Saturday at about 12:45 am the Mount Pleasant Fire Department responded to a house fire at 704 E. Sheaffer Drive. 12 firefighters, two engines and a command vehicle were on the scene for about 2 hours. The fire was extinguished with minimal water. There was some smoke damage. The fire remains under investigation.
John Husak
John Husak, 86, of Farmington, Iowa, passed away at 5:45 a.m. Saturday, July 16, 2022, at Arbor Court in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.
He was born on December 3, 1935, in Prague, Nebraska, the son of John and Josephine (Eidelpess) Husak. On April 17, 1992, at Kahoka United Methodist Church he married Shirley Himes Losey.
Survivors include his wife: Shirley; several children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his siblings.
John was a United States Navy veteran. He retired from Armour Dial. He enjoyed playing cards, dancing and spending time with his wife Shirley, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
His body has been entrusted to the crematory of Schmitz Funeral Home for cremation.
A graveside service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 21, 2022, at Greenglade Cemetery in Farmington, with Rev. Ellis Andrews officiating.
A memorial has been established in his memory for Farmington American Legion.
Online condolences may be made at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com. Schmitz Funeral Home of Farmington is assisting he family with arrangements.
ATV Crash Update
On July 17,2022 at a approximately 2:01 AM, the Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 120th Ave north of 260th Street in reference to an ATV accident involving 2 individuals. The ATV collided with a deer, and both individuals were ejected off the vehicle. The driver of the ATV, 25-year-old Treyton Hartman, died as a result of the accident. The passenger, 23-year-old Cody Liles, was taken to Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center for treatment of their injuries and was released.
The Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Wapello Iowa Ambulance Service, the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office, and the Mediapolis Fire Department.
James Benjamin “Benji” Fett
James Benjamin “Benji” Fett, 44, of Bonaparte, Iowa, passed away Friday, July 15, 2022, at the Van Buren County Hospital in Keosauqua, Iowa.
He was born April 4, 1978, in Keosauqua, Iowa, the son of Jimmy Ray and Janet (Haynes) Fett.
Survivors include his mother: Janet Fett; brother: Jeremy Fett; sister: JennaLee (Jesse) Short, all of Bonaparte, Iowa; brother: Jacob (Jacque) Fett of Hillsboro, Iowa; niece: Jacey Fett of Canton, Missouri; nephew: Jackson Fett of Mount Pleasant, Iowa; and nieces: Jaegan and Jaylee Short of Bonaparte, Iowa. Also, surviving are several uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends.
Benji was a 1996 graduate of Harmony High School. He attended Vatterott College, graduating in 1998. He worked at Barker Company, Stuke Plastics, and Agri Plastics. He enjoyed working and was disheartened when his health later prevented him from doing so. In hopes of returning to the workforce, Benji underwent extensive brain surgery to improve his epilepsy. The operation was not completely successful and resulted in a brain injury. But still, he persevered while relearning to walk, talk, and do everyday tasks.
He loved nature and wildlife, enjoyed taking walks, and hunting and fishing when he was able. In 2018, he was diagnosed with a genetic disease, Pulmonary Hypertension. This made doing his favorite things hard and some days impossible. Still, he never lost his faith in God or humanity. He prayed daily for others. He was a true gentle giant that wasn’t afraid to express his feelings for those close to him, often giving backbreaking hugs, kisses, and saying “I love you”.
In his youth, he played baseball and was an excellent pitcher. He was a lifelong Cubs fan, watching them on TV and taking in a few games in person. He was able to visit the Field of Dreams and had hoped to visit again this year, health permitting.
He loved his family and friends the most though. He was always up for babysitting his little sister and younger cousins. He had the great pleasure of taking care of his niece and nephew for a few years. He was a jokester and just wanted to make people smile and laugh. He was a friend to everyone he met. Classmates remember his goofy nature and big smile. He was their prom king.
He was preceded in death by his father: Jim; sister-in-law: Oralia Fett (whom he loved to tease); grandparents: Carole Jean and John Haynes; cousins: Zachary and Jonathan Batten, and his best friend: Adam Richardson.
His body has been entrusted to the crematory of Schmitz Funeral Home for cremation, after donating his organs.
The family will receive friends from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 21, 2022, at Schmitz Funeral Home in Farmington.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, July 21, 2022, at Schmitz Funeral Home with Pastor Mark Caston officiating.
In true Benji fashion, we ask that no one feel the need to dress up. A t-shirt and shorts are completely acceptable. Better yet, a Hawaiian shirt as he sure did love him some Jimmy Buffett.
Burial of his cremains will be at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his memory and can be mailed to the family at: JennaLee Short, P.O. Box 244, Bonaparte, Iowa 52620.
Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com Schmitz Funeral Home of Farmington is assisting the family with arrangements.
“See you on the other side.” – Benji
Doris J. Walljasper
Doris J. Walljasper, 93, formerly of Farmington, Iowa, passed away Friday, July 15, 2022, at the Lyngblomsten Care Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
She was born on January 1, 1929, in Farmington, Iowa, the daughter of Robert and Hazel (Lerche) Muntz. On May 26, 1952, she married Paul J. Walljasper in Fort Madison, Iowa. He preceded her in death.
Survivors include her son: Eric (Margaret) Walljasper; daughter-in-law: Julie Ristau; granddaughters: Gretchen Walljasper, Yana Walljasper; grandson: Soren Walljasper; niece: Diane (Tim) Drummond.
She was preceded in death by her parents: Robert and Hazel Walljasper; husband: Paul Walljasper; son: Jay Walljasper; brothers: Densmore, William Earle and Stanley Muntz; and sister: Jesse Muntz.
Doris graduated from Farmington High School. She loved spending time with family and friends. She liked to play cards and listen to country music. She enjoyed hunting for antiques with her husband in the small towns of Illinois and Iowa. After moving to Minnesota, she discovered the north shore of Lake Superior, which became her favorite vacation spot. She also became a fan of the Twins and tried to watch as many games as she could.
A graveside service will be held at 10:00 a.m. Friday, July 22, 2022, at the Thompson Cemetery in rural Bonaparte with Rev. Ellis Andrews officiating.
A memorial has been established in her memory.
Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com. Schmitz Funeral Home of Farmington is assisting the family with arrangements.
Check Forging Arrests
In January of 2022, it was discovered that fraudulent checks, represented to be from the Henry County Jail checking account, were being made, forged, and deposited.
Upon investigation it was found that during December of 2021 and January of 2022, multiple checks were fraudulently made, forged, and deposited into suspect accounts, with the total of fraudulent checks being over $30,000.00.
Upon further investigation, the following have been charged regarding this fraud/forgery investigation:
Messiah Johnson, 30 of Bloomington, Illinois, charged with Forgery (D felony) – three (3) counts, Conspiracy to commit Forgery (D felony), and Theft 1st (C felony)
Darriauna Jones, 26 of Bloomington, Illinois, charged with Forgery (D felony) – two (2) counts, Conspiracy to commit Forgery (D felony), and Theft 1st (C felony).
Further charge(s) are pending.
The Henry County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind citizens that anyone can be a victim of crime and to be vigilant in overseeing their financial accounts and transactions.
4-H Clothing Event results announced
Twenty-one 4-H’ers and seven Clover Kids participated in the Washington County Clothing Event on Sunday, July 10 at the Washington County Extension Office.
4-H members have the option of three categories to participate in: $15 Challenge, Clothing Selection or Fashion Revue. In the $15 Challenge category, 4-H’ers shopped for second-hand items totaling $15 or less. This excludes accessories, undergarments and shoes. The Clothing Selection category is purchased clothing and Fashion Revue category is a constructed outfit.
In the Senior $15 Challenge division, Taylor Garman of the 76 Progressives and Zoe Fisher of the Limecreek Limelights were chosen to represent Washington County at the Iowa State Fair Awardrobe Event in the $15 Challenge. In the Senior Clothing Selection division, Zoe Fisher and Taylor Garman were selected for the Iowa State Fair Awardrobe event and Delaney Gerot was selected as the State Fair alternate. In the Senior Fashion Revue, Isadora Goode of the Kalona Klassics was selected for the Iowa State Fair Awardrobe event. The State Fair Awardrobe Clothing Event will be held on Thursday, August 11.
In the Intermediate $15 Challenge division, Charlotte Sieren received a purple, Ava Greiner received a lavender, and Brock Lowenberg and Paige Malichky received blues. In the Intermediate Clothing Selection division, Ava Greiner received a purple and Adyson Gerot and Grace Conger received lavendars.
In the Junior $15 Challenge division, Morgan Bruty received a purple and Marlee Greiner, Emma Greiner, and Hayden Norman received lavendars. Receiving blues were Emma Keil, Grace Taylor, Ruby Lowenberg, Piper Malichky, Meredith Campbell, Mycala Plank, and Adlei Marek. In the Junior Clothing Selection category, Emma Greiner received a purple, Marlee Greiner and Morgan Bruty received lavendars, and Emma Keil and Hayden Norman received blues.
A Style Revue for the public will be held at the Washington County Fair on Monday, July 18 in combination with the Share the Fun Event and several Educational Presentations at the Washington Community Center with 4-H members and Clover Kids participating together.
Sports, July 18th
Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant Baseball had multiple honorees in the 2022 Southeast Conference All-Conference Awards. Senior Cooper Keldgord and Junior Carter Amos were honored with 2nd Team All SEC. Junior Jake Ensminger and Senior Lincoln Henriksen were honorable mentions. Senior Dalton Church, Junior Elliott Cook, Junior Garrett Cook, Senior Lincoln Henriksen, and Junior Zerek Venghaus were honored with Academic All-SEC.
Mount Pleasant Middle School is hosting a Back to School 3 vs. 3 Basketball Tournament coming up on August 20th. The tournament is open to 3rd through 8th graders. The cost to enter is $60 per team and registration is due by August 15th. With questions, you can contact Ronnie Ashton at reash10@yahoo.com.
New London
New London Baseball will play their quarterfinal game of the Class 1A state tournament against CAM this afternoon at 4:30 PM in Carroll. New London was defeated by Kee 4-3 in the quarterfinal round of last year’s tournament. Live coverage of the quarterfinal game against CAM this afternoon will be available on KILJ.
This Day in Sports History
1927 – Ty Cobb set a major league baseball record by getting his 4,000th career hit. He hit 4,191 before he retired in 1928.
1964 – Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds hit the only grand slam home run of his career.
1987 – Yankees’ Don Mattingly hit a home run in an 8th consecutive game, tying a record.
2008 – Billy Joel performs the last of two concerts dubbed the “The Last Play at Shea.” The final concert event before the demolition of Shea Stadium which was built in 1964. Featured guests include Roger Daltrey, Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks, and Paul McCartney.