Bonnie Lucille Thomas

By Theresa Rose · Tuesday, July 26th, 2022 at 5:55 am CDT

Bonnie Lucille Thomas, 85, of Mt. Pleasant, died Thursday, June 23, 2022 at New London Specialty Care.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11:00 am, Saturday, July 30,

2022 at the Ashford Park Clubhouse, 1801 E. Ashford Avenue, Mt.

Pleasant. The family will receive friends immediately following the service until 2:00 pm.  A memorial has been established for Grandview Church, 1019 Cedar Street, Quincy, Illinois 62301.  Elliott Chapel, New London is assisting the family with arrangements.  Online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.

KILJ Sports Director Leaving

By Theresa Rose · Monday, July 25th, 2022 at 3:47 pm CDT

It is with great regret KILJ Radio announces that our sports director, Parker Testa, will be leaving the station at the end of August. Parker has very quickly become an important part of the KILJ team. His professionalism, sports knowledge and talent for play-by-play have already made an impact on our listeners. Parker said he has been fortunate enough to get to know some great families, coaches , student athletes and fans. He also said he appreciates the way Mount Pleasant and Southeast Iowa have welcomed him with open arms, making him one of their own. As far as his future, Parker said he is headed back to Dayton, Ohio to continue what he began there. He also said he would always have an ear to Southeast Iowa and that waking up with you every morning and providing you with local sports coverage has been a pleasure. We are sad to see him go but we wish him all the best in his future endeavors. And we hope to someday say, “We knew him, when.”

SCC Trustee, Staff Honored at Annual Community Colleges for Iowa Conference

By Theresa Rose · Monday, July 25th, 2022 at 1:08 pm CDT
Southeastern Community College (SCC) trustee Janet Fife-LaFrenz, along with employees Amber Ruskell-Lamer and Angela Mickelson, received awards from the Community Colleges for Iowa organization, formerly known as the Iowa Association of Community College Trustees. These awards honor 2-year college trustees and employees who have demonstrated outstanding efforts toward promoting the values of the Community Colleges of Iowa.

Long-time trustee Fife-LaFrenz received the John P. Kibbie Outstanding Trustee Award. She has served on SCC’s board for over 26 years, acting as the chair and the vice chair five times each. Additionally, she serves on the Career and Technical Education Advisory Board for Keokuk K-12 school district, where she shares information about concurrent enrollment and business and industry needs.

“Janet is very passionate about offering our students the resources they need to succeed,” SCC President Michael Ash said. “We’re honored to have her as a trustee. She is certainly very deserving of this award.”

Ruskell-Lamer, recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Award, has been a professor of biology at SCC since August 2009. She was honored for her significant impact at SCC. She stands out for her efforts to increase enrollment and retention, her role as chair of the math and science department, and leading efforts to realign and update SCC’s science courses.

Ash adds that he is proud of Ruskell-Lamer’s dedication to students and the college at-large.

“Her hard work demonstrates the college values to focus on excellence, integrity, and continuous improvement. Amber is a fantastic example of what SCC stands for.”

Mickelson, recipient of the Outstanding Staff Award, is SCC’s dedicated accessibilities services coordinator who ensures that the college offers the services necessary for students with physical and learning disabilities to excel. She is a passionate advocate for students in need of accessibility services and leads the college’s ADA and Accessibility Committee. Mickelson works directly with faculty and staff to communicate the support needed for each student in an effort to offer the best assistance possible.

“Angela works very hard to promote our vision to transform lives, embrace diversity, and help students strive to do their absolute best. We are grateful to have her on our team to help our students excel.”

Nominees are selected based in part on their contribution to developing programs and advancing the causes of two-year colleges in Iowa and the nation.

Ash is proud of the trio for their dedication to promote student success.

“Janet, Amber, and Angela are wonderful examples of leaders who promote the values of both SCC and the Community Colleges for Iowa,” he said. “Our internal motto is, ‘It’s all about the students,’ and it is clear that everything they do is with the students’ best interests in mind.”

Based in Des Moines, IA, the Community Colleges for Iowa is comprised of administrators and trustees from Iowa’s 15 community colleges and advocates for higher education and workforce-related issues in the state of Iowa.

Daily Jail Count

By Theresa Rose · Monday, July 25th, 2022 at 8:13 am CDT

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:   07-25-2022______

 

   24       Henry County Inmates

 

   54       Out of County Contract Inmates              

 

  78       TOTAL

Bobbi Jean “Coop” Coughlin

By Theresa Rose · Sunday, July 24th, 2022 at 8:59 am CDT

Bobbi Jean “Coop” Coughlin, 57, of Salem passed away on Friday, July 22, 2022, at the emergency room of the Henry County Health Care Center in Mt. Pleasant.

Funeral arrangements for Bobbi are pending at the Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant.

Patricia “Pat” Rose Steffensmeier

By Theresa Rose · Sunday, July 24th, 2022 at 8:58 am CDT

Patricia “Pat” Rose Steffensmeier, 81, of St. Paul, Iowa, passed away on July 22, 2022, after a courageous battle with cancer surrounded by her loved ones who will continue to honor her legacy by living their lives to the fullest. Born on December 19, 1940, Pat was the daughter of Albert and Viola (Schwartz) Lampe and was the second of eleven children. She married Daniel Steffensmeier on September 7, 1963, at Saint John’s Catholic Church in Houghton, Iowa.

As a devout Catholic, Pat attended Saint John’s Catholic School in Houghton, Iowa. She was a member of Saint James Catholic Church in Saint Paul, Iowa. She served on the parish council, was an officer of the Altar and Rosary Society, and sang beautifully in the parish choir for nearly 40 years. Pat was also a member of the Saint James quilters.

Pat worked at Northwestern Bell in Fort Madison, Iowa, and continued to serve others as a volunteer teacher’s aid at Marquette Elementary School in Houghton, Iowa, for more than twenty years. Pat had an amazing love of nature and could identify nearly every bird, plant, flower, or insect. Her grandkids were fascinated by this knowledge as well as her insect and rock collections which helped them receive wonderful accolades on many school science projects. She also loved following her grandkids’ activities, cooking wonderful meals for her family, going down to the ponds, watching the hummingbirds, tending to her flowers, and wintering in Arizona.

She is survived by her husband, Dan; children: Mike (Jan) of Columbus, Ohio, Marty (Amy) of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Scott (Raelynn) of Roanoke, Indiana, and Julie (Jamie) of Waverly, Iowa; fifteen grandchildren and three great grandchildren; siblings: Larry (Ruth) Lampe of Houghton, Iowa, Dave (Linda) of Lockridge, Iowa, Joyce (Darrell) Moeller of Salem, Iowa, Vicki Arnold of Keosauqua, Iowa, Kathy (Carl) Elston of Quincy, Illinois, Joe (Lora) Lampe of Houghton, Iowa, Jerry Lampe of Houghton, Iowa, Alan (Beth) of Des Moines, Iowa, and Tom (Lois) of Metamora, Illinois; many nieces and nephews; and a host of friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and brother Dennis who died in infancy.

Visitation will begin after 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 28, 2022, at Saint James the Less Catholic Church in Saint Paul. The family will receive friends from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. A parish rosary will be recited at 4:00 p.m. and a Christian wake service will be at 6:00 p.m.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, July 29, 2022, at Saint James the Less Catholic Church in Saint Paul with Father Dan Dorau as celebrant.

Burial will be held in Saint James Cemetery in Saint Paul, Iowa.

A memorial has been established in her memory for Saint James the Less Catholic Church.

Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com. Schmitz Funeral Home of West Point is assisting the family with arrangements.

 

July 25, 2022 – July 31, 2022

By Lora Roth · Saturday, July 23rd, 2022 at 1:30 am CDT
07/25/22
Kit Schroeder
07/25/22
Dr. Frederick Frank
07/25/22
Tracy Andermann
07/26/22
John Barr
07/26/22
Larry Brenizer
07/26/22
Samantha Broecker
0726//22
Ted & Paula Mohrfeld - 20 yrs
07/27/22
Laci Palar
07/27/22
Amy Pullis
07/27/22
Nicholas Ridenour
07/27/22
Gary Johnson
07/28/22
Christian Bracht-Wagner
07/28/22
Doyle Dunn
07/28/22
Melvin Messer
07/28/22
John Thomas
07/28/22
Ted Mohrfeld
07/29/22
Pat Doak
07/29/22
Isabella Parker
07/29/22
Jackson Styron
07/29/22
Brianna Wibstad (12)
07/30/22
Danielle Davidson
07/30/22
Macy Jones
07/30/22
Mick Garris
07/30/22
Jim Burden
07/30/22
Sandy Ernst
07/31/22
Taylor Kokemuller

New London Baseball Wins State

By Parker Testa · Friday, July 22nd, 2022 at 9:00 pm CDT

CARROLL – New London Baseball are the Class 1A Baseball State Champions! The Tigers defeated the Remsen St. Mary’s Hawks 8-7 in thrilling fashion Friday afternoon to claim their first state title in program history.

Senior Tucker Gibbar hit a solo home run in the 4th inning to get the scoring started for New London. The Hawks had the bases loaded with 1 out in the bottom of the 7th inning, the Tigers then forced a rare 1-2-3 double play to end the ball game and claim the title for the Tigers.

Friday’s championship win was New London Head Coach Brad Helmerson’s final game as Head Coach for New London. Helmerson told KILJ’s Parker Testa following the game, “I don’t know how it feels yet. I don’t think it’s settled in.” Helmerson said. “It’s special for the kids. Not many championship games end in a 1-2-3 double play. That’s amazing. These guys are something else.”