Gerald Benedict May was born on February 12, 1947, in Harlan, Iowa, the son of Nicholas and Adeline (Blum) May. He was baptized and later confirmed at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in Panama. Gerald attended St. Mary Catholic School and graduated with the class of 1965. He went on to attend Iowa State University, where he majored in mechanical engineering.

Diana Lee Wolf was born to Julyane (Johnson) and Arvid Larson on March 31, 1945 in Cordell, Oklahoma. She was united in marriage to Charles Wolf and to this union, two daughters were born: Joell and Janelle.

 Esther “Leone” Deskin, age 95, passed away peacefully on March 22, 2026, after a brief stay in hospice at Myrtue Medical Center.

Lynn E. Sorensen, long-time resident of West Des Moines, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 20, 2026. He was born June 18, 1938 in Harlan, IA and raised on the nearby family farm, a much-loved son of Andrew and Elsie Petersen Sorensen, the sixth of seven children in the family. Lynn’s siblings, extended family and friends provided endless camaraderie and activity as he was growing up.

Mary Jane Petersen, the oldest child of Richard and Elvera (Clausen) Thompson of Ute, Iowa, was born on February 10, 1933. She loved to share the story that she weighed only 2½ pounds at birth and began her life in a shoebox placed in the oven to “finish baking.” From that very beginning, she often said, everything in her life was a miracle.

Jerome V. Zimmerman “Jerry”, was born April 11, 1936, on a farm North of Westphalia, IA. He was the 11th of 14 children born to Frank and Celia Zimmerman. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Boniface Catholic Church, and went to St. Boniface Catholic School, graduation with the class of 1954. 

Carole Thraen was born on November 1, 1945, in Harlan, Iowa, to Gerald and Gladys (Knudsen) Grabill. She attended Shelby-Tennant School and graduated in 1964. Though only 4’11”, Carole was a forward for the basketball team and was known for her quickness. She also served as a baton majorette for the marching band.

Gregory Joseph Monahan was born on October 7, 1957, to Charles Monahan and Marie Miller Monahan. He grew up in the country in the Panama/Portsmouth area. Greg was baptized at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Portsmouth and attended grade school there, too. Greg moved to Harlan around junior high age and graduated from Harlan Community High School.

Marshall 0. Burchett of Harlan, Iowa, died peacefully at home on December 21, 2025, surrounded by family members. He was 77 years old. After fighting cancer with courage for 26 years, Marshall’s long journey came to an end, but the love and memories he created will stay with his family forever.

Francis “Fella” Raymond was born October 4, 1971, in Saint Lucia, to Frederick Raymond and Marcelline (Alexander) Augusta. He attended grade school in St. Lucia and graduated from St. Joseph Catholic High School in 1987. Francis attended Job Corps in Louisville, KY, and graduated with the class of 1996.

Sheryl (“Sherry”) Lynn Lytle, age 65, was called home to the Lord on March 9th, 2026 following a battle with metastatic lung cancer.

Teresa Clara (Pfeifer) Kruse, the 10th of 13 children of Clara (Weber) and Leo Pfeifer was born on November 29, 1925, on the family’s homestead near Spalding, Nebraska.  Teresa attended 1st through 8th grade at a country schoolhouse near Spalding, earning straight A’s.  Following graduation in the midst of the Great Depression, rather than attend high school, Teresa was needed more at home.

Theresa Mildred Kramer, the daughter of Frank and Cecelia (Schechinger) Kramer, was born on September 2, 1928, and was the middle child of 17 children. The family lived on a farm near Defiance, IA. Theresa was baptized, had first communion, confession, and confirmation at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Defiance.

Harry James Sawyer was born to Connie Scholl and Harry Nelson Sawyer on July 4, 1963, in Norfolk, Virginia. In his younger years, Harry’s family moved to Belton, Missouri, where he attended school and later graduated from Belton Senior High School. As a child, Harry enjoyed spending time with his family, especially going bowling and watching movies together.

Paul “Osgood” Adolph Schaben, age 86, of Carroll, IA, passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 8, 2026 at Gracewell in Denison, IA.