Facebook page.
Sports, September 20th
High School Football
In a clash of two undefeated teams, Central DeWitt’s offense outpaced Mt. Pleasant’s defense in a 49-27 final. The Panthers had a terrific start to the game, recovering the game’s opening kickoff and striking first with a five-yard touchdown run by Griffen Jones; however, after three weeks of no turnovers, Mt. Pleasant threw an interception, lost a fumble, and bobbled the snap of a punt, resulting in a 21-point swing. Panther head coach John Bowlin talked about the mistakes after the game,
“Well, I always preach to them short term memory, mistakes happen. You can’t dwell on them and you gotta get over and get to the next play whether it’s offense or defense, you got to go get that first down or make the next tackle, try for a turnover. You know, if you dwell on the mistakes, it’s going to be a long night for you. So that’s football. It’s a tough game and you know we got ourselves in some tough spots tonight by making mistakes, you know, coaches, players, all of us made mistakes tonight, so the things we can learn from going into district play, obviously it’s a big week starting district next week and we’ll get a lot better from tonight and be ready next week.”
Ramzy Davis led the way on the ground with 122 yards and two touchdowns, while Grayson Walker connected with Brody Clark for a 25-yard touchdown pass for the final score of the game. The Panthers will look to bounce back against Washington on Friday, September 26th, at home at 7:30 pm for their Homecoming.
Wapello staged a comeback against New London, usurping the Tigers in a 20-12 final. Wapello will host North Cedar on Friday at 7 pm.
WACO fell to Fremont-Mills last night 54-13. The Warriors will hit the road to take on Belle Plaine on Friday at 7 pm.
Winfield-Mt. Union had their Homecoming spoiled by Wayne last night in a 55-24 final. The Wolves will square off against Iowa Valley on Friday at 7 pm at home.
Mediapolis and West Burlington/Notre Dame added another classic to their rivalry history last night after Parker Holsteen rushed for 172 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-21 win for the Bulldogs to start district play.
Mediapolis will celebrate their Homecoming on Friday at 7 pm against Wilton.
West Burlington/Notre Dame will attempt to bounce back against Central Lee on the road at 7 pm on Friday.
Central Lee was no match for West Liberty as the Hawks lost 45-6 last night.
Fairfield earned their first win of the season in dominant fashion, crushing Knoxville 55-16. The Trojans will host Solon on Friday at 7:30 pm.
Danville racked up their third straight victory after shutting out Van Buren County last night 42-0. The Bears had their game against Highland canceled on Friday due to forfeit.
Van Buren County will travel to Pekin on Friday at 7 pm.
Columbus was steamrolled by North Linn last night 54-7. The Wildcats will host New London on Friday at 7 pm.
High School Cross Country
Mt. Pleasant will host their invitational on Tuesday, September 23rd, with Fairfield, Central Lee, Columbus, Danville, Mediapolis, Holy Trinity Catholic, New London, WACO, and Winfield-Mt. Union participating.
High School Volleyball
Mediapolis and #1 Holy Trinity Catholic will travel to the Lisbon Invitational today.
Danville will compete at the West Liberty Tournament today.
Mt. Pleasant and Fairfield will participate in the Ottumwa Invitational today.
Van Buren County will host Washington on Monday, September 22nd.
Holy Trinity Catholic will host their Classic on Monday with Danville, Central Lee, Columbus, Mediapolis, and Wapello making the trip.
High School Girls’ Tennis
Mt. Pleasant will travel to Central DeWitt today for their Team Regionals match.
Fairfield will host Fort Madison today for the Class 1A Team Regionals.
Southeastern Community College
The volleyball team will compete at John Wood Community College today.
The men’s and women’s soccer teams will host Northwest Iowa Community College today with the women playing first at 1 pm.
College Football
In a rare display of offense, Iowa rallied past Rutgers last night 38-28 to open up Big Ten play with a victory. Mark Gronowski ran for 55 yards and three touchdowns in the winning effort. The Hawkeyes will look for an upset against Indiana on Saturday, September 27th, at 2:30 pm at home.
#12 Iowa State is on a bye week.
This Day in Sports History
1973 – Billie Jean King defeats Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes tennis match.
1987 – Chicago running back Walter Payton scores his then-NFL record 107th rushing touchdown in the Bears’ 20-3 victory over Tampa Bay.
1988 – Wade Boggs of the Boston Red Sox becomes the first player of the modern era to reach 200 hits in six consecutive seasons.
Local High School Football Scores (Week 4)
8-Player
(3-1) Wayne 55, (1-3) Winfield-Mt. Union 24
(3-1) Fremont Mills 54, (3-1) WACO 13
(5-0) Iowa Valley 70, (1-3) HLV/TC 12
Class A
(3-1) Danville 42, (1-2) Van Buren County 0
(4-0) North Linn 54, (1-3) Columbus 7
(3-1) Wapello 20, (2-2) New London 12
Class 2A
(2-2) Mediapolis 28, (2-2) West Burlington/Notre Dame 21
(2-2) West Liberty 45, (2-2) Central Lee 6
Class 3A
(4-0) Central DeWitt 49, (3-1) Mt. Pleasant 27
(2-2) Washington 42, (0-4) Oskaloosa 7
(3-1) Burlington 62, (2-2) Keokuk 27
(4-0) Solon 28, (2-2) Benton 21
(3-1) Mt. Vernon 56, (0-4) Fort Madison 0
(1-3) Fairfield 55, (0-4) Knoxville 16
Elizabeth “Liz” Mae Troutman
Elizabeth “Liz” Mae Troutman, 91, of Wayland, died Thursday, September 18, 2025, at the Parkview Home in Wayland.
Graveside Services will be at 9:00 AM, Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at the Wayland Cemetery. The service will be livestreamed on the Beatty-Peterseim YouTube channel and Facebook page. Family visitation will be from 4-6:00 PM, Monday, September 22, 2025, at the Beatty Funeral Home in Wayland. Memorials may be designated to Hospice Compassus or the Parkview Home.
Elizebeth was born on January 16, 1934, the daughter of John and Ada (Turner) Arbogast. She graduated from Wayland High School in 1952 and was united in marriage to James “Jim” Richard Troutman.
She was a secretary for the Wayland School Superintendent and later a secretary for the Wayland New Life Parish. She enjoyed word search books, Pepsi, and was a chocolate lover.
Survivors include two children, Brian Troutman of Wayland and Lori (Darrell) Gressley of Lincoln, NE; grandson Caleb Rasmussen; siblings Mildred Wilson of Ainsworth, Dorothy Jacob of Wellman, Charles Arbogast, Johnie Arbogast, and Stanley (Shelly) Arbogast, all of Washington.
She was preceded by her parents, husband, and brothers, Howard, Richard, Dean and Edwin.