Dorothy M. Halm, 82, of Mt. Pleasant passed away on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, surrounded by family.

Friends may call on Saturday, August 6, 2022, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Murphy Funeral Home in Mt. Pleasant, the casket will remain closed per Dorothy’s wishes.  The family will not be present.  Private family services will be held and burial will be in the Forest Home Cemetery in Mt. Pleasant.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com

Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant, is caring for her arrangements.

William John “Hoot” Wilson, 57, of Mt. Pleasant, died Thursday, August 4, 2022 at his home.

According to his wishes, his body will be cremated and a Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

Elliott Chapel, New London, is assisting the family with arrangements.

Dr. Harold C. “Pete” Rankin of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, passed away on August 4, 2022, after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

Pete was born April 18, 1935, in Grand Chain, Illinois, the son of Harold and Daisy (Hill) Rankin.  He graduated from high school in Early, Iowa, in 1952. He received his Pharmacy Degree from Drake University in 1956, and medical degree from the University of Iowa in 1960.

On June 19, 1960, Pete was united in marriage to his lifelong partner, Janis Horne, at the Vermont Street United Methodist Church in Quincy, Illinois. Pete was a devoted and loving husband to Jan and father to their three daughters, Lynn, Cynthia and Laura.

Pete began his medical practice with an internship at the Delaware Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware and two years as a medic in the United States Air Force at K.I. Sawyer AFB in Sands, Michigan. He and Jan moved to Mount Pleasant in 1963. Pete served as a caring and compassionate family practice physician in the community for 35 years.  He also founded the kidney dialysis unit at Henry County Health Center in 1969, and was their director for 22 years.

Pete served his community as a trustee for Iowa Wesleyan University, president of the Chamber of Commerce, director for the Henry County Savings Bank, team doctor for the high school football team for over 20 years, and president of the Kidney Foundation of Iowa.

After retiring from his medical practice, he followed another passion and became a Master Gardener. Pete wrote a biweekly column, “Tip of the Trowel,” for local papers and was one of the founders of the Henry County Master Gardeners organization.

Pete was a member of the First United Methodist Church. He loved gardening, collecting Wedgwood, traveling, and spending time with his children and grandchildren. He enjoyed sports and was an avid Hawkeye fan. For 20 years, he and his wife enjoyed vacationing with their family at the Lake of the Ozarks. Pete was beloved for his kind spirit and gentle nature.

He is survived by his wife Janis; three daughters, Dr. Lynn Rankin (Steve Karlin) of Des Moines; Cynthia (Mark) Rauschert of Bushnell, Illinois; Laura (Paul) Bickle of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; eight grandchildren, Addie (Mackenzie) Mumey of Decatur, Georgia; Anne (Austin) Raisor of Felicity, Ohio; Matt (Emma) Rauschert of Bushnell, Illinois; Maisie Karlin of Boston, Massachusetts; Lucy Karlin of Des Moines; Sam Bickle of Charlotte, North Carolina; John Bickle of Indianapolis, Indiana; and Molly Bickle of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; two great grandchildren, Miller Mumey, Noelle Mumey; and a brother, Bruce Rankin of LaBelle, Florida.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Visitation will be Thursday, August 11, 2022, from 10:00am – 4:00pm, at the Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Family will be present from 2:00 – 4:00pm. A private family funeral will be held.

Pete and his family are very grateful for the caregivers at Sunrise Terrace and EveryStep Hospice who lovingly helped him through his illness. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation. Memorial donations in memory of Dr. Pete Rankin may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, EveryStep Hospice (www.everystep.org) of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and Sunrise Terrace of Winfield, Iowa.

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John Clark Schlatter, 69, of Hopkins, MN peacefully passed away on Thursday February 10, 2022 at Emerald Crest Memory Care, surrounded by his loved ones.

John Clark Schlatter was born on January 24, 1953 in Mt Pleasant IA to Glenn and Jeanette (Zickefoose) Schlatter. John was a member of First Baptist Church in Mt. Pleasant and graduated from Mt Pleasant High School in 1972. After working for a year for the Mt Pleasant Newspaper he joined the Navy. He was stationed at the San Diego Naval base and proudly served his country for four years. Following his honorary discharge he remained in San Diego working for a printing company for the next 16 years. In 1988 he married Lori Moyle from LaCrosse, WI. They made their home in San Diego and their family became complete when their son, Nathan Timothy was born in 1991. In 1999, John packed up his family and they moved to the Twin Cities and settled in Hopkins, MN. John found his nitch in driving shuttle for various hotels in the area. He especially liked driving the airline pilots and hearing about their adventures.

John had a strong faith in God and was always involved in his church wherever he was. He loved playing his saxophone and praising God with his music. Most recently he was attending Life Church/Christian Family Church. John always had a special love for his dog, Cooper, who always brought him a smile. He would play with Cooper or just hold him and let Cooper lick his face – always made John giggle.

John is survived by his wife, Lori, of Hopkins, MN and his son, Nathan, of St. Louis Park, MN. His sister, Helen (Dennis) Friest of Radcliffe, IA, niece, Brenda (Ryan) Ritter of Tucson, AZ and nephews Brad (Jodi) Friest of Roland, IA and Brent Friest of Radcliffe, IA and nine great- nieces and nephews. John was preceded in death by his parents, parents-in-law, Richard and Elloise (Barton) Moyle and his sister-in-law, Linda Moyle.

A graveside service will be held at Forest Home Cemetery, Mt. Pleasant on Saturday, August 13th at 1 p.m.. A time of reminiscing and celebration of John’s life will be held at the First Baptist Church fellowship hall after the graveside service.

In lieu of flowers, gifts of love and friendship may be given to Timber Bay Youth Investment, PO Box 316, Medina, MN 55340 in John’s honor. The Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel is assisting John’s family with local arrangements.

Richard Eugene Elefson, 86, died Tuesday, August 2, 2022, at Columbus Regional Health in Columbus, Indiana.

Richard was born September 6, 1935, in Osage, Iowa, the son of Raymond and Josephine (Pullen) Elefson.  He received his bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the University of Iowa.  On June 23, 1957, Richard was united in marriage to Beverley Mills in Washington, Iowa.  He worked as a realtor for more than 60 years, and was a member of the Methodist Church as well as the National Association of Realtors.  Richard served his community as a city council member and mayor of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. He was an avid reader and enjoyed researching genealogy.

Richard is survived by his wife Beverley; four children: Steven (Alla) Elefson, Susan (John) Moriarty, Bradley Elefson, Amy (Wes) Doyle; and eight grandchildren: Stephanie, Alesa and Kateryna Elefson; Kelsey and Makenzie Moriarty; Kyle and Sarah Elefson; Shaelyn Doyle.

Richard was preceded in death by his parents Raymond and Josephine Elefson and sister Mary Jo Elefson.

Memorial Service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, August 6, 2022, at the Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel in Mount Pleasant.  Pastor David Bracht-Wagner will officiate.  Burial will be in the Forest Home Cemetery.  Visitation will be held from 9:30 a.m. until time of service on Saturday.  A memorial fund has been established for the American Heart Association. www.powellfuneralhomes.com.